In this master's thesis, we investigated the growth of selected acidophilic and alkaliphilic fungi across a wide pH range. In addition, we examined oxygen requirements and esterase activity of tested isolates. To test fungal growth across a broad pH range, we also validated buffer systems and evaluated their effectiveness in different culture media. The obtainted results confirmed our hypotheses, as fungi isolated from acidic environments were able to grow in media with an alkaline pH and vice-versa. Among the 11 tested isolates, 10 thrived across a wide pH range, suggesting that fungi capable of surviving in such diverse pH conditions are more common than previously assumed. This adaptability is enabled by their exceptional morphological and physiological plasticity. We demonstrated that most of the fungi primarily isolated from the acidic lake are acidotolerant rather than acidophilic, as the pH with observed optimal growth was higher than that of their native habitat. Similarly, the putatively alkaliphilic isolates also thrived in a wide pH range, and two also in acidic range. Due to their adaptations in wide pH range the studied isolates have potential applications in biotechnology, particularly in the bioremediation of acidic and alkaline environments. Further research including genomic and transcriptomic analyses of these isolates would be necessary to explore their full biotechnological potential.
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