untitled

prehistoric iceman recently discovered in Siberia
(Robinson 2001).
Several cold-tolerant fungi are found in more famil-
iar environments. Penicilliumspecies often grow on food
residues in domestic refrigerators, at a temperature of

around 4°C. Fungi with darkly pigmented hyphae,

such as Cladosporium herbarum, are reported to grow

on meat in cold storage at below 0°C, although this

fungus normally occurs as a ubiquitous saprotroph on

leaf surfaces. Another species, Thamnidium elegans(see

144 CHAPTER 8

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Temperature (°C)

Thermomyces lanuginosus

Chaetomium thermophile

Humicola insolens

Thermomucor pusillus

Aspergillus fumigatus

Aspergillus flavus

Penicillium chrysogenum

Cladosporium herbarum

Botrytis cinerea

Rhizopus nigricans

Penicillium expansum

Penicillium brevicaulis

Sclerotinia borealis

Typhula idahoensis

Fig. 8.2Approximate temperature ranges and optima (black circle) for growth of some representative fungi.

Fig. 8.3Thermomyces lanuginosus, a mitosporic thermophilic fungus. (a) 10-day-old colony on malt-extract agar.
(b) Large conidia which are darkly pigmented at maturity and are borne singly on short hyphal branches.

(a) (b)