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Evolution and Physiology of Amphibious Yeasts
Fouad El Baidouri1,2, Polona Zalar3, Timothy Y James4
1School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA; email: amend@hawaii.edu, baidouri@hawaii.edu.
Annual Review of Microbiology
|August 5, 2021
Summary
Amphibious yeasts, found in diverse aquatic environments, exhibit convergent evolution with streamlined genomes and shared traits. Understanding their adaptations is key to fungal evolution and ecological plasticity.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Ecology
Background:
- Unicellular yeast-like fungi have evolved convergently multiple times over 700 million years.
- These yeasts share phenotypic and metabolic similarities, alongside streamlined genomes.
- Yeasts are ubiquitous in aquatic environments, with many species being amphibious.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the physiological and ecological diversity of amphibious yeasts.
- To explore the evolutionary adaptations enabling yeast survival in aquatic habitats.
- To highlight terrestrial genera with amphibious lifestyles and discuss survival in extreme environments.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing research on amphibious yeasts.
- Analysis of physiological and ecological data.
- Examination of evolutionary adaptations and genomic streamlining.
Main Results:
- Amphibious yeasts display remarkable convergence in traits and genome reduction despite independent evolutionary origins.
- Many genera previously considered terrestrial are now recognized as amphibious.
- Yeasts demonstrate significant ecological plasticity, enabling survival in diverse and extreme aquatic habitats.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a comprehensive overview of amphibious yeasts' adaptations and diversity.
- Understanding amphibious yeasts offers insights into convergent evolution and fungal adaptation mechanisms.
- Amphibious lifestyles contribute to yeasts' broad ecological distribution and resilience.
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