Monika Wagner is working on her PhD since fall 2015. She works on lecideoid lichens of the Antarctica with a focus on climate and spatial modeling of photobiont-mycobiont-interactions. Her work is part of the project ‘Diversity, ecology and specificity in Antarctic lichens’ financed by the Austrian science fund FWF.

The Antarctic continent with its most extreme climate conditions provides an environment where only the hardiest organisms can survive. However, the mechanisms that connect climate and life’s diversity in Antarctica are still poorly understood owing to limited climate data and taxon sampling in many areas of the continent. rnThe current study investigates the role of climatological factors (temperature and humidity) driving lichen diversity, distribution and species specificity in Antarctica using saxicolous lecideoid lichens as a model system. The mycobionts of these lichens are associated with several Trebouxia species as photobionts. Even so, the various mycobiont species show different patterns of distribution, genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships to their photobionts. To demonstrate the correlations of distribution patterns and species specificity Antarctic climate zones were generated by combining twelve zones based on annual mean temperature with six zones predicated on annual precipitation.rnMolecular investigations show a wide range of species specificity from the mycobionts to their photobionts. It varies from very low as the widespread Lecidea cancriformis with the ability to choose different Trebouxia species available all over the continent to highly specific as Lecidella greenii which is restricted to only one Trebouxia species which merely occurs in milder habitats.rn

Emilia Włóka has completed her PhD at the age of 30 years in the Institute of Parasitology PAS. From 2005 she has published 20 conference reports, 12 original papers (9 in the JCR journals), 4 other publications in the JCR journals are presently in press. In 2012 and 2013 she obtained the Prize of the Director of the Institute of Parasitology for scientific achievements. She participated in 28 training sessions dedicated various laboratory techniques. Since 2014 dr Włóka is active as a local coordinator of the Science Festival (event organized in Poland by scientists for people not related to science).

Excessive use of pesticides poses a threat to human health, biodiversity and pollutes the environment. An alternative to chemical insecticides might be use of entomopathogenic soil fungus Conidiobolus coronatus which hydrolyzes the hard insect cuticle by means of proteases, chitinases and lipases. However, mechanisms underlying regulation of the virulence of C. coronatus remain obscure. The aim of the study was to verify whether the proteo-, chitino-, and lipolytic activities of mycelia grown in various conditions is correlated with the virulence and cytotoxicity towards Galleria mellonella immunocompetent cells (hemocytes) and cell line Sf9. Fungal cultures were grown on the Sabouraud medium (SAB) enriched with the homogenate of G. mellonella larvae (SAB-GM). Control cultures were propagated on the SAB. It was found that only the young SAB-GM cultures were highly virulent and infect 100% of tested insects, while the SAB cultures retained high virulence for 3 weeks. The decrease in the virulence of SAB-GM cultures is not correlated with the enzyme activities. However, a higher cytotoxicity of the SAB-GM cultures comparing with the SAB cultures indicates that the insect body components modulate fungal virulence and cytotoxicity.rnResearch funded by grants: 3830/E-46/M/2012, 3830/E-46/M/2013.rn

Yoshiharu Hirano learned mushroom cultivation system at Hokkaido mushroom research center (which was successfully grew shiitake mushroom on the artificial blocks). He developed the low cost year-round mushroom growing system. He planed and designed the Chinese agricultural research and exhibition center.rnrnAlso, he designed the largest shiitake mushroom factory in Europe (Hirano Mushroom LLC), and provided the technical support. He is one of the board members of this facility. (25% share).rn

Growing the Shiitake mushroom can be natural way or artificial way. There are advantages of the artificial cultivation. First of all, they can adjust and choose which raw material to use. Mushroom quality will be changed by using the different materials. Secondly, there is no weather influence on the products. Artificial cultivation system controls the temperature, Co2 level, humidity level, and filtered ventilation system. Artificial cultivation allows for year-round cultivation, and control the product’s quality and quantity. Artificial cultivation system made the possibility of improving products such as taste and size. The Example of the shiitake mushroom factory is Hirano Mushroom LLC which is located in Republic of Kosovo. This facility has made the artificial blocks and controlled the entire environment. This facility mainly makes the shiitake mushrooms, and distributes the mushrooms to all over the Europe.