Abstract
An upper temperature limit near 60° for eukaryotic organisms is documented by results of a systematic search for fungi able to grow at higher temperatures. Samples from hot springs, thermal soils, self-heating coal waste piles, and other natural and man-made heated habitats did not yield fungi when enrichments were done at 62°, whereas fungi able to grow at 55-60° can be readily isolated from such habitats. Earlier work had shown that eukaryotic algae are also absent from environments with temperatures above 55-60°. It is suggested that the failure of eukaryotes to evolve members able to grow at higher temperatures is due to their inability to form organellar membranes that are both thermostable and functional.
Keywords: fungi, thermophiles, membranes, thermostability
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