Antartic micro-organisms for bioactive compound production: Isolation and characterization of cyanobacteria

Samples of water, soil, mosses and other biological materials were collected in Antarctica during the XIX Italian scientific expedition in 2003, in the vicinity of Terra Nova Bay Station (TNB), which has been renamed Mario Zucchelli Station (MZS), and from other distant locations. About 20 morphotypes of filamentous heterocystous and non-heterocystous and unicellular cyanobacteria from more than 100 samples have been isolated and described. The isolated strains were identified to genus level and conserved in selective nutrient media. Unreported new strains were observed and brought into simple unialgal culture. The distribution of the genera is outlined, habitat conditions described and the elemental analysis of a few samples is reported.