The McMurdo Dry Valleys surface is mainly constituted from unconsolidated permafrost. Despite the combination of cold and dry conditions, transiently wetted soils close to lake edges are hotspots of intense biological activity, that can support the surrounding soil ecosystems in such extreme environments. These soils host simple microbial communities that allow easy characterization of the parameters determining microbial establishment and diversification. Soil samples were collected close to three different glacial lakes (Lake Fryxell, Lake Hoare and Lake Joyce) located along a longitudinal gradient from the lower to the upper Taylor Valley. Fungal diversity and functionality of sampled soils were studied through ITS1 metabarcoding sequencing. The correlation between the parameters describing fungal diversity (i.e. total richness, relative richness of dominant taxonomic and functional groups, and community composition) and the edaphic physicochemical parameters (i.e. pH, moisture, C, N, P, Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺, cation exchange capacity, and soil granulometry) was assessed. The fungal communities showed low richness (48 ± 32 OTUs per sample). Their composition was highly diversified even within different sites close to the same lake. The main parameters affecting the diversity and composition of fungal communities were soil texture, in turn influencing the retention of water and nutrients, and physicochemical properties. This is of particular concern for the survival of these communities, given the expected environmental changes due to global warming.

麦克默多干谷地表主要由未固结的多年冻土构成。尽管寒冷和干燥条件相结合，靠近湖边的短暂湿润土壤仍是具有强烈生物活性的热点，可以在这种极端环境下为周围的土壤生态系统提供支持。这些土壤拥有简单的微生物群落，可轻松表征决定微生物形成和多样化的参数。沿靠近泰勒河谷下部至上部的纵向梯度分布的三个不同冰川湖（弗莱克塞尔湖，霍阿雷湖和乔伊斯湖）附近收集土壤样品。通过ITS1元条形码测序研究了采样土壤的真菌多样性和功能。描述真菌多样性的参数之间的相关性（即总丰富度，⁺，K ⁺，Mg的²⁺和Ca ²⁺，阳离子交换容量，并且土壤粒度）进行了评估。真菌群落的丰富度较低（每个样品48±32 OTU）。即使在同一湖附近的不同地点，它们的成分也高度多样化。影响真菌群落多样性和组成的主要参数是土壤质地，进而影响水和养分的保留以及理化特性。鉴于全球变暖导致的预期环境变化，这对于这些社区的生存尤为令人担忧。