Highlights

• Astromycology bridges astrobiology and mycology, focusing on fungi’s unique roles and applications in extraterrestrial environments.
• The research emphasizes fungi’s high adaptability and genetic plasticity under extreme space conditions, potentially offering new biological insights and applications.
• Besides pointing out knowledge gaps and Identifying the most researched topics within the field, it proposes the development of dedicated tools for astromycology to effectively manage and utilize the growing data on fungal strains and their space-related adaptations and development.

Summary

This paper explores the field of astromycology, focusing on the role of fungi in astrobiology. Fungi are known for their ubiquitous presence and resilience. Finding them on space missions presents both challenges and opportunities. Their adaptability and potential phenotypic and genotypic changes under space-related conditions are of particular interest, as they could impact space missions and crew health while providing beneficial applications for space exploration.

Astromycology aims to understand these impacts, focusing specifically on the practical study of fungi in extraterrestrial environments. It explores how fungi’s ecological roles on Earth and evolutionary traits might enable them to survive and function in space. Such observation includes their ability to endure the extreme conditions of space, which could be harnessed for future exploration and biotechnological uses.

The paper showcases current research and provides the astromycology roadmap. It emphasizes the need for a structured framework and a solid knowledge base in astromycology to advance research. It calls for community-wide efforts to develop processes and tools that can aid in a future successful and sustainable space exploration.

Simões, M. F., Cortesão, M., Azua-Bustos, A., Bai, F. Y., Canini, F., Casadevall, A., … & Antunes, A. (2023). The relevance of fungi in astrobiology research–Astromycology. Mycosphere, 14(1), 1190-1253, doi: 10.5943/mycosphere/14/1/13.