From Duncan Simpson, John Innes Centre
Plant pathologist Benjamin Held wonders about the origin of the soft rot fungi attacking the Antarctic huts, since there is no native wood in the region (9 November, p 11). One obvious possibility is that the fungus came with the original wood at the time the hut was built.
At Antarctic temperatures, the growth rate of these fungi will be incredibly slow, but not necessarily zero. There would be a very strong selection pressure for cold-tolerance, and 100 years of such harsh environmental pressure could result in the appearance of a cold-adapted strain.
Norwich, UK
