Searching for myxomycetes in Antarctica: the experience of conducting research in one of the most extreme environments on Earth

Antarctica constitutes one of the most inhospitable terrestrial environments for life, where low temperatures, persistent winds, scarcity of liquid water, and reduced nutrient availability act as strong environmental filters. Even so, myxomycetes are restricted to specific microhabitats capable of maintaining temporarily favorable conditions for plasmodial development and sporophore formation. This study presents a field-based perspective on the search for myxomycetes in scientific camps established at Elephant Point and Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island, describing the logistical, environmental, and methodological challenges involved in researching these organisms in polar ecosystems. The observations show that meteorological conditions determine not only the routine of expeditions but also the availability of suitable microhabitats and the duration of windows favorable to biological activity. Intense wind action accelerates substrate desiccation, while small differences in exposure, moisture, and protection create a mosaic of microenvironments that condition the occurrence of myxomycetes. Despite targeted sampling efforts, the detection of sporophores proved to be quite rare, indicating that the currently known low richness results both from strong environmental filtering and from the inherent limitations of observing ephemeral structures. This paper also reviews the history of research on Antarctic myxomycetes, highlighting that all available records derive from opportunistic collections carried out during studies focused on other biological groups. Taken together, these observations reinforce that the known diversity represents only a minimal fraction of the community actually present, underscoring the need for dedicated surveys and greater integration between field observations and laboratory approaches in order to expand our understanding of the ecology and distribution of Antarctic myxomycetes.