Ms. Salem is currently a Master's Student at Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, and working as a mycologist with particular interest in the taxonomy, biodiversity, and conservation of fungi and her specialist interest is members of ascomycete's group especially coprophilous fungi. Her research includes isolation, identification and taxonomic assessments of these fungi, with particular emphasis on those which produce bioactive materials. She has become interested in the effect of climate change on fungi, especially the impacts of ultraviolet light and ozone on fungi. This, in turn, led her to become involved in fungal conservation. She is member of the EMA European Mycological Association, and also a Founder Member of the International Society for Fungal Conservation, the first society in the world to be exclusively devoted to protecting fungi.

The “fungi” as a mega-diverse group span three kingdoms, most belonging to the Fungi (Eumycota), while others are classified in the Protozoa and Chromista (Straminipila). Egyptian Fungi are another important source for supplying new bioactive compounds. In nature, they compete with different micro-organisms for the same substrates or habitats. To survive under these conditions, they developed several strategies, such as the production of toxic metabolites towards their competitors. Although biologically active metabolites are produced by a great number of Fungi, most bioprospecting programs have been limited to certain ecological groups of Egyptian fungi (such as soil, plants) and therefore, the real potential of other ecological groups remain little-studied. The objectives of this study were to: (1) bioprospect fungi isolated from soil (contaminated with heavy metals and plastics), wood, seaweeds, sponge, ascidia, drifted decaying wood, and medicinal plants from Saint Katherine protectorate, for biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles and production of anti-cancer, anti-arthritis, anti-hepatic fibrosis, industrial enzymes and biosorption potentiality, (2) to examine their active metabolites on experimental model animals, (3) to optimize the cultural conditions supporting high biomass of industrial enzymes yield, (4) to assess the absorption of heavy metals from aqueous solutions, and (5) to determine fungal deterioration of plastic. By screening sources under investigation it was possible to encounter as many as 60 species belonging to 33 genera. Zygomycota represented by six species (10.16% of the total species number), teleomorphic Ascomycota (9 species, 15.25%), anamorphic Ascomycota (44 species, 74.57%) and Basidiomycota (one species, 1.69%). Trichoderma pseudokoningii, as a marine derived fungus, isolated from an ascidian collected from Suez Canal in January 2012 biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) under laboratory conditions. Metabolites of five Egyptian taxa offered promising results as anti-cancer on ascites rats, carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) models. The most promising taxa for Laccase production were endophytic namely: Chaetomium globosum, Phoma exigua, Thanatephorus cucumeris and Sordaria fimicola. pH 7, incubation temperature 30oC, 1% maltose and 0.3% peptone supported the highest biomass and laccase production for Chaetomium globosum. Aspergillus terreus isolated from heavy metal polluted sediments in Lake Manzala recorded the highest value of bioremediation of heavy metal, while Aspergillus niger strain isolated from plastic contaminated sites showed high potentiality for deterioration of plastics in laboratory conditions. Decision-makers, stakeholders and ministries of health, agriculture and industry in Egypt need to use results obtained concerning Egyptian fungal secondary metabolites from different ecological habitats to reach quick solutions of many urgent problems concerning deterioration of human, animal and plants environments in Egypt.