Quantitative analysis of exudates from soil-living basidiomycetes in pure culture as a response to lead, cadmium and arsenic stress

Abstract

Six different ectomycorrhizal fungi ( Hebeloma velutipes, Piloderma byssinum, Paxillus involutus, Rhizopogon roseolus, Suillus bovinus and Suillus variegatus) and two saprotrophic fungi ( Hypholoma fasciculare and Hypholoma capnoides) were exposed to metal stress induced by Pb, Cd and As. After pre-growth in a nutrient solution in Petri dishes, metal exposure was performed either in a nutrient rich solution or in a nutrient poor solution for seven days. The fungi were exposed to two different metal concentrations, low and high (Pb: 10 + 100 μM; Cd: 1 + 10 μM; As: 1 + 10 μM). Exudation of low molecular weight organic compounds (low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOA), amino acids and dissolved monosaccharides), as well as dissolved organic carbon was quantified as a potential response to the metal stress. The main LMWOA identified was oxalate. Oxalate exudation increased significantly in response to both low and high Pb and Cd concentrations, as well as low As exposure, relative to nutrient controls. Exposure to As and mixtures of metals (Pb + Cd, Pb + As) did not result in any significant increase in oxalate production compared to controls. The presence of a carbon source (glucose) in this study is likely to have been important for exudation of organic compounds. For the nutrient rich (+1 mM glucose) metal treatments exposure to Pb and Cd mainly increased exudation of oxalate and total amino acids. Production of dissolved monosaccharides, as well as DOC, did not increase significantly in response to metal exposure, irrespective of nutrient conditions. This may be explained by re-absorption of the organic compounds by the mycelium or by the fact that metals had no effect on exudation of these compounds.