Pb accumulation in spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

SALAZAR J; MENOYO E; FAGLIONI V; GEML J; CABELLO M; RODRIGUEZ J; MARRO N; PARDO A; PIGNATA ML; BECERRA A

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2018 vol. 643 p. 238 - 246

0048-9697

Heavymetal (HM)pollution of soils is one of themost important and unsolved environmental problemsaffectingthe world, with alternative solutions currently being investigated through different approaches. Arbuscular mycorrhizalfungi (AMF) are soil inhabitants that form symbiotic relationships with plants. This alleviates HM toxicityin the host plant, thereby enhancing tolerance. However, the few investigations that have addressed thepresence of metals in the fungus structures were performed under experimental conditions, with there beingno results reported for Pb. The current study represents a first approximation concerning the capability of sporesto accumulate Pb in the AMF community present in a Pb polluted soil under field conditions.Micro X-ray fluorescencewas utilized to obtain a direct observation of Pb in spores, and the innovation of total reflection X-ray fluorescencewas applied to obtain Pb quantification in spores.The AMF community included species of Ambisporaceae, Archaeosporaceae, Gigasporacea, Glomeraceae andParaglomeraceae, andwas tolerant to high Pb concentrations in soil. Pb accumulation in AMF spores was demonstratedat the community level and corroborated by direct observation of the most abundant spores, whichbelonged to the Gigasporaceae group. Spore Pb accumulation is possibly dependent on the AMF and host plant species.