Uranium and Fungi

Watershed-Scale Fungal Community Characterization along a pH Gradient in a Subsurface Environment Cocontaminated with Uranium and Nitrate

“…At the OR-IFRC site, longterm exposure to contamination has resulted in a highly distorted microbial community (e.g., see reference 31). Despite the fact that fungi are known to be metal resistant and pH tolerant (48), their distribution and activity in the subsurface of nuclear legacy waste sites have not been studied. Furthermore, molecular surveys targeting functional genes have been unable to detect the presence of denitrifying organisms at the OR-IFRC site (e.g., see references 7 and 8).…”

On the possible role of macrofungi in the biogeochemical fate of uranium in polluted forest soils

“…It is generally accepted that prerequisite to the accumulation of metal in the cell is its mobilization from soil, metal uptake and translocation mechanism, and competence to detoxify the (over)accumulated metal species [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. There is evidence that the fungal mycelia are able to mobilize U (including metallic U or U oxides) via the combined acidification and complexation with excreted oxalate, and fix the released extracellular uranyl species by precipitation with excreted phosphate and carboxylate anions that eventually leads to formation of secondary mycogenic minerals [11][12][13][14]. Consequently, the mycelia of the SAP/entomopathogenic Beauveria caledonica and the EM Rhizopogon rubescens cultured in vitro in the presence of U oxides accumulated up to 80 and 15 mg/g of U precipitates on their exterior surfaces, respectively [12].…”

“…Apparently, the fungal activities, summarized by Gadd and Fomina [14], may have relevance to contaminated terrestrial habitats. The dependence of almost all land plants on symbiotic fungi, and the fact that symbiotic fungi are capable of U transformations, may make fungal activity of importance in the biogeochemical fate of U in polluted environments and possibly also in phytoremediation or phytostabilization strategies.…”

Geochemistry of Croatian superhigh-organic-sulphur Raša coal, imported low-S coal and bottom ash: their Se and trace metal fingerprints in seawater, clover, foliage and mushroom specimens

“…Yoshida and Muramatsu (1997) determined in Japanese forests' mushroom specimens U ranges 0.004-0.012 mg/kg (dry weight), what is slightly lower than the results from this study (Table 3). Gadd and Fomina (2011) highlighted fungal interactions and transformations of U species, and proposed that 'The dependence of almost all land plants on symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi, and the fact that mycorrhizal fungi are capable of uranium transformations may make fungal biogeochemical activity of importance in phyto-or other bioremediation strategies for soils polluted with various forms of uranium'. This could be potentially applicable in case of the Labin City soil polluted with U (Medunić et al, 2016c).…”