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Effects of metals on growth and sporulation of aquatic fungi

Aquatic hyphomycetes are a relevant group of fungi that play a crucial role as intermediaries between plant detritus and invertebrates in clean or metal-polluted streams. In this study, we investigated the effects of Zn, Cu, Ni, and Cd on the growth and sporulation of several aquatic hyphomycete species. Effects of these metals on growth were assessed in solid and liquid media with different compositions [1% malt extract (ME) and a mineral medium supplemented with vitamins and 2% glucose (MK)], and fungal sensitivity to metals was compared. The exposure to Zn or Cd inhibited the sporulation of Heliscus submersus and Tricladium chaetocladium, with these effects being stronger in the latter species. In solid medium, mydelial growth was linear, and, in most cases, metals negatively affected fungal growth. The sensitivity of aquatic hyphomycetes to metals, assessed as the metal concentration inhibiting biomass production in 50% (EC50), showed that Ypsilina graminea and Varicosporium elodeae were the most resistant species to Zn, while Alatospora acuminata, H. submersus, and Flagellospora curta appeared to be the most resistant fungus to Cu. Generally, lower toxicity of Zn or Cu than Ni or Cd was found. However, EC50 values were about 20 times higher in solid than in liquid medium. Changes in nutrient supplies to fungi affected metal toxicity, as shown by higher EC50 values in MK than ME. Complementarily, fungal tolerance to metals varied with fungal species as well as metal type.