Edith Hammer

We investigated element accumulation in the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices. Fungal spores and mycelium growing in monoxenic cultures were analyzed. The elemental composition was quantified using particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) in combination with scanning transmission ion microscopy. In the spores, Ca and Fe were mainly associated with the spore wall; while P and K showed patchy distributions and their concentrations were correlated. Excess of P in the hyphal growth medium increased the P and Si concentration in spores, and increased the K:Ca ratio in spores. Increased P availability decreased the concentration of Zn and Mn in spores. We conclude that the availability of P influences the uptake and accumulation of several elements in spores. It is demonstrated that PIXE analysis is a powerful tool for quantitative analysis of elemental accumulation in fungal mycelia.