macroelements and heavy metals in some lignicolous and tericolous fungi

Considering the importance of Basidiomycotina fungi as bioindicators and the increasing tendency of air and soil contamination nowadays, content of macroelements: N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Na, and some of heavy metals (microelements): Fe, Pb, Cu, Cr, Zn in sporocarps of 22 species of macrofungi from National park Fruška Gora was analyzed in this work. The majority of them are lignicolous species from the class: Homobasidiomycetes order Aphyllophorales s. lato and two of them belong to subdivision Ascomycotina. Special attention was given to the medically important fungal species widely distributed in this area: Ganoderma lucidum, Ganoderma applanatum, Coriolus. versicolor, Flammulina velutipes, Meripilus giganteus and Omphalotus olearius. Since fungi uptake macro- and microelements from the substrate, the soil and tree samples were also analyzed. The aim of this study was to determine the common concentration data of these elements in unpolluted area. According to the obtained results, fungi tended to accumulate K, P and N with lower variability recorded than that for Ca, Mg and Na due to essential importance of these elements in fungal metabolic processes, independently from ecological group affiliation and habitats. The analysing substrate (wood) contain higher concentration of Ca and Pb in relevance to fungi. As a result of transfer factors (TFs) that were estimated from the ratio of "concentration in fungi on dry weight basis" to "concentration in the tree or soil on dry weight basis" analyzed fungi tended to accumulate Cu and Zn, and partially Cr. Among the species that accumulate microelements the following species could be emphasized: Meripilus giganteus (except for Zn) Schizophyllum commune (except for Pb), Ganoderma applanatum (except for Fe and Zn). Superaccumulators of Fe were the lignicolous, medically imortant species M. giganteus, G. lucidum, Sch. commune, and tericolous ones: C. atramentari- us, F. velutipes, and P. vernalis. Good Cu accumalators were tericolous species: Psathyrella vernalis, Morchella vulgaris, and Coprinus atramentarius, then the species possesing the rhizomorphs: Armillaria polymyces and Omphalotus olearius, and finally lignicolous species: Ganoderma applanatum and Pseudotrametes gibbosa. The highest accumulation of Zn was recorded for the species Schizophyllum commune, while the fungal species expressed the smallest tendency of accumulation of Pb, except one tericolous saprophytic species C. atramentarius. The greatest accumulation of Cr was found in tericolous species especially C. atramentarius, too. Statistical cluster analysis classified fungi mostly by location, by which the urban site is distinguished from the others, where the analyzed tericolous species were found. These data indicate that the accumulation ability is not only genetically coded, but also influenced by environmental factors. This data could be used in toxicology, pharmacology and environmental protection.