Biodiversity of Heavy Metal-tolerant Terrestrial Mycobiota in Drainage Water Resources

Abstract

This work was initiated to study the biodiversity of filamentous fungi in drainage water channels and their correlation with heavy metal pollution. Results showed that all water samples collected from different drainage channels were contaminated by Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn but in various and relatively low concentrations. Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mucor, Trichoderma and Rhizopus were the most prevalent genera. The dominance of these genera varied in different sites. There was a basic similarity in prevalence and fluctuation of fungi isolated from both the large and the small channels.

Tolerance of A. flavus var. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. terreus var. africanus, A. niger, A. oryzae, M. racemosus, P. citrinum, R. stolonifer and T. viride to Zn, Pb and Cd was studied. Results proved that all of these fungi could resist presence of heavy metal but to various limits. T. viride seemed to be the most tolerant fungus against Zn and Pb whereas M. racemosus was the most tolerant one to Cd. This study recommends that application of multi-species system could play an effective role in biosorption of heavy metals from waste waters rather than using of individual species.