Fungi of the genus Trichoderma are a very large group of microorganisms that play a significant role in the environment. They use a variety of mechanisms to colonise various ecological niches. Several Trichoderma spp. positively affect plants by stimulating plant growth, and protecting plants from fungal and bacterial pathogens. They are used in biological plant protection as biofungicides as well as in bioremediation. Members of the genus Trichoderma are also utilised in various industry branches – mainly in the production of enzymes, antibiotics, and other metabolites, but also of biofuel. Moreover, the genus Trichoderma comprises edible and medicinal mushrooms, but also the pathogens of humans. Currently, Trichoderma has entered the genomic era and parts of genome sequences are publicly available. This is why, Trichoderma fungi have the potential to be used for human needs to an even greater extent than before. Nevertheless, further studies are needed to increase the efficiency and safety of the application of these fungi.

In the present study, we reinvestigate the diversity of Trichoderma in Poland utilizing a combination of morphological and molecular/phylogenetic methods. A total of 170 isolates were collected from six different substrata at 49 sites in Poland. These were divided among 14 taxa as follows: 110 of 170 Trichoderma isolates were identified to the species level by the analysis of their ITS1, ITS2 rDNA sequences as: T. harzianum (43 isolates), T. aggressivum (35), T. citrinoviride (11), T. hamatum (9), T. virens (6), T. longibrachiatum (4), T. polysporum (1), and T. tomentosum (1); 60 isolates belonging to the Viride clade were identified based on a fragment of the translation-elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1) gene as: T. atroviride (20 isolates), T. gamsii (2), T. koningii (17), T. viridescens (13), T. viride (7), and T. koningiopsis (1). Identifications were made using the BLAST interface in TrichOKEY and TrichoBLAST (http://www.isth.info). The most diverse substrata were soil (nine species per 22 isolates) and decaying wood (nine species per 75 isolates). The most abundant species (25%) isolated from all substrata was T. harzianum.

There are about 40 species in the Pleurotus genus, including those with high economic significance, i.e. P. ostreatus and P. pulmonarius. The fruiting bodies of oyster mushrooms are of high nutritional and health-promoting value. In addition, many species belonging to the Pleurotus genus have been used as sources of substances with documented medicinal properties, such as high-molecular weight bioactive compounds (polysaccharides, peptides and proteins) and low-molecular weight compounds (terpenoids, fatty acid esters and polyphenols). The bioactive substances contained in the mycelium and fruiting bodies of Pleurotus species exhibit immunostimulatory, anti-neoplastic, anti-diabetic, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-oxidative properties. Their multidirectional positive influence on the human organism is the result of interaction of bioactive substances. Extracts from individual Pleurotus species can be used for the production of dietary supplements increasing the organism’s immunity. They are also used for the production of cosmetics. They can be added to functional foods as probiotics, or used as natural preservatives or ingredients of special foodstuffs for patients with specific diseases.

The aim of this work was to compare 10 mostly edible aboveground and 10 wood-growing mushroom species collected near a heavily trafficked road (approximately 28,000 vehicles per 24 h) in Poland with regard to their capacity to accumulate 26 trace elements (Ag, Al, As, Au, B, Ba, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, In, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Re, Sb, Se, Sr, Te, Tl, and Zn) in their fruit bodies in order to illustrate mushroom diversity in element accumulation. All analyses were performed using an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) spectrometer in synchronous dual view mode. The aboveground species had significantly higher levels of 12 elements, including Ag, As, Pb, and Se, compared to the wood-growing species. An opposite relationship was observed only for Au, Ba, and Sr. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) implied some new relationships among the analyzed species and elements. Of the analyzed mushroom species, lead content in Macrolepiota procera would seem to pose a health risk; however, at present knowledge regarding lead bioaccessibility from mushrooms is quite limited.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11356-016-6760-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The aim of the study was to (i) investigate the potential of edible mushroom Boletus badius (Fr.) Fr. to accumulate 53 elements from unpolluted acidic sandy soil and polluted alkaline flotation tailing sites in Poland, (ii) to estimate the low-molecular-weight organic acid (LMWOA) profile and contents in fruit bodies, and finally (iii) to explore the possible relationship between elements and LMWOA content in mushrooms. The content of most elements in fruiting bodies collected from the flotation tailings was significantly higher than in mushrooms from the unpolluted soils. The occurrence of elements determined in fruiting bodies of B. badius has been varied (from 0.01 mg kg−1 for Eu, Lu, and Te up to 18,932 mg kg−1 for K). The results established the high importance of element contents in substrate. Among ten organic acids, nine have been found in wide range: from below 0.01 mg kg−1 for fumaric acid to 14.8 mg g−1 for lactic acid. Lactic and succinic acids were dominant in both areas, and citric acid was also in high content in polluted area. The correlation between element contents and the individual and total content of LMWOAs was confirmed.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11356-016-7222-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.