Survival of the basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune in soil under hostile environmental conditions in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Traxler, Lea; Wollenberg, Anne; Steinhäuser, Georg; Chyzhevskyi, Ihor; Dubchak, Sergiy; Großmann, Sina; Günther, Alix; Gupta, Dharmendra K.; Iwannek, K. H.; Kirieiev, Serhii; Lehmann, Falk; Schulz, W.; Walther, Clemens; Raff, Johannes; Kothe, Erika

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124002

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“… Traxler et al (2021) proved that non-melanized fungi, non-adapted to high ionizing radiation, can survive, grow and spread in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone soil, with a high level of ionizing radiation. The authors inoculated a model basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune into the soil and confirmed that the fungus was present 1 year after inoculation and could cross 1 m distance within 6 months.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of Microfungi in a High Radon Cave Ecosystem

et al. 2022

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Castañar Cave is a clear example of an oligotrophic ecosystem with high hygrothermal stability both seasonal and interannual and the particularity of registering extraordinary levels of environmental radiation. These environmental conditions make the cave an ideal laboratory to evaluate both the responses of the subterranean environment to sudden changes in the matter and energy fluxes with the exterior and also any impact derived from its use as a tourist resource under a very restrictive access regime. In 2008, a fungal outbreak provoked by a vomit contaminated the sediments which were removed and subsequently treated with hydrogen peroxide. Fungal surveys were carried out in 2008 and 2009. The visits were resumed in 2014. Here, 12 years after the outbreak, we present an exhaustive study on the cave sediments in order to know the distribution of the different fungal taxa, as well as the prevalence and spatio-temporal evolution of the fungi caused by the vomit over the years under the conditions of relative isolation and high radiation that characterize this cave.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of Microfungi in a High Radon Cave Ecosystem

et al. 2022

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“…Sampling focused on the surroundings of the former cooling pond, covering both sediment that has become dry only in recent years [ 14 ] and the surrounding woods, at a distance of 3.1–7.5 km from the reactor. Further samples were taken in the abandoned city of Prypiat (Пpип’ять, approximately 3.1–4.2 km from the reactor), and at an open meadow approximately 4.9 km from the reactor, which was also used for radionuclide uptake experiments in the fungus Schizophyllum commune [ 15 ]. Figure 1 indicates all the sampling locations.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uptake of Radionuclides by Bryophytes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone

Schmidt

Kegler

Steinhäuser

et al. 2023

Toxics

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The “Chernobyl nuclear disaster” released huge amounts of radionuclides, which are still detectable in plants and sediments today. Bryophytes (mosses) are primitive land plants lacking roots and protective cuticles and therefore readily accumulate multiple contaminants, including metals and radionuclides. This study quantifies 137Cs and 241Am in moss samples from the cooling pond of the power plant, the surrounding woodland and the city of Prypiat. Activity concentrations of up to 297 Bq/g (137Cs) and 0.43 Bq/g (241Am) were found. 137Cs contents were significantly higher at the cooling pond, where 241Am was not detectable. Distance to the damaged reactor, amount of original fallout, presence of vascular tissue in the stem or taxonomy were of little importance. Mosses seem to absorb radionuclides rather indiscriminately, if available. More than 30 years after the disaster, 137Cs was washed out from the very top layer of the soil, where it is no more accessible for rootless mosses but possibly for higher plants. On the other hand, 137Cs still remains solved and accessible in the cooling pond. However, 241Am remained adsorbed to the topsoil, thus accessible to terrestrial mosses, but precipitated in the sapropel of the cooling pond.

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“…Due to all these difficulties, as far as it is known, no publication has been related to the mycoremediation of several thousands of tons of soil containing toxic metals, toxic metalloids, radionuclides, explosives, and herbicides from war zones, military training areas, and shooting ranges. This significant gap occurs even considering the wide application of fungi to degrade or immobilize all cited pollutants in several other environmental contexts [132,135,[172][173][174][224][225][226][227][228][229]. In this sense, Syngh et al [206] developed a work in which seven strains of fungi remediated agricultural soils contaminated with arsenic, and the results were promising.…”

Section: The Mycoremediation Of Soils Impacted By War-like Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review about the Mycoremediation of Soil Impacted by War-like Activities: Challenges and Gaps

Geris,

Malta,

Soares

et al. 2024

JoF

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(1) Background: The frequency and intensity of war-like activities (war, military training, and shooting ranges) worldwide cause soil pollution by metals, metalloids, explosives, radionuclides, and herbicides. Despite this environmentally worrying scenario, soil decontamination in former war zones almost always involves incineration. Nevertheless, this practice is expensive, and its efficiency is suitable only for organic pollutants. Therefore, treating soils polluted by wars requires efficient and economically viable alternatives. In this sense, this manuscript reviews the status and knowledge gaps of mycoremediation. (2) Methods: The literature review consisted of searches on ScienceDirect and Web of Science for articles (1980 to 2023) on the mycoremediation of soils containing pollutants derived from war-like activities. (3) Results: This review highlighted that mycoremediation has many successful applications for removing all pollutants of war-like activities. However, the mycoremediation of soils in former war zones and those impacted by military training and shooting ranges is still very incipient, with most applications emphasizing explosives. (4) Conclusion: The mycoremediation of soils from conflict zones is an entirely open field of research, and the main challenge is to optimize experimental conditions on a field scale.

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Survival of the basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune in soil under hostile environmental conditions in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Cited by 12 publications

References 38 publications

Diversity of Microfungi in a High Radon Cave Ecosystem

Diversity of Microfungi in a High Radon Cave Ecosystem

Uptake of Radionuclides by Bryophytes in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone

A Review about the Mycoremediation of Soil Impacted by War-like Activities: Challenges and Gaps

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