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

authored by: Lea Traxler, Anne Wollenberg, Georg Steinhauser, Ihor Chyzhevskyi, Sergiy Dubchak, Sina Großmann, Alix Günther, Dharmendra Kumar Gupta, Karl Heinz Iwannek, Serhii Kirieiev, Falk Lehmann, Wolfgang Schulz, Clemens Walther, Johannes Raff, Erika Kothe
Abstract: Radioactive contamination resulting from major nuclear accidents presents harsh environmental conditions. Inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone, even more than 30 years after the accident, the resulting contamination levels still does not allow land-use or human dwellings. To study the potential of basidiomycete fungi to survive the conditions, a field trial was set up 5 km south-south-west of the destroyed reactor unit. A model basidiomycete, the lignicolous fungus Schizophyllum commune, was inoculated and survival in the soil could be verified. Indeed, one year after inoculation, the fungus was still observed using DNA-dependent techniques. Growth led to spread at a high rate, with approximately 8 mm per day. This shows that also white-rot basidiomycetes can survive the harsh conditions in soil inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone. The unadapted fungal strain showed the ability to grow and thrive in the contaminated soil where both stress from radiation and heavy metals were present.
Organisation(s): Centre for Radiation Protection and Radioecology
External Organisation(s): Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)
State Specialized Enterprise “Ecocentre” (SSE “Ecocentre”)
State Ecological Academy of Postgraduate Education and Management
Type: Article
Journal: Journal of hazardous materials
Volume: 403
ISSN: 0304-3894
Publication date: 05.02.2021
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Environmental Engineering, Environmental Chemistry, Waste Management and Disposal, Pollution, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 15 - Life on Land
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124002 (Access: Closed)