Bioaccumulation of gold in macrofungi and ectomycorrhizae from the vicinity of the Mokrsko gold deposit, Czech Republic

Samples of macrofungi collected in the vicinity of the Mokrsko gold deposit were analyzed for Au by INAA and ICP-MS. Ectomycorrhizal fungi yielded from 0.88 to 564 μg kg −1 Au (dry weight) in 79 samples. Saprobic fungi (75 samples) from the same locations yielded significantly higher concentrations: 3–7739 μg kg −1 Au (dry weight), with the highest contents in Lycoperdon perlatum. These are the highest recorded concentrations of Au in naturally-occurring fungi/vascular plants. Concentrations of Au in ectomycorrhizae were approximately 4–10 times higher than those in fine roots. It appears that saprobic fungi, namely several terrestrial saprobes of the genera Agaricus and Lycoperdon, are more efficient than ectomycorrhizal fungi at taking up Au, probably assisted by other microbiota and/or by a range of naturally-occurring compounds that have yet to be identified. The present data demonstrate that macrofungi are involved in the biogeochemical cycling of Au.