Utilisation of inorganic and organic nitrogen sources by Amanita species native to temperate eastern Australia

The abilities of isolates of Amanita alboverrucosa, A. conicoverrucosa, A. fuscosquamosa, A. nauseosa, A. ochrophylla, A. pyramidifera, A. roseolamellata, A. xanthocephala and six unidentified Amanita species from eastern Australian temperate sclerophyll forests to utilise a range of inorganic and organic nitrogen sources for growth was examined in axenic liquid cultures. All taxa utilised NH4+ and at least some amino acids readily, while biomass yields on NO3− and histidine were generally low. All taxa were able to utilise bovine serum albumin, but for most taxa biomass yields on this substrate were significantly lower than on NH4+. Significant intraspecific variation in biomass yield was observed on all substrates for taxa for which multiple isolates were screened. As a group, eastern Australian Amanita species thus have the potential to utilise nitrogen from a broad range of organic substrates and this might be important in the nitrogen nutrition of their ectomycorrhizal tree hosts in sclerophyll forests.