Accumulation of trace elements in the fruiting bodies of macrofungi in the Krusné Hory Mountains Czechoslovakia.

The concentrations of some trace elements (Pb, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Co, Ni) were determined in fruiting bodies of 20 fungal species from seven families (order Agaricales, Basidiomycetes) growing in the Krusné Hory Mountains, Czechoslovakia, where the air pollution is characterized as moderate. Samples were collected from three stands: a spruce forest, the waterlogged margin of a peat bog, and the peat bog itself. The biomass of fruiting bodies of all macrofungi was determined simultaneously. The trace element concentrations varied among trophic groups of fungi: saprophytic species (S) and those parasitic on Sphagnum (Sph) exhibited the highest concentrations, while wood-decomposing (Wd) species displayed the lowest. Several species mycorrhizal with spruce (Ms), such as Amanita umbrinolutea, Russula ochroleuca, and Xerocomus badius, also attained higher concentrations than were found for other mycorrhizal fungi. The trace element concentrations were higher in the caps than in the stems of the fungi. The fraction of trace metals retained by the biomass of fruiting bodies of fungi with respect to annual fallout is estimated at 1 0/00. Factors affecting fungal uptake of trace elements are discussed.