Morphological responses of two strains to various metal ions at different concentrations.

species take up various metal ions from environment. The morphology of strains can vary under the influence of various metal ions. Here, the effects of Ti, V, Sr, Ba, Al, Fe, Zn, Mn, Ca, and Cu on morphological parameters of strains RIB40 and RIB143 were estimated. Colony diameter, conidiation, vesicle head size, and stipe width in both strains varied with concentration. Ti, Sr, Ba, Al, Fe, and Ca affected conidiation in similar tendency between two strains. The effects of Ti, V, Sr, and Ba on the morphology of are reported here for the first time. Induction of growth of both strains by 0.0001% Ti may help the fermentation industry. Induction of conidiation in RIB40 by 0.001% Cu confirmed previous results that low concentrations of Cu promote the growth of . The most novel finding is that 0.001% Zn increased the vesicle head size in RIB40; possible reasons are discussed.