Isolation and identification of fungi tolerant to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and coal tar from different habitats in Lithuania

Abstract

A group of 36 fungal strains, belonging to the Lithuanian Mycobiota, was collected and isolated from different locations, habitats and matrices, including creosote treated wood in storage yards for crosstie wastes. The 8 most perspective strains selected according to preliminary assessment of tolerance to coal tar were subsequently identified combining taxonomical evaluation and molecular techniques. The tolerance of the 8 identified fungal species (5 basidiomycetes and 3 ascomycetes) to the presence of various concentrations of coal tar, and for the 4 most perspective fungal strains (Pleurotus sp., Schizophyllum sp., Irpex lacteus, Bjerkandera adusta) to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The ligninolytic enzymatic activity assay of the isolated strains resulted in a good correspondence between the tolerance to pollutants and the capability to produce ligninolytic enzymes indicating, that this group of white-rot fungi is perspective for further investigation and eventual usage for mycoremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons polluted substrates.