Pradeepika Shaminie Saputhanthri . Dilshini Sandanika Thathsarani

Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo,Colombo 00300, Sri Lanka, Email: pradee@pts.cmb.ac.lk, Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo,Colombo 00300, Sri Lanka, Email: dilshinisandanika@gmail.com

Received in final form on March 28, 2022

Abstract
Accumulation of heavy metals in the environment greatly influences the life forms on Earth due to toxic effects on biological systems. Bioremediation utilizes living organisms to remove toxic contaminants from soil or water. Plants and microbiota inhabiting natural ecosystems loaded with heavy metals may have the potential to be developed into efficient bioremediation agents. Serpentines are unique ecosystems where metal-tolerant plants and microbes are found naturally. In Sri Lanka, although there are few serpentine outcrops, including the Ussangoda National Park, reports on serpentine-associated microbes, particularly on heavy metal tolerant fungi or bacteria, are scarce. This study aimed to isolate and identify heavy metal tolerant soil fungi from the Ussangoda serpentine and investigate their metal tolerance capacities. Isolated fungal strains with a significant tolerance to at least one metal under the experimental conditions were selected for molecular identification by PCR amplification and sequencing of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region using the universal fungal specific primers ITS 1F and ITS 4. The sequences were compared with those in the GenBank using the NCBI BLAST tool to find similar sequences. Three isolates were identified to be a Trichoderma sp., Fusarium equiseti and a Talaromyces sp. All the three isolates showed significant tolerance to Cr3+, Cu2+, and Ni2+ at varying capacities compared to the control, as determined through their growth rates in metal incorporated growth media.

Keywords
Serpentine, Fungi, Heavy-metal tolerance, Bioremediation, Ussangoda, Fusarium equiseti Mycorrhiza

Cite This Article
Pradeepika Shaminie Saputhanthri . Dilshini Sandanika Thathsarani,Isolation of Heavy-metal Tolerant Fungi from the Ussangoda Serpentine Site in Sri Lanka, J. Innovation Sciences and Sustainable Technologies, 2(3)(2022), 119-127. https://doie.org/10.0725/JISST.2022281286

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