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The white-rot fungus Hypholoma fasciculare coexists with a bacterial community that uses low-molecular weight carbon sources provided by fungal, extracellular enzyme activities. Since fungal development on wood is limited by the availability of nitrogen (N), bacteria could contribute to the N supply. To prove or disapprove an interaction in terms of N transfer, N sources of the fungus and the coexisting bacterial isolates were investigated, and the bacterial N2 fixation was quantified. Fungal, fungal—bacterial and bacterial wood decomposition was analysed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), mass loss and surface pH. Microbial N preferences were investigated by elemental analysis isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). In addition, diazotrophic activity was explored after cultivation under a 15N2/O2 atmosphere. Decomposition was similar with and without bacteria and both H. fasciculare and coexisting bacteria preferred reduced N species, such as urea, ammonium and organic N. In most of the bacteria, the 15N abundance in the biomass increased significantly but to a low extent if they were cultivated under a 15N2/O2 atmosphere. This effect is considered an artefact and attributed to adsorption rather than to bacterial N2 fixation activity. Hence, the bacteria coexisting with H. fasciculare rather competed for the same N sources than supported fungal N supply by diazotrophic activity.
Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) is an advanced method to investigate carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in organic samples. In particular, the N content, its isotope signature and the C/N ratio reveal important facts of nutrient cycling, niche separation and ecological food webs. In this study, the characteristics of N turnover of wood decomposing microorganisms were investigated.
The growth of the white rot causing basidiomycete Trametes versicolor is enhanced after addition of ammonia or urea, whereas the brown rot causing Oligoporus placenta is not accelerated. In addition, an interaction of each fungus with atmospheric N2 assimilating (diazotrophic) bacteria was investigated. Cultivation experiments with a gas mixture of 15N2/O2 and subsequent IRMS analysis of dry biomass of the diazotrophs Azotobacter croococcum, Beijerinckia acida and Novosphingobium nitrogenifigens revealed that they assimilated up to 12% of their N from N2. The experiments reflected N availability as a prerequisite for efficient growth of decomposing basidiomycetes and diazotrophs. Fungal–bacterial co-cultivation experiments showed that depending on the growth characteristics and bacterial N2 assimilation activity N is transferred from certain bacteria into fungal biomass. Thus, the experiments gave a first indication of an interaction between wood decomposing basidiomycetes and diazotrophs, which is a novel pathway of fungal N acquisition.