SELENIUM AND LEAD TOLERANCE IN FUNGI ISOLATED FROM SEA WATER

摘要

The concentration of lead and selenium in sea water samples near industrial areas located in Mangalore, Karnataka, India were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Sea water sample in proximity to petro chemical industries were analysed with high lead and selenium concentrations. Three different genera of fungi were isolated from this lead and selenium contaminated sea water sample. Filamentous fungi isolated belonged to the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium. They were screened for their resistance to lead and selenium. Results reveal that all the isolated strains were tolerant to lead and selenium but the level of tolerance varied in the isolates from the same source. Aspergillus and Penicillium isolates were the most tolerant to lead and selenium and exhibited strong growth, often exceeding the control (isolates grown in agar medium without heavy metals). Tolerance index of Penicillium was reportedly high when compared to the two other isolated fungi, which makes it an attractive potential candidate for further investigations regarding their ability to synthesize Lead Selenide quantum dots with high quantum confinement effects.