solvents from soil (Susarla et al. 2002; Jadia and Fulekar 2008; Zhang et al.
2010a, b).
6.5 Role of Fungi in Bioremediation
Biological remediation for the removal of heavy metal fungi plays an important role
because they can chiefly bloom in the soils, and they have the capacity to grow in
different type of weather like in unfavorable condition multiplied through dispersion
of spores in the air and also maintaining the biogeochemical cycle (Eom et al. 2000).
Fungi have the ability to secrete multiple enzyme and makes fungi potential for
bioremediation as well as phytoremediation at various sites. So this type of remediation is also called mycoremediation. Successful treatments have been carried out on
industrial wastewater sludge (Zeyayllah 2009), petroleum hydrocarbons (Prince
et al. 2003), dyes (Mohsin et al. 2013), paper and pulp effluents (Afroz and Singh
2014), and mine land (Verma et al. 2016b). Much literature is available in the
scientific society that fungi have capacity to survive everywhere as well as capable
to modify or detoxify environmental pollutant and other anthropogenic pollutants
including mining waste, nondegradable agriculture waste, industrial discharge,
human hair, and petroleum product (Deshmukh et al. 2016). The utilization of
Arbuscular mycorhizal fungi is a boon for the scientists as it not only causes
sequestration of heavy metals but also enhances the nutrient content of soil (Barea
et al. 2005). AMF are vital components of soil diversity of microorganisms because
of increased yields, crops quality, flowering, fruiting, increased chances of survival
of seedlings, reduced percentage of disease occurrence, more tolerance to drought,
salinity, temperature, amplified utilization of NPK, and reduced erosion in soil. In
environment different types of fungi are present, but VAM play an essential role in
the removal of heavy metal from the different sites.
6.6 What Is VAM Fungi?
Mycorrhizal fungi show mutual beneficial symbiosis relationship between fungi and
roots of plants (Sieverding 1991).
Two types of mycorrhiza are known today: ectomycorrhiza fungi and
endomycorrhiza fungi. Fungi can absorb macro and micronutrients (N, P, K,
Ca, S, Cu, and Zn) from the soil and transfer them to connected plants (Tinker and
Gilden 1983). Mycorrhizal hyphae have the capacity to degraded bulky biomolecules into smaller molecules like N or P (George et al. 1995). Hyphae have the
capacity to increase root surface area and absorbed nutrients from up to 12 cm away
from the root surface (Cui and Caldwell 1996; Pacovsky 1986; Manjunath and Habte
1988). AM fungi also absorb non-motile nutrients from the soil and transfer them to
host plants, as well as harmful heavy metal ions also absorb, help in inter plant
164
P. Verma et al.
2010a, b).
6.5 Role of Fungi in Bioremediation
Biological remediation for the removal of heavy metal fungi plays an important role
because they can chiefly bloom in the soils, and they have the capacity to grow in
different type of weather like in unfavorable condition multiplied through dispersion
of spores in the air and also maintaining the biogeochemical cycle (Eom et al. 2000).
Fungi have the ability to secrete multiple enzyme and makes fungi potential for
bioremediation as well as phytoremediation at various sites. So this type of remediation is also called mycoremediation. Successful treatments have been carried out on
industrial wastewater sludge (Zeyayllah 2009), petroleum hydrocarbons (Prince
et al. 2003), dyes (Mohsin et al. 2013), paper and pulp effluents (Afroz and Singh
2014), and mine land (Verma et al. 2016b). Much literature is available in the
scientific society that fungi have capacity to survive everywhere as well as capable
to modify or detoxify environmental pollutant and other anthropogenic pollutants
including mining waste, nondegradable agriculture waste, industrial discharge,
human hair, and petroleum product (Deshmukh et al. 2016). The utilization of
Arbuscular mycorhizal fungi is a boon for the scientists as it not only causes
sequestration of heavy metals but also enhances the nutrient content of soil (Barea
et al. 2005). AMF are vital components of soil diversity of microorganisms because
of increased yields, crops quality, flowering, fruiting, increased chances of survival
of seedlings, reduced percentage of disease occurrence, more tolerance to drought,
salinity, temperature, amplified utilization of NPK, and reduced erosion in soil. In
environment different types of fungi are present, but VAM play an essential role in
the removal of heavy metal from the different sites.
6.6 What Is VAM Fungi?
Mycorrhizal fungi show mutual beneficial symbiosis relationship between fungi and
roots of plants (Sieverding 1991).
Two types of mycorrhiza are known today: ectomycorrhiza fungi and
endomycorrhiza fungi. Fungi can absorb macro and micronutrients (N, P, K,
Ca, S, Cu, and Zn) from the soil and transfer them to connected plants (Tinker and
Gilden 1983). Mycorrhizal hyphae have the capacity to degraded bulky biomolecules into smaller molecules like N or P (George et al. 1995). Hyphae have the
capacity to increase root surface area and absorbed nutrients from up to 12 cm away
from the root surface (Cui and Caldwell 1996; Pacovsky 1986; Manjunath and Habte
1988). AM fungi also absorb non-motile nutrients from the soil and transfer them to
host plants, as well as harmful heavy metal ions also absorb, help in inter plant
164
P. Verma et al.