Linking soil properties to elemental uptake patterns: species-specific accumulation in Boletales mushrooms

Mushrooms are known to accumulate various essential and trace elements, yet the mechanisms governing this process and the influence of environmental factors, particularly soil properties, remain poorly understood. This study aimed to elucidate these aspects by analysing the mineral composition of 11 edible and non-edible mushroom species from the order Boletales, collected consistently from the same area over four consecutive years. The objectives included assessing (i) the content of 18 elements in both soil and mushroom samples, (ii) the relationship between soil properties and element accumulation, and (iii) species-specific trends in mineral uptake to enhance understanding of element dynamics. Analysis revealed significant variability in the content of essential minerals (e.g., Ca, K, Mg, and Na) and trace elements (e.g., Co, Cu, Fe, and Zn) among mushroom species, reflecting distinct accumulation profiles. Soil characteristics, notably granulometric composition and organic carbon content, differed among sampling sites and influenced elemental uptake by mushrooms. Multivariate analyses, including heatmap clustering, emphasised species-specific mineral accumulation patterns and facilitated the identification of groups of mushrooms with similar profiles. Correlation analyses confirmed significant positive relationships between soil and mushroom mineral contents for several elements (Ca, Mg, Co, Fe, Hg, and Pb), underscoring the critical influence of these factors. Permutational multivariate ANOVA revealed that the combined effect of all analysed variables explained nearly 80% of the variability in mushroom elemental profiles, with species emerging as the most significant factor, accounting for over 31% of the variability. These findings underscore the role of species identity in determining the mineral content of mushrooms, providing a deeper understanding of elemental dynamics within the mushroom-soil system.