Glucose amendments are associated with structural and hormonal shifts in a fungal-algal-bacterial (FAB) consortium.
- 1Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada.
- 2Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada.
- 3Forensic Science Department, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 0G2, Canada.
Abstract
The fungal-algal-bacterial (FAB) consortium composed of Euglena mutabilis, Talaromyces, and Acidiphilium acidophilum is a natural acid-tolerant assemblage whose heavy metal handling may depend on interspecies cooperation rather than a single-organism uptake alone. Here, glucose was used as a simplified laboratory model of labile carbon availability to test whether carbon input reorganizes consortium structure and stress responses under CdCl₂ exposure. Glucose supplementation promoted fungal hyphal development, more extensive visible bacterial colonization, pronounced flocculation, and higher Euglena cell densities under CdCl₂ stress. CdCl₂ accumulation relative to Euglena cell abundance increased over time in all CdCl₂-treated cultures but did not differ significantly among glucose treatments. Hormone profiling revealed distinct extracellular responses under glucose + CdCl₂, including elevated bioactive trans-Zeatin (tZ), gibberellin GA₇, methyl-thiolated cytokinins, and jasmonic acid, consistent with coordinated consortium-level signalling under metal stress. Scanning electron microscopy provided visual evidence of the FAB physically restructuring when grown in glucose, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) identified previously uncharacterized electron-dense intravacuole bodies within E. mutabilis, although their identity could not be determined. Together, these findings show that glucose availability reorganizes structural and biochemical signalling of the FAB consortium and is associated with changes in consortium organization and physiological responses under heavy metal stress. They also highlight coordinated structural and biochemical responses associated with consortium persistence under acidic, metal-rich conditions and identify directions for future mechanistic investigations.
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BibTeX
@article{kaszecki2026glucose,
title = {{Glucose amendments are associated with structural and hormonal shifts in a fungal-algal-bacterial (FAB) consortium.}},
author = {Emma Kaszecki and R J Neil Emery and Barry J Saville},
journal = {FEMS microbes},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/femsmc/xtag051},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42910271},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Glucose amendments are associated with structural and hormonal shifts in a fungal-algal-bacterial (FAB) consortium.
AU - Emma Kaszecki
AU - R J Neil Emery
AU - Barry J Saville
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/07
JO - FEMS microbes
DO - 10.1093/femsmc/xtag051
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42910271
AB - The fungal-algal-bacterial (FAB) consortium composed of Euglena mutabilis, Talaromyces, and Acidiphilium acidophilum is a natural acid-tolerant assemblage whose heavy metal handling may depend on interspecies cooperation rather than a single-organism uptake alone. Here, glucose was used as a simplified laboratory model of labile carbon availability to test whether carbon input reorganizes consortium structure and stress responses under CdCl₂ exposure. Glucose supplementation promoted fungal hyphal development, more extensive visible bacterial colonization, pronounced flocculation, and higher Euglena cell densities under CdCl₂ stress. CdCl₂ accumulation relative to Euglena cell abundance increased over time in all CdCl₂-treated cultures but did not differ significantly among glucose treatments. Hormone profiling revealed distinct extracellular responses under glucose + CdCl₂, including elevated bioactive trans-Zeatin (tZ), gibberellin GA₇, methyl-thiolated cytokinins, and jasmonic acid, consistent with coordinated consortium-level signalling under metal stress. Scanning electron microscopy provided visual evidence of the FAB physically restructuring when grown in glucose, while transmission electron microscopy (TEM) identified previously uncharacterized electron-dense intravacuole bodies within E. mutabilis, although their identity could not be determined. Together, these findings show that glucose availability reorganizes structural and biochemical signalling of the FAB consortium and is associated with changes in consortium organization and physiological responses under heavy metal stress. They also highlight coordinated structural and biochemical responses associated with consortium persistence under acidic, metal-rich conditions and identify directions for future mechanistic investigations.
SN - 2633-6685
ER -