Fruit-bodies of six Thelephora species (Fungi, Basidiomycota, Thelephoraceae) were analyzed for their trace element concentrations. In Thelephora penicillata, extremely high concentrations of Cd and As were found, followed by highly elevated concentrations of Cu and Zn. The highest accumulation ability was found for Cd with a mean concentration of 1.17 ± 0.37 g kg-1 (dry mass) in fruit-bodies collected from 20 unpolluted sites; the mean As concentration was 0.878 ± 0.242 g kg-1. Furthermore, striking accumulation of Se (923 ± 28 mg kg-1) was found in one sample of T. vialis and elevated concentrations of S were detected in T. palmata (19.6 ± 5.9 g kg-1). The analyzed Thelephora species were sequenced and, based on the Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analysis (ITS rDNA) of the genus, possible other Thelephora (hyper)accumulators were predicted on the basis of their phylogenetic relationship with the discovered (hyper)accumulators. The striking ability of T. penicillata to accumulate simultaneously Cd, As, Cu, and Zn has no parallel in the Fungal Kingdom and raises the question of a biological importance of metal(loid) hyperaccumulation in mushrooms.

Department of Analytical Chemistry University of Chemistry and Technology Prague Technická 5 166 28 Prague Czech Republic

Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology University of Chemistry and Technology Prague Technická 3 166 28 Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Rozvojová 269 16500 Prague 6 Czech Republic; Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences Hlavní 130 25068 Husinec Řež Czech Republic

Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Vídeňská 1083 14220 Praha 4 Czech Republic

University of Graz Institute of Chemistry Universitätsplatz 1 8010 Graz Austria

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