Exploiting the fungal highway: Development of a novel tool for the in situ isolation of
bacteria migrating along fungal mycelium.
Anaele Simon¹, Saskia Bindschedler²+, Daniel Job¹, Lukas Y. Wick², Sevasti Filippidou1, Wafa
M. Kooli1, Eric P. Verrecchia³ and Pilar Junier¹*
¹Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, 2000 Neuchâtel,
Switzerland
²Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
³Biogeosciences laboratory, Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne,
1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
+Present
address: see 1
*corresponding author: Pilar Junier. Laboratory of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, University
of Neuchâtel, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland. pilar.junier@unine.ch. +41 32 730 32 77.
Supplementary Information
Figure S1. Lichen on an Opuntia ficus-indica paddle. This image shows the place were a
column was placed, just after its removal. Mycelium is escaping from the lichen towards the
attracting medium of the column, indicating that it acted as a strong fungal attractor.
Table S1. Main physicochemical characteristics of the soil (Hypereutric Cambisol) under
Opuntia ficus-indica. Table shows water pH (pHH2O), relative humidity (rH), nitrogen content
(N) and total organic carbon (TOC) at various depths in the soil profile (data kindly provided
by Michael Berthoud).
Depth [cm]
0-6
6-18
18-35
35-45
45-80
pHH2O
8.5
8.3
7.9
9.0
9.1
rH [%]
1.6
2.3
2.2
5.5
5.1
N [%]
0.23
0.08
0.09
0.06
0.03
TOC [%]
2.73
0.93
1.10
0.71
0.26
Table S2. Details of the 28 columns placed in the soil. Table shows at which depth the
columns were placed in the soil, time of incubation in the soil, time of incubation outside of the
soil, cultivable organisms recovered: fungi and bacteria (F+B), fungi only (F), bacteria only (B)
and no organisms (n), as well as the composition of the target culture medium: supplemented
with CaCO3 (S) or with a layer of Modified Schlegel medium containing CaCO3 (L).
Column
n°
Depth
[cm]
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
35
60
15
60
60
60
15
60
Time in
soil
[days]
8
8
8
8
8
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Incubation Cultivable
[days]
organisms
17
17
21
28
31
23
23
23
23
23
34
34
34
34
34
37
37
37
37
37
15
15
21
21
22
25
28
28
F+B
F
F+B
F+B
F+B
F
F+B
F+B
n
B
F
F
F
n
F
B
F
F+B
n
B
n
n
n
n
n
F+B
n
F
Target
culture
medium
S
L
L
S
L
S
S
S
L
S
S
L
S
L
L
L
L
L
S
L
L
S
L
L
L
S
S
L