Element storage in spores of Gigaspora margarita Becker & Hall measured by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS)

Abstract

The storage structures of spores of Gigaspora margarita Becker & Hall, an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, were analyzed by a transmission electronic microscope (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The spores were hydrated, cryofixed using high pressure freezing, submitted to freeze substitution, embedded and prepared for TEM observations. The cryotechniques revealed that the storage structures in the spores are composed of lipids, electron dense granules (EDG), protein bodies and glycogen particles. The EELS detected the presence of nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) in these storage structures and in Bacteria-like organisms (BLO). Some amount of P was detected in the vacuoles and in BLO. The TEM and EELS techniques indicate the presence of storage structures in the fungal spore, and some essential elements (N, P and C) in these structures.