MICROLOCALIZATION OF CALCIUM IN THE WALLS OF TRUFFLE MYCORRHIZAE BY ANALYTICAL TRANSMISSION ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

Nursery grown mycorrhizae of Tuber uncinatum and T. melanosporum/Coryl us avellana and Quercus robur were fixed, embedded conventionally and analyzed for distribution of calcium by means of electronenergy-loss-s pectroscopy (EELS and ESI) and x-ray microanalysis. Element distributi on images and spectra were obtained and yielded results suggesting a d ecrease in calcium with ageing of hyphae. Calcium could also be shown in the fungal and cortical vacuoles and in the cortical cell walls, wh ereas in the cytoplasm the calcium concentration was below the detecti on limit. Methodological problems are discussed.