Abstract
Homogenization in methanol, two hours of refluxing in methanol, and direct saponification in alcoholic KOH were equally efficient at extracting ergosterol from fungally colonized leaf litter. A 25-cm Li-Chrosphere RP18 HPLC column gave excellent resolution of ergosterol in leaf extracts. Recovery of ergosterol added to leaf powder and methylcellulose ranged between 88 and 97%, but differences among leaf species were not significant. Conditions for liquid-liquid extraction from saponified extracts are critical in ergosterol analysis. Dark storage of samples does not lead to dramatic losses of ergosterol. Extensive sample clean up before HPLC injection is nonessential.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Grant WD West AW (1986) Measurement of ergosterol, diaminopimelic acid and glucosamine in soil: Evaluation as indicators of microbial biomass. J Microbiol Meth 6:47–53
Griffiths HM, Jones DG, Akers A (1985) A bioassay for predicting the resistance of wheat leaves toSeptoria nodorum. Ann Appl Biol 107:293–300
Johnson BN McGill WB (1990) Comparison of ergosterol and chitin as quantitative estimates of mycorrhizal infection andPinus contorta response to inoculation. Can J For Res 20:1125–1131
Matcham SE, Jordan BR, Wood DA (1985) Estimation of fungal biomass in a solid substrate by three independent methods. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 21:108–112
Miller JD, Young JC, Trenholm HL (1983)Fusarium toxins in field corn I. Time course of fungal growth and production of deoxynivalenol and other mycotoxins. Can J Bot 61:3080–3087
Newell SY (1991) Estimating fungal biomass and productivity in decomposing litter. In: Carroll GC, Wicklow DT (eds) The fungal community: Its organization and role in the ecosystem, 2nd ed. Marcel Dekker, New York (in press)
Newell SY, Arsuffi TL, Fallon RD (1988) Fundamental procedures for determining ergosterol content of decaying plant material by liquid chromatography. Apol Environ Microbiol 54: 1876–1879
Newell SY, Fallon RD (1989) Decomposition and microbial dynamics for standing naturally positioned leaves of the salt marsh grassSpartina alterniflora. Mar Biol 101:471–481
Nout JR, Bonants-van Laarhoven TMG, de Jongh P, de Koster PG (1987) Ergosterol content ofRhizopus oligosporus NRRL 5095 grown in liquid and solid substrates. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 26:456–461
Osswald WF, Höll W, Elstner EF (1986) Ergosterol as a biochemical indicator of fungal infection in spruce and fir needles from different sources. Z Naturforsch 41(c):542–546
Salmanowicz B, Nylund J-E (1988) High performance liquid chromatography determination of ergosterol as a measure of ectomycorrhiza infection in Scots pine. Eur J For Path 18:291–298
Schwadorf K, Müller HM (1989) Determination of ergosterol in cereals, mixed feed components, and mixed feeds by liquid chromatography. J Assoc Off Anal Chem 72:457–462
Seitz LM, Mohr HE, Burroughs R Sauer DB (1977) Ergosterol as an indicator of fungal invasion in grains. Cereal Chem 54:1207–1217
Seitz LM, Sauer DB, Burroughs R, Mohr HE, Hubbard JD (1979) Ergosterol as a measure of fungal growth. Phytopathology 69:1202–1203
Vanhaelen-Fastré R, Vanhaelen M (1981) Separation and determination of the D vitamins by HPLC. In: Kautsky MP (ed) Steroid analysis by HPLC-Recent applications. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 173–251
West AW, Grant WD, Sparling GD (1987) Use of ergosterol, diaminopimelic acid and glucosamine contents of soils to monitor changes in microbial populations. Soil Biol Biochem 19:607–612
Zill G, Engelhardt G, Wallnöfer PR (1988) Determination of ergosterol as a measure of fungal growth using Si 60 HPLC. Z Lebensm Unters Forsch 187:246–249
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gessner, M.O., Bauchrowitz, M.A. & Escautier, M. Extraction and quantification of ergosterol as a measure of fungal biomass in leaf litter. Microb Ecol 22, 285–291 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02540230
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02540230