Table 4.

Phosphorus (P) and Calcium (Ca) average concentration (wt%) in the fungal biomass floating on the surface of the static cultures (Fungal Biomass), and P and Ca content in the biogenic minerals found embedded in the same fungal biomasses (Biogenic minerals) in samples 1–9, corresponding to as many fungal species. The data were obtained with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), from different areas of the fungal biomass as visualised with a variable pressure scanning electron microscope equipped with a backscattered electron detector, which permitted to distinguish between embedded minerals and fungal structures. Sample 7 did not show any biogenic mineral in the suspended mycelium. The numbering of the 9 species is the same used in the PCA plots of Fig. 3

		P biomass	P biogenic minerals	Ca biomass	Ca biogenic minerals
1	M. globalpina	1.1 ± 0.2e	1.6 ± 0.1b,c	0.3 ± 0.2d	0.5 ± 0.2c
2	M. polyspora	0.9 ± 0.3e	0.2 ± 0.1c	1.3 ± 2.6d	15.6 ± 6.5a
3	R. stolonifer var. stolonifer	4.7 ± 2.3a	6.4 ± 1.2a	11 ± 4.8a	12.7 ± 2.5a,b
4	P. marquandii	1 ± 0.5e	2.4 ± 1b	1 ± 0.9d	3.8 ± 2c
5	P. nitens	1.9 ± 0.6c,d	3.4 ± 2.7a,b	4.2 ± 2.2c	10.3 ± 7.1b
6	H. taiense	1 ± 0.4e	4 ± 1.7a,b	0.8 ± 0.6d	7.1 ± 4.3b,c
7	P. lilacinus	1.4 ± 0.3d,e	nd	0 ± 0d	nd
8	P. griseofulvum	2.4 ± 1.4b,c	2.3 ± 1.5b	6.9 ± 7.3b	19.4 ± 9.8a
9	A. niger	2.7 ± 1.3b	2.1 ± 1.1b,c	0.9 ± 1.3d	6.3 ± 2.4b,c

Different letters (from “a” to “e”) indicate significant differences (ANOVA post hoc analysis, p < 0.05) between the species for the investigated parameters. nd indicates no values could be determined