In the LIFE MySOIL project, a specific device called MYCOTRAP is used for monitoring the degradation processes and the activity of fungi towards target pollutants in mycopiles.
MYCOTRAPs are isotopically labeled soil microcosms designed to characterize fungal colonization and degradation efficiency in the three project’s demonstration sites.
Various versions of MYCOTRAPs prototypes were tested in the small pilots before the final validation in the large pilot mycopiles.
MYCOTRAPs are loaded with a 13C-labelled target pollutant and deployed in soil for several weeks. During the deployment, microbial communities from soil colonize the MYCOTRAPs.
Microorganisms that are able to use the 13C-labelled pollutant incorporate the 13C-label in their biomass so that the evidence for biodegradation can be provided by the detection of a significant 13C-enrichment in microbial biomass components (e.g. fatty acids) or mineralization products (e.g. CO2) using compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA).