Mechanisms implicated in the ecological success of polymorphic fungi in metal-polluted habitats

Polymorphic fungi like Aureobasidium pullulans possess a number of attributes that can determine survival in the presence of heavy-metal concentrations which may be toxic to other microorganisms. An important physiological property is the possession of reduced cation uptake systems; morphological responses include the formation of resistant melanized cell structures. The frequent occurrence of A. pullulans in metalpolluted habitats is readily explained in the light of these findings.