Aquatic moss precipitates metals in the presence of a specific endophytic microbiome

Harnessing moss-microbe interactions for metal removal. Schematic representation of aquatic moss Warnstorfia fluitans and its microbial symbionts in the remediation of metal-contaminated waters. Amplicon sequencing and advanced microscopy revealed microbial community composition and role of moss symbionts in metal accumulation within the moss tissues from mining-impacted and control sites. The moss efficiently accumulates metals, including iron, which is stored intracellularly near the cell membrane in association with endophytic microorganisms, and mosses in metal-rich environments host a distinct microbiome with reduced diversity compared to control. In metal-rich conditions, endophytic fungal species Phialocephala bamuru and Hyaloscypha hepaticola were abundant and cultivated, potentially contributing to metal tolerance or accumulation in the moss. These results suggest that W. fluitans along with its metal-tolerant microbial symbionts offers exciting potential for innovative nature-based purification systems for metal-contaminated waters.