Hydrocarbon pollution is an increasing problem affecting soil ecosystems. However, some microorganisms can cope with these pollutants and even facilitate plant establishment and thus phytoremediation. Within soil, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have developed several strategies to survive and flourish under adverse conditions. Among these is the hyphal healing mechanism (HHM), a process allowing hyphae to re-establish integrity after physical injury. This mechanism differs among species and genera of AMF. However, whether and to what extent hydrocarbon pollution impacts the HHM is unknown. Here, the HHM was monitored in vitro on two AMF strains, Rhizophagus irregularis MUCL 41833 and Gigaspora sp. MUCL 52331, under increasing concentrations of diesel (1, 2, and 5% v:v). The addition of diesel slowed-down the HHM in both fungi. On Gigaspora sp., this effect was limited and most hyphae were able to heal after injury. Conversely, all steps of healing were severely impaired in R. irregularis. That fungus reconnected the injured hyphae at a much lower frequency than the Gigaspora sp., instead investing its energy to link neighboring hyphae or roots, or developing new branches from uninjured hyphae.

碳氢化合物污染是影响土壤生态系统的一个日益严重的问题。但是，某些微生物可以应对这些污染物，甚至可以促进植物的建立，从而促进植物的修复。在土壤中，丛枝菌根真菌（AMF）已开发出几种在不利条件下生存和繁衍的策略。其中包括菌丝愈合机制（HHM），该过程允许菌丝在身体受伤后重新建立完整性。这种机制在AMF的物种和属中有所不同。但是，碳氢化合物污染是否以及在多大程度上影响HHM尚不清楚。在这里，在两个AMF菌株不规则根瘤菌MUCL 41833和Gigaspora上对HHM进行了体外监测sp。MUCL 52331，在不断增加的柴油浓度下（1、2和5％v：v）。柴油的添加减慢了两种真菌中的HHM。在Gigaspora sp。上，这种作用是有限的，大多数菌丝在受伤后都能愈合。相反，不规则红斑病中的所有康复步骤均受到严重损害。该真菌以比Gigaspora sp。低得多的频率重新连接受伤的菌丝，而不是投入其能量来连接相邻的菌丝或根，或从未受伤的菌丝发展出新的分支。