Abstract:[Background] The Manghe River, a downstream tributary of the Yellow River, suffers from heavy metal-containing wastewater discharge over a long period of time, and its sediments are characterized by the presence of heavy metal composite pollution dominated by chromium contamination, with the formation of a unique microbial community in the contaminated area. [Objective] To screen the fungi capable of tolerating and transforming high concentrations of Cr(VI) in the sediments of the contaminated area and explore the Cr(VI) transformation ability and mechanism. [Methods] The fungi capable of tolerating and transforming high concentrations of Cr(VI) were screened by the gradient culture method and identified by morphological observation and ITS sequencing. The mechanism of Cr(VI) transformation by the strains was investigated based on the reduction ability of different components of the strains, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). [Results] Two fungal strains p18 and p20 tolerant to 1 000 mg/L Cr(VI) were isolated and identified as Trichoderma yunnanense and Fusarium annulatum, respectively. The two strains showed the Cr(VI) removal rates of 79.40% and 63.48% and the Cr(VI) reduction rates of 73.55% and 50.94%, respectively, after being cultured with 100 mg/L Cr(VI) for 120 h. In the medium with 500 mg/L Cr(VI), p18 and p20 accumulated the highest amounts of Cr per gram of dry mycelia, which reached 10.84 mg and 6.98 mg, respectively. SEM revealed that the surfaces of p18 and p20 cells were adorned with Cr particles after exposure to Cr treatment. FTIR indicated that -NH, -OH, C=O, C-H, and -CONH2 were involved in the adsorption of Cr. XPS and XRD confirmed that the strains transformed Cr(VI) into Cr(OH)3, which existed in an intermediate state between amorphous and crystalline forms. The predominant substances responsible for Cr(VI) reduction were the extracellular secretion of the two strains. [Conclusion] The two highly Cr(VI)-tolerant fungal strains, T. yunnanense and F. annulatum, demonstrate efficient transformation of Cr(VI), which provide a basis for the heavy metal transformation and remediation of the river suffering from long-term contamination.