Attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy of white-rot decayed beech wood

Small blocks of beech wood were exposed to the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor for a period of 84 days to investigate chemical alteration in decayed wood by infrared spectroscopy. Decayed samples were analyzed at 2 week intervals by using attenuated total teflection (ATR) infrared spectroscopy as a rapid method. Analyses showed that chemical alteration in wood began after the second week of exposure. The appearance of new peaks indicated chemical modification of cell walls between days 28 and 70 of exposure to the fungus, and the disappearance of the peaks at day 84 indicates removal of the cell wall constituents. This investigation showed that ATR spectroscopy is a very applicable and rapid method for studying wood biodegradation.     

Wood decay activity and cellulase production by freshwater lignicolous fungi

Wood decay activity and coupled cellulase production were examined for freshwater lignicolous Ascomycetes, Deuteromycetes and an Oomycete. Wood decay ability was assessed by weight changes in wood and bark blocks of ash and cottonwood colonized by test fungi. Changes in wood components were also measured. Production of coupled cellulases was determined by measurement of activity of culture filtrates. Except for early successional species, most fungi caused weight loss in sapwood blocks; all species caused weight loss in bark blocks. Bark blocks were decayed more rapidly than sapwood blocks and cottonwood blocks were decayed more rapidly than those of ash. For four species examined, cellulose and lignin disappeared simultaneously, with cellulose disappearing more rapidly than lignin. All species produced extracellular exoglucanase, endoglucanase and glucosidase when grown in liquid media containing crystalline cellulose. Enzyme production by most of the species was increased by the addition of glucose.     

Decomposition of Japanese beech wood by diverse fungi isolated from a cool temperate deciduous forest

We assessed 62 fungal strains in 31 species of wood decay fungi in the ability to decompose wood blocks of Japanese beech (Fagus crenata) under a pure culture condition. Fungi were collected in a cool temperate beech forest in Japan and isolated from the inside of beech logs and from sporocarps fruiting on logs and snags of beech that were different in diameter and decay class. Fungi in Holobasidiomycetidae showed marked decomposition of lignin and carbohydrate. These fungi were divided into three groups according to the pattern of lignin and carbohydrate utilization. Phanerochaete filamentosa decomposed lignin selectively. Lampteromyces japonicus, Steccherinum rhois, Trichaptum biforme, Stereum ostrea, Mycena haematopoda, Antrodiella albocinnamomea, Daedalea dickinsii, Daedaleopsis tricolor, Ganoderma tsunodae, and Trametes versicolor decomposed lignin and carbohydrates simultaneously. Psathyrella candolleana, Lenzites betulinus, and Trametes hirsuta decomposed carbohydrates selectively. Species in the Phragmobasidiomycetidae and in the Ascomycota caused low mass loss of wood.     

A comparison of dinitrogen fixation rates in wood litter decayed by white-rot and brown-rot fungi

Nitrogen fixation rates, as estimated by the acetylene reduction technique, were determined in conifer wood litter being decayed by brown- and white-rot fungi. Average ethylene production rates were significantly higher in white-rotted wood (15.1 nmol g^–1 day^–1) than in brown-rotted wood (2.3 nmol g^–1 day^–1). This difference may be related to a higher soluble sugar content in white-versus brown-rotted wood. The nitrogen-fixing bacteriumAzospirillum was not detected in any of the decaying wood samples examined. Greater nitrogen additions from nitrogen-fixing bacteria may be a factor in the more rapid white-rot decay of hardwood litter, as compared to the slower brown-rot decay of conifer wood.     

The importance of inoculum size for the competitive ability of wood decomposing fungi

Abstract Competition among wood decay fungi was studied with a technique using sectors of various sizes of 8 cm diameter wood discs. The sectors representing 8–92% of the discs were precolonized by Heterobasidion annosum (Fr.) Bref., Resinicium bicolor (Alb. & Schw. ex Fr.) Parm, Phanerochaete sanguinea (Fr.) Hjortstam and Coniophora sp. DC. ex Me'rat before they were combined pairwise in close contact on top of water agar in 9 cm Petri dishes. Discs were regularly inspected for mycelial overgrowth and after 10 weeks mycelia were reisolated. Competitive success, measured as the replacement of the opposing fungus, was generally greatest for mycelia with sectors representing 92% of a disc and smallest for 8% sectors. R bicolor was the most, and H. annosum the least, competitive of the species investigated. The results indicate that mycelial size could be one major factor influencing the competitive success in nature. However, when paired on nutrient agar, the results of the interactions between the four species did not correspond to those in wood discs     

中国木生真菌两新记录种

报道了木生真菌两个中国新记录种,分别为黄蓝波斯特孔菌Postia luteocaesia和休母干酪菌Tyromyces humeana.其中黄蓝波斯特孔菌Postia luteocaesia采于西藏波密县,生长在松树倒木上,引起木材褐色腐朽;休母干酪菌Tyromyceshumeana采于广东省始兴县车八岭自然保护区,生...     

Impact of white-rot fungi on numbers and community composition of bacteria colonizing beech wood from forest soil

White-rot fungi are important wood-decomposing organisms in forest ecosystems. Their ability to colonize and decompose woody resources may be strongly influenced by wood-inhabiting bacteria that grow on easily utilizable compounds e.g. oligomers of wood-polymers released by fungal enzymes. However, so far, it is not known how white-rot fungi deal with the presence of potential competing bacteria. Here, the effects of two white-rot fungi, Hypholoma fasciculare and Resinicium bicolor, on the numbers and composition of bacteria colonizing sterile beech wood blocks from forest soil are reported. Both total numbers (microscopic counts) and the numbers of cultivable wood-inhabiting bacteria were considerably lower in wood blocks that became colonized by the white-rot fungi than in control blocks. This points to the fungi out-competing the opportunistic bacteria. The presence of white-rot fungi resulted in a change in the relative abundance of families of cultivable bacteria in wood and also in a change of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis patterns of directly amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments. Analysis of the bacterial community structure in soil adhering to exploratory mycelium (cords) indicated that fungal species-specific effects on bacterial community composition were also apparent in this fungal growth phase.     

Substrate-dependent degradation patterns in the decay of wheat straw and beech wood by ligninolytic fungi

Summary The ability of 45 fungal strains to degrade wheat straw and beech wood was studied. Degradation patterns were defined in terms of chemical evolution of substrates and changes in lignin and polysaccharides. Trametes versicolor produced an important degradation of lignin and increased substrate digestibility, but it caused high weight losses and gave rise to similar decay patterns on both substrates. A preferential degradation of lignin was produced during straw transformation by Pleurotus eryngii. The increase of soluble lignin and decreases of lignin content and H/C ratio defined the degradation tendency after principal component analysis. The cation exchange capacity and water and alkali solubility presented the highest loading factors for the characterization of fungal transformation of beech wood. Offprint requests to: A. T. Martínez     

The dendrochronological potential of decayed yew wood

A significant difficulty in the accurate ageing of many of the largest-diameter yew trees (Taxus baccata L.) found in the United Kingdom is their vulnerability to heartwood decay. This has presented a considerable barrier to extending yew chronologies beyond c.330 years into the past. Decayed wood often survives within the sound cylindrical structure of hollow and hollowing yews. Here we present the analysis of such decayed yew wood using a novel wet-scanning technique. Long series for four out of five large hollow yew trees sampled are successfully cross-matched to produce a 374-year-long mean series spanning 1532–1905. These newly dated series extend the previous mean UK yew chronology by 158 years. Although currently undated, the central decayed material from the largest yew at Selborne produces a 196-year series which is likely to include material from the 14th century. Given the number of large hollow yew trees surviving in the UK, this research highlights the potential for using decayed yew wood to improve the ageing of yew trees and extending a regional yew chronology.     

Endoparasitic nematode-destroying fungi in sandy soils of a beech wood in Berlin, Germany

Abstract In the podzol of a moraine covered by beech forest in the South West of West Berlin, nematodes were recovered and investigated for their fungal endoparasites. Thirty-four isolates representing 6 fungal species were obtained; about 0.5% of the recovered nematodes were infected. The number of infections showed dependence on the season, which is interpreted as being correlated with the water content of the soil. No other soil component exhibited any correlation with the endoparasitic nematode-destroying fungi.     

Bioorganosolve pretreatments for simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of beech wood by ethanolysis and white rot fungi

Ethanol was produced by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) from beech wood chips after bioorganosolve pretreatments by ethanolysis and white rot fungi, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, Dichomitus squalens, Pleurotus ostreatus, and Coriolus versicolor. Beech wood chips were pretreated with the white rot fungi for 2-8 weeks without addition of any nutrients. The wood chips were then subjected to ethanolysis to separate them into pulp and soluble fractions (SFs). From the pulp fraction (PF), ethanol was produced by SSF using Saccharomyces cerevisiae AM12 and a commercial cellulase preparation, Meicelase, from Trichoderma viride. Among the four strains, C. subvermispora gave the highest yield on SSF. The yield of ethanol obtained after pretreatment with C. subvermispora for 8 weeks was 0.294 g g(-1) of ethanolysis pulp (74% of theoretical) and 0.176 g g(-1) of beech wood chips (62% of theoretical). The yield was 1.6 times higher than that obtained without the fungal treatments. The biological pretreatments saved 15% of the electricity needed for the ethanolysis.     

Comparison of litter decomposing ability among diverse fungi in a cool temperate deciduous forest in Japan

The litter decomposing ability of 79 fungal isolates (41 genera, 60 species) was assessed with the pure culture decomposition test. The isolates were collected qualitatively in a cool temperate deciduous forest in Japan during a 21-mo period. Loss of original weight of sterilized litter ranged from 0.1% to 57.6%. Six isolates in the Basidiomycota caused high weight losses ranging from 15.1% to 57.6%. Fourteen isolates in Xylaria and Geniculosporium (the Xylariaceae and its anamorph) also caused high weight losses ranging from 4.0% to 14.4%. Other isolates in the Ascomycota and associated anamorphs and in the Zygomycota caused low weight losses on mean. Six fungi in the Basidiomycota, and all in the Xylariaceae showed a bleaching activity of the litter and caused lignin and carbohydrate decomposition. Mean lignin/weight loss ratios (L/W) and lignin/carbohydrate loss ratios (L/C), were 0.9 and 0.7 for the Basidiomycota and 0.7 and 0.4 for the Xylariaceae, respectively. Significant differences were found in L/W and L/C between the two groups when the result of Xylaria sp. that showed marked delignification was excluded. These differences in lignin and carbohydrate utilization patterns are discussed in relation to the structural and the chemical properties of the decomposed litter and to the implications for organic chemical changes during litter decomposition processes.     

Little evidence for niche partitioning among ectomycorrhizal fungi on spruce seedlings planted in decayed wood versus mineral soil microsites

Ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) communities vary among microhabitats, supporting a dominant role for deterministic processes in EMF community assemblage. EMF communities also differ between forest and clearcut environments, responding to this disturbance in a directional manner over time by returning to the species composition of the original forest. Accordingly, we examined EMF community composition on roots of spruce seedlings planted in three different microhabitats in forest and clearcut plots: decayed wood, mineral soil adjacent to downed wood, or control mineral soil, to determine the effect of retained downed wood on EMF communities over the medium and long term. If downed and decayed wood provide refuge habitat distinct from that of mineral soil, we would expect EMF communities on seedlings in woody habitats in clearcuts to be similar to those on seedlings planted in the adjacent forest. As expected, we found EMF species richness to be higher in forests than clearcuts (P ≤ 0.01), even though soil nutrient status did not differ greatly between the two plot types (P ≥ 0.05). Communities on forest seedlings were dominated by Tylospora spp., whereas those in clearcuts were dominated by Amphinema byssoides and Thelephora terrestris. Surprisingly, while substrate conditions varied among microsites (P ≤ 0.03), especially between decayed wood and mineral soil, EMF communities were not distinctly different among microhabitats. Our data suggest that niche partitioning by substrate does not occur among EMF species on very young seedlings in high elevation spruce-fir forests. Further, dispersal limitations shape EMF community assembly in clearcuts in these forests.     

Marine mycoflora of south India with special emphasis on lignicolous marine fungi

A study dealing with the marine fungi associated with decaying wood samples in the brackish water mangrove ecosystem and shoreline ecosystem was carried out in south India. A total of 19 marine fungi were isolated from the brackish water mangrove ecosystem. They included 13 Ascomycetes, one Basidiomycete and five Mitosporic fungi. In terms of percent frequency of occurrence, the most frequent species obtained from the brackishwater were the Lignincola longirostris (16.60%) and Savoryella lignicola (12.09%). Nine species were found frequently. Five species were occasionally encountered. Aigialus mangrovei, Aniptodera mangrovei and Halosarpheia marina were the rare species recorded. The average number of isolates per wood sample was 1.53. A total of 27 marine fungi including 15 ascomycetes, one basidiomycete and ten mitosporic fungi were recorded from the shoreline ecosystem. In terms of percent frequency of occurrence, the most frequent species obtained from Kanyakumari were the Arenariomyces trifurcates (13.66%), Corollospora maritima (12.44%), and Cirrenalia pygmea (10.98%). Seven species were found frequently. Fourteen species were occasionally encountered. Three species were found to be rare in occurrence. The average number of isolates per wood sample was 1.21.     

Phyllosphere fungi on living and decomposing leaves of giant dogwood

Phyllosphere fungi on living leaves and their succession on decomposing leaves were studied on giant dogwood (Swida controversa). A total of 12 and 34 fungal species were isolated from the interior and surface, respectively, of living leaves, and 15 frequent species were considered as phyllosphere fungi. Six of these 15 species were also frequent on decomposing litter. Characteristic successional trends were observed in the 6 phyllosphere fungi during decomposition. The sum of frequencies of endophytes decreased as decomposition progressed, and no endophytes were isolated from the litter at the 11th month of decomposition. The sum of frequencies of epiphytes increased as decomposition progressed. Endophytes and epiphytes showed different responses to litter mass loss and concentrations of nitrogen, lignin, and total carbohydrates during the decomposition process. These results suggested that epiphytes may survive on decomposing leaves as primary decomposers on the ground, thereby excluding endophytes by competition for available energy sources, and that epiphytes may have a greater contribution to decomposition than endophytes in dogwood leaves.     

Marine mycoflora of south India with special emphasis on lignicolous marine fungi

A study dealing with the marine fungi associated with decaying wood samples in the brackish water mangrove ecosystem and shoreline ecosystem was carried out in south India. A total of 19 marine fungi were isolated from the brackish water mangrove ecosystem. They included 13 Ascomycetes, one Basidiomycete and five Mitosporic fungi. In terms of percent frequency of occurrence, the most frequent species obtained from the brackishwater were the Lignincola longirostris (16.60%) and Savoryella lignicola (12.09%). Nine species were found frequently. Five species were occasionally encoun-tered. Aigialus mangrovei, Aniptodera mangrovei and Halosarpheia marina were the rare species recorded. The average number of isolates per wood sample was 1.53. A total of 27 marine fungi including 15 ascomycetes, one basidiomycete and ten mitosporic fungi were recorded from the shoreline ecosystem. In terms of percent frequency of occurrence, the most frequent species obtained from Kanyakumari were the Arenariomyces trifurcates (13.66%), Corollospora maritima (12.44%), and Cirrenalia pygmea (10.98%). Seven species were found frequently. Fourteen species were occasionally encountered. Three species were found to be rare in occurrence. The average number of isolates per wood sample was 1.21.     

Factors affecting the distribution of lignicolous marine fungi in Hong Kong

An investigation into the effect of environmental factors on the general distribution and occurrence of lignicolous marine fungi using submerged blocks of pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) and teak (Tectona grandis L.) was carried out for 18 months in the coastal waters of Hong Kong. Five test sites, with environmental conditions varying from estuarine to oceanic, and from polluted to non-polluted, were selected. During each collection, salinity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrate-nitrogen, inorganic phosphate-phosphorus and light transmission were measured. A total of 51 species of fungi were recorded among which only 28 were either obligate or facultative marine forms. Neither the general distribution pattern nor the distribution of the more frequent fungi could be solely accounted for by differences in salinity at the test sites and it is suggested that other ecological factors such as heavy sediments in the waters, low pH, and the presence of an abundant source of inocula may be important.     

Cytotoxic and antimicrobial metabolites from marine lignicolous fungi, Diaporthe sp

A new compound (1), named diaporthelactone, together with two known compounds (2 and 3) were isolated from the culture of Diaporthe sp., a marine fungus growing in the submerged rotten leaves of Kandelia candel in the mangrove nature conservation areas of Fugong, Fujian Province of China. The new compound was elucidated to be 1,3-dihydro-4-methoxy-7-methyl-3-oxo-5-isobenzofuran-carboxyaldehyde (1), which showed cytotoxic activity against KB and Raji cell lines (IC50 6.25 and 5.51 microg mL(-1), respectively). Two known compounds, 7-methoxy-4,6-dimethyl-3H-isobenzofuran-1-one (2) and mycoepoxydiene (3), were also demonstrated to exhibit cytotoxic activities for the first time. All three compounds were assessed for antimicrobial activity.