Ecology Letters (2011)
Assembly history, or the order of species arrival, can have wide‐ranging effects on species, communities and ecosystems. However, it remains unclear whether assembly history ...primarily affects individual species, with effects attenuating at the level of communities and ecosystems or, alternatively, has consistent effect sizes across increasing levels of ecological organisation. We address this question using a field‐based manipulation of assembly history of wood‐inhabiting fungi. The largest effect sizes were observed for the frequency of some individual species, and mean effect sizes were lower for community metrics of fungi immigrating from the regional species pool. There was little evidence, however, of attenuation in effect sizes at the ecosystem level (carbon, nitrogen, decomposition) in comparison to the species or community level. These results indicate that assembly history can have strong effects on ecosystem properties even under natural levels of environmental variability.
Natural melanin features many interesting properties, including the ability to shield electromagnetic radiation, the ability to act as scavenger for radical and reactive oxygen species and the ...capacity to chelate different metal ions. For these reasons, melanin is becoming increasingly relevant for the development of functional materials with potential applications in cosmetics, drug delivery, and water purification. However, the extraction and purification of melanin from conventional sources (e.g., sepia ink, hair, and wool) is inefficient and not easily scalable, hence diverting its technological applications. Some fungal species, especially wood-decay basidiomycetes, can be regarded as promising sources of melanin. In the present study, we screened different fungi in regard to their melanin-biosynthesis abilities using l-tyrosine as a precursor, and we found that an Armillaria cepistipes strain (Empa 655) produced the highest yield of melanin (27.98 g L–1). Physicochemical characterization of the obtained fungal melanin revealed a typical eumelanin structure. The method for the biosynthesis of fungal melanin we propose is efficient, scalable, and sustainable and has the potential to provide support for further technological exploitation.
The study was carried out to identify wood‐decay fungi, and quantify the diversity and host preferences of the fungi in major sawmill depots in north‐eastern Bangladesh. A total of 23 fungal species ...belonging to 15 genera in seven families were recorded and identified. The Polyporaceae was the most dominant family, while Schizophyllum commune was the most abundant species among all species recorded. Other commonly observed fungal species were Daldinia concentrica, Trametes versicolor, Trametes coccinea and Flavodon flavus. The Simpson diversity index (0.93) and Shannon–Wiener index (2.90) showed a wide distribution of the wood‐decay fungi in the study areas. The species diversity index (0.036), species evenness index (0.92) and species richness index (3.40) indicated a diverse distribution of the fungal species. Two‐thirds of the identified fungal species showed significant preferences for their hosts. The host vulnerability was found to be significantly affected by storage facility, duration of storage, depot yard condition, treated or non‐treated wood and shade facility. The findings of this work may help sawmill owners to utilize a scientific approach to management of logs and timber stored in depots, to minimize fungal decay before incurring any economic loss.
Ganoderma (Ganodermataceae, Basidiomycota) species are medicinally and economically important wood-decaying fungi occurring throughout the world. Since 2022, unrecorded Ganoderma species have been ...collected in Jinju and Busan, Korea. The hosts of the fungal species were Platanus and Prunus species. Based on morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analysis, this species was identified as Ganoderma gibbosum. Description, macroscopic and microscopic photographs, and a phylogeny based on ITS sequences were provided here.
White-rot fungi are commonly known for their extracellular enzymes playing crucial roles in nutrient cycling and biotechnological applications. The use of microbial consortia in engineered systems ...has shown the potential to increase enzymatic activity and induce the expression of other metabolites undetected in axenic cultures. Researchers using white-rot fungi-containing consortia have obtained various products including ligninolytic and cellulolytic enzymes, fermentable sugars, biofuels and biochemicals, biogas, organic fertilizer, and feed products. The selection of the interacting species and culture dynamics during antagonistic competitive interactions is fundamental in the quantity and quality of the product. Recent omics studies have identified proteins differentially expressed during pairwise combinations of some popular white-rot fungi, but detailed mechanisms of the interactions remain largely unelucidated. Developments on genetic tools for basidiomycetes and high throughput mass spectrometry technologies may contribute to the rational design of white-rot fungi consortia to valorize lignocellulosic biomass.
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•White-rot fungi (WRF) in consortia can enhance biomass valorization.•Multiple products can be obtained from biomass using WRF consortia.•Product yields from WRF consortia depend on interacting species and culture dynamic.•Antagonistic interactions promote the production of enzymes in WRF consortia.•Rational design of communities and monitoring tools for co-cultures are needed.
Wood in service is sequestering carbon, but it is principally prone to deterioration where different fungi metabolize wood, and carbon dioxide is released back to the atmosphere. A key prerequisite ...for fungal degradation of wood is the presence of moisture. Conversely, keeping wood dry is the most effective way to protect wood from wood degradation and for long-term binding of carbon. Wood is porous and hygroscopic; it can take up water in liquid and gaseous form, and water is released from wood through evaporation following a given water vapour pressure gradient. During the last decades, the perception of wood-water relationships changed significantly and so did the view on moisture-affected properties of wood. Among the latter is its susceptibility to fungal decay. This paper reviews findings related to wood-water relationships and their role for fungal wood decomposition. These are complex interrelationships not yet fully understood, and current knowledge gaps are therefore identified. Studies with chemically and thermally modified wood are included as examples of fungal wood substrates with altered moisture properties. Quantification and localization of capillary and cell wall water – especially in the over-hygroscopic range – is considered crucial for determining minimum moisture thresholds (
MMThr
) of wood-decay fungi. The limitations of the various methods and experimental set-ups to investigate wood-water relationships and their role for fungal decay are manifold. Hence, combining techniques from wood science, mycology, biotechnology and advanced analytics is expected to provide new insights and eventually a breakthrough in understanding the intricate balance between fungal decay and wood-water relations.
Key points
• Susceptibility to wood-decay fungi is closely linked to their physiological needs.
• Content, state and distribution of moisture in wood are keys for fungal activity.
• Quantification and localization of capillary and cell wall water in wood is needed.
• New methodological approaches are expected to provide new insights
Agaricus bisporus is the model fungus for the adaptation, persistence, and growth in the humic-rich leaf-litter environment. Aside from its ecological role, A. bisporus has been an important ...component of the human diet for over 200 y and worldwide cultivation of the “button mushroom” forms a multibillion dollar industry. We present two A. bisporus genomes, their gene repertoires and transcript profiles on compost and during mushroom formation. The genomes encode a full repertoire of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes similar to that of wood-decayers. Comparative transcriptomics of mycelium grown on defined medium, casing-soil, and compost revealed genes encoding enzymes involved in xylan, cellulose, pectin, and protein degradation are more highly expressed in compost. The striking expansion of heme-thiolate peroxidases and β-etherases is distinctive from Agaricomycotina wood-decayers and suggests a broad attack on decaying lignin and related metabolites found in humic acid-rich environment. Similarly, up-regulation of these genes together with a lignolytic manganese peroxidase, multiple copper radical oxidases, and cytochrome P450s is consistent with challenges posed by complex humic-rich substrates. The gene repertoire and expression of hydrolytic enzymes in A. bisporus is substantially different from the taxonomically related ectomycorrhizal symbiont Laccaria bicolor . A common promoter motif was also identified in genes very highly expressed in humic-rich substrates. These observations reveal genetic and enzymatic mechanisms governing adaptation to the humic-rich ecological niche formed during plant degradation, further defining the critical role such fungi contribute to soil structure and carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems. Genome sequence will expedite mushroom breeding for improved agronomic characteristics.
Negative environmental impacts related to climate change and social pressure to raise the rotation age of forests contribute to the quality deterioration of harvested wood, including its ...decomposition by fungi. This paper presents the results of laboratory experiments investigating the decomposition of Norway spruce (Abies alba) and silver fir (Picea abies) wood by selected species of decay fungi: Hericium flagellum and Bondarzewia mesenterica (causing white rot) as well as Rhodofomes roseus (causing brown rot). The decay process affects wood density, elemental composition, net calorific value, as well as the amount and price of the energy contained in the wood. Wood density was measured conventionally using an electronic caliper and laboratory balance. Energy parameters were determined using elemental analyzer and combustion calorimeter. Wood decay was found to adversely affect energy content per unit of wood at a given volume, thus leading to higher prices per unit of energy. Over the 120 days of the experiment, wood parameters were not affected considerably by Hericium flagellum or Bondarzewia mesenterica. Of the three examined fungal species, Rhodofomes roseus caused the highest weight loss of wood and the greatest decrease in its oven-dry density (spruce - a decrease from 409 to 214 kg m−3; fir - a decrease from 420 to 306 kg m−3), unfavorably reducing energy content per 1 m3 of wood (spruce – decrease by 3.8 GJ m−3; fir – decrease by 2.3 GJ m−3) and raising the unit price of energy.
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Sibipiruna (Cenostigma pluviosum var. pelthophoroides) trees are common in the São Paulo city urban forest, but they may cause accidents when deteriorated by wood-decaying fungi due to trunk rupture ...and tree fall. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate anatomical, physical, and mechanical changes in sibipiruna wood attacked by Ganoderma australe. Adult trees with basidiomata of this fungus and at imminent fall risk were macro and microscopically analyzed to investigate wood biodeterioration and resistance mechanisms (compartmentalization). Physical and mechanical tests (specific gravity, mechanism of resistance and static bending) were performed. In sibipiruna trees, degradation was observed in the heartwood, being more intense in the region near the pith and more extensive at the stem base, from where basidiomata were collected. Fungal attack was characterized as white pocket rot, i.e. non-selective to cell wall components, causing erosion of the S2 layer from the cell lumen. Decaying wood was also attacked by xylophagous insects, like the subterranean termite Coptotermes gestroi and wood-boring beetles. Wood compartmentalization was characterized by accumulation of extractives. White rot caused significant reductions in specific gravity, modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity, which justify the rupture of trees when subjected to external forces, such as strong winds.
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