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Eco-Physiology of Wood Decay Fungi: Basics and Applications
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Eco-Physiology of Wood Decay Fungi: Basics and Applications

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental and Ecological Interactions of Fungi".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2022) | Viewed by 11714

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yu Fukasawa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plant Production Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Interests: behavioral ecology of fungi; biogeography; climate change; forest dieback; fungal community; oak wilt disease; pine wilt disease; decomposition; microbial intelligence; biodiversity; biotic interactions; forest ecosystem; dead wood
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dead wood hosts a variety of fungal species, not only wood structural decomposers including basidiomycetes and xylariaceous ascomycetes, but also mycoparasites and sugar fungi utilizing low-molecular carbohydrates. The functions and interactions of these various fungi shape the decomposition process of dead wood. Typically, wood decay fungi have long been categorized into white-rot and brown-rot fungi, depending on their decay preference for wood structural components—lignin and carbohydrates. Recent molecular studies have revealed the physiological mechanisms of each of the rot-types (decay types), and that they are not separated but in continuum. Further, interactions among fungi affect wood decay because the cost for interaction can alter the decay functions of fungi. Mycoparasites may reduce the decay activities of structural decomposers, whereas the utilization of low-molecular sugars by sugar fungi may facilitate wood decay by structural decomposers by reducing negative feedbacks for enzyme production. As a consequence, the relationships between fungal diversity and decay functions are still debated, and the methods for efficient biological conversion of wood biomass are not well developed yet. This Special Issue will be a collection of original articles and reviews that examine the topics mentioned above. Articles based not only on laboratory incubation and molecular studies, as well as monitoring studies in the field and biogeographical studies are welcome.

Dr. Yu Fukasawa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Fungi is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • biodiversity 
  • biological control 
  • cellulolytic fungi 
  • CO2 efflux
  • delignification 
  • decay products
  • environmental gradient
  • enzyme production
  • fungal interaction 
  • fungal community

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2451 KiB  
Article
Alumina as an Antifungal Agent for Pinus elliottii Wood
by Andrey P. Acosta, Ezequiel Gallio, Nidria Cruz, Arthur B. Aramburu, Nayara Lunkes, André L. Missio, Rafael de A. Delucis and Darci A. Gatto
J. Fungi 2022, 8(12), 1299; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8121299 - 14 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1917
Abstract
This work deals with the durability of a Pinus elliotti wood impregnated with alumina (Al2O3) particles. The samples were impregnated at three different Al2O3 weight fractions (c.a. 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.5%) and were then exposed to [...] Read more.
This work deals with the durability of a Pinus elliotti wood impregnated with alumina (Al2O3) particles. The samples were impregnated at three different Al2O3 weight fractions (c.a. 0.1%, 0.3% and 0.5%) and were then exposed to two wood-rot fungi, namely white-rot fungus (Trametes versicolor) and brown-rot fungus (Gloeophyllum trabeum). Thermal and chemical characteristics were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric (TG) analyses. The wood which incorporated 0.3 wt% of Al2O3 presented a weight loss 91.5% smaller than the untreated wood after being exposed to the white-rot fungus. On the other hand, the highest effectiveness against the brown-rot fungus was reached by the wood treated with 5 wt% of Al2O3, which presented a mass loss 91.6% smaller than that of the untreated pine wood. The Al2O3-treated woods presented higher antifungal resistances than the untreated ones in a way that: the higher the Al2O3 content, the higher the thermal stability. In general, the impregnation of the Al2O3 particles seems to be a promising treatment for wood protection against both studied wood-rot fungi. Additionally, both FT-IR and TG results were valuable tools to ascertain chemical changes ascribed to fungal decay. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Physiology of Wood Decay Fungi: Basics and Applications)
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12 pages, 1973 KiB  
Article
Eco-Physiological Adaptations of the Xylotrophic Basidiomycetes Fungi to CO2 and O2 Mode in the Woody Habitat
by Victor A. Mukhin and Daria K. Diyarova
J. Fungi 2022, 8(12), 1296; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8121296 - 13 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2140
Abstract
The aim of this research is to study of eco-physiological adaptations of xylotrophic fungi (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes) to hypoxia, anoxia and hypercapnia as the main environmental factors that determine the activity of fungi in woody habitat. The study was carried out on seven species [...] Read more.
The aim of this research is to study of eco-physiological adaptations of xylotrophic fungi (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes) to hypoxia, anoxia and hypercapnia as the main environmental factors that determine the activity of fungi in woody habitat. The study was carried out on seven species of polypore fungi widespread in the preforest-steppe pine-birch forests of the Central Urals, including both white (D. tricolor, D. septentrionalis, F. fomentarius, H. rutilans, T. biforme) and brown (F. betulina, F. pinicola) rot. Their CO2 and O2 gas exchange were analyzed in natural samples of woody substrates (Betula pendula, Pinus sylvestris) and basidiocarps by the chamber method using a CO2/O2 gas analyzer. It was shown that the intensity of O2 gas exchange is positively related to the oxygen concentration but is not very sensitive to a decrease in its content in the woody habitat. Xylotrophic fungi are able to completely exhaust the O2 in the habitat, and this process is linear, indicating that they do not have threshold values for oxygen content. Oxygen consumption is accompanied by an adequate linear increase in CO2 concentration up to 18–19%. At a concentration of 5–10%, carbon dioxide does not affect the gas exchange of xylotrophic fungi and can even enhance it, but at 20% it significantly reduces its intensity. Xylotrophic fungi are resistant to high CO2 concentrations and remain viable at 100% CO2 concentration and are capable of growth under these conditions. In an oxygen-free habitat, anaerobic CO2 emissions are recorded; when O2 appears, its consumption is restored to the level preceding anoxia. Xylotrophic fungi are the specialized group of saprotrophic microaerophilic and capnophilic facultative anaerobes adapted to develop at low oxygen and high carbon dioxide concentration, anoxia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Physiology of Wood Decay Fungi: Basics and Applications)
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14 pages, 7612 KiB  
Article
Factors Controlling Dead Wood Decomposition in an Old-Growth Temperate Forest in Central Europe
by Mayuko Jomura, Riki Yoshida, Lenka Michalčíková, Vojtěch Tláskal and Petr Baldrian
J. Fungi 2022, 8(7), 673; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8070673 - 27 Jun 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3558
Abstract
Dead wood represents an important pool of carbon and nitrogen in forest ecosystems. This source of soil organic matter has diverse ecosystem functions that include, among others, carbon and nitrogen cycling. However, information is limited on how deadwood properties such as chemical composition, [...] Read more.
Dead wood represents an important pool of carbon and nitrogen in forest ecosystems. This source of soil organic matter has diverse ecosystem functions that include, among others, carbon and nitrogen cycling. However, information is limited on how deadwood properties such as chemical composition, decomposer abundance, community composition, and age correlate and affect decomposition rate. Here, we targeted coarse dead wood of beech, spruce, and fir, namely snags and tree trunks (logs) in an old-growth temperate forest in central Europe; measured their decomposition rate as CO2 production in situ; and analyzed their relationships with other measured variables. Respiration rate of dead wood showed strong positive correlation with acid phosphatase activity and negative correlation with lignin content. Fungal biomass (ergosterol content) and moisture content were additional predictors. Our results indicate that dead wood traits, including tree species, age, and position (downed/standing), affected dead wood chemical properties, microbial biomass, moisture condition, and enzyme activity through changes in fungal communities and ultimately influenced the decomposition rate of dead wood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Physiology of Wood Decay Fungi: Basics and Applications)
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13 pages, 1813 KiB  
Article
Surface Area of Wood Influences the Effects of Fungal Interspecific Interaction on Wood Decomposition—A Case Study Based on Pinus densiflora and Selected White Rot Fungi
by Yu Fukasawa and Koji Kaga
J. Fungi 2022, 8(5), 517; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8050517 - 18 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2823
Abstract
Wood decomposer basidiomycetes are the major agents of lignocellulose decomposition in dead wood. As their interspecific interaction affects wood decomposition, difference in interaction area may alter the magnitude of the effects. This study examines the effects of wood surface area on decomposition by [...] Read more.
Wood decomposer basidiomycetes are the major agents of lignocellulose decomposition in dead wood. As their interspecific interaction affects wood decomposition, difference in interaction area may alter the magnitude of the effects. This study examines the effects of wood surface area on decomposition by interacting basidiomycetes using laboratory incubation experiments with pine sapwood as a model. Two types of pine wood blocks with equal volume but identical surface area were prepared for colonization by one of four white rot basidiomycete species. The colonized wood blocks were then placed on agar media already colonized by the same strain or one of the other species, simulating fungal monoculture and interspecific interactions on wood surface. Results demonstrated that the decay rate of wood was greater in wood with larger surface, and wood decay was accelerated by the interaction of two fungal species in wood with larger surface but not in wood with smaller surface. In contrast, lignin decomposition was influenced by the competitor in wood with smaller surface but not in wood with larger surface. These results suggest that the observed promotion of decay by fungal interspecific interaction might not be attributable to the resource partitioning between fungal species but to the accelerated carbon of competition cost compensation in this case. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eco-Physiology of Wood Decay Fungi: Basics and Applications)
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