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Production of Wood Decay Enzymes, Loss of Mass, and Lignin Solubilization in Wood by Diverse Tropical Freshwater Fungi

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Abstract

In vitro production of cellulase and xylanase was common among diverse freshwater ascomycetes and their hyphomycetous anamorphs. Production of enzymes involved in lignin degradation was rare. Most isolates were capable of causing mass loss in angiosperm wood, although values were low, at ~10% during a 24-week period. A few isolates caused higher mass loss of up to 26.5%, and five of these were shown to solubilize significant amounts of lignin. This is the first report of lignin solubilization by freshwater fungi. Torula herbarum (hyphomycete) and Ophioceras dolichostomum (ascomycete) produced indices of lignin solubilization equivalent to those of terrestrial white-rot basidiomycetes. In all cases wood decay was 2.2- to 3-fold higher in exposed rather than submerged conditions.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by The Hong Kong Research Grants Council, grant number HKU 7235/99 M awarded to S.B.P. and C.A.R. The authors thank L.Y. Lau and Y.M. Leung for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    V.V.C. Bucher, S.B. Pointing & K.D. Hyde

  2. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, and NSF Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824-4320, USA

    C.A. Reddy

Authors
  1. V.V.C. Bucher
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  2. S.B. Pointing
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  3. K.D. Hyde
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  4. C.A. Reddy
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Correspondence to S.B. Pointing.

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Bucher, V., Pointing, S., Hyde, K. et al. Production of Wood Decay Enzymes, Loss of Mass, and Lignin Solubilization in Wood by Diverse Tropical Freshwater Fungi. Microb Ecol 48, 331–337 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-003-0132-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-003-0132-x

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