This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Osono, T. Articles by Takeda, H. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Osono, T. Articles by Takeda, H. Agricola Articles by Osono, T. Articles by Takeda, H.

Fungal decomposition of Abies needle and Betula leaf litter

     Laboratory of Forest Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8520, Japan

The effect of litter type and incubation temperature on the ability of fungi to decompose leaf litter of subalpine trees was examined by a pure-culture test. Mass loss of Abies needle and Betula leaf litter and utilization patterns of lignin and carbohydrates were investigated under two temperature conditions (20 C and 10 C) and compared for 29 species in basidiomycetes, ascomycetes and zygomycetes. The decomposing ability was generally higher in basidiomycetes than in ascomycetes and zygomycetes. Mass loss (% original mass) of litter was higher in Betula than in Abies and higher at 20 C than at 10 C. The 29 fungi were divided into lignocellulose decomposers, cellulose decomposers and sugar fungi based on their substrate utilization in Abies and Betula litter. Mass loss of lignin and carbohydrates by lignocellulose and cellulose decomposers was higher in Betula than in Abies. Mass loss of carbohydrates was higher at 20 C than at 10 C, but the temperature did not influence mass loss of lignin, indicating lignin decomposition by fungi was less sensitive to temperature than carbohydrate decomposition. Lignin/ carbohydrate loss ratio (L/C) of Collybia spp. that caused selective delignification was lower at 20 C than at 10 C. These results indicate that the decomposability of litter, lignin and carbohydrate was different between Abies and Betula and that temperature affected not only the rate at which fungi decompose litter but also the ability of fungi to use lignin and carbohydrates.

Key words: birch, carbohydrate, fir, fungi, lignin, subalpine coniferous forest

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. Song, X. Tian, X. Fan, and X. He Decomposing ability of filamentous fungi on litter is involved in a subtropical mixed forest Mycologia, January 1, 2010; 102(1): 20 - 26. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. P. Edwards, R. A. Upchurch, and D. R. Zak Isolation of Fungal Cellobiohydrolase I Genes from Sporocarps and Forest Soils by PCR Appl. Envir. Microbiol., June 1, 2008; 74(11): 3481 - 3489. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]