Rots

[RobArb]

After slowly reading up more and more on fungi and the body language of trees and what they do to wood I just want to confirm I have for a basic understanding of the different type of rots from a simple point of view...

 

So, the main components of wood are cellulose and lignin, with some glucans and other materials acting as glue in there as well.

 

Brown rot fungi digest the cellulose and leave the brown lignin behind and white rot fungi digest the lignin and leave behind the white cellulose. Neither digests the glucans and other stuff. The wood-decaying Ascomycota cause a soft-rot which digest the glucans and other glues and leaving the cellulose and lignin behind. Without the glue the structure of the wood collapses and leaves a soft rot. The Ascomycota are less efficient at removing all the nutrients from the wood. However, they still seem to be pretty successful and are very common in the environment.

 

Quick question though, how is cubical brown rot formed and am I on tbe right lines?

 

Another quick question, where does simultaneous white rot fit in to all of this, or have I missed it sonewhere?

 

Sent from Rob's GalaxySII

[Fungus]

the different type of rots ... the main components of wood are cellulose and lignin, with some glucans and other materials acting as glue in there as well.

Brown rot fungi digest the cellulose and leave the brown lignin behind and white rot fungi digest the lignin and leave behind the white cellulose. Neither digests the glucans and other stuff.

The wood-decaying Ascomycota cause a soft-rot which digest the glucans and other glues and leaving the cellulose and lignin behind. Without the glue the structure of the wood collapses and leaves a soft rot. The Ascomycota are less efficient at removing all the nutrients from the wood.

Questions : how is cubical brown rot formed ? where does simultaneous white rot fit in ?

 

Rob,

As this information on white and soft wood rot caused by fungi is only partially correct, I think it's best you buy Fungi on Trees. An Arborists' Field Guide by Guy Watson & Ted Green (Arboricultural Association, 2011) and read the text on page 7 under Decay.

To the text, I add the following remarks and answers to your questions :

- (simultaneous) white rotters have to decompose the lignin first, which costs energy, to get to the energy rich cellulose hosepipes or fibres (tension), which are enclosed inside the lignin chimneys (pressure). This process changes the flexibility-stiffness ratio of the wood in the direction of the tree trunk becoming more flexible and at the same time becoming more loaded with the weight of the total tree, which causes certain types of buckling (life belt, wrinkling) to develop because of the formation of (over)compensating year rings, which are pressed downward and outside while "creating" bucklings or wrinkles. The second phase of (simultaneous) white rot implies total decay of the remaining cellulose, after which only the "empty" cellulose fibres or strings (ropes) remain.

- There is a fifth type of white rot, which is caused by the mycelia of saprotrophic wood decomposers, such as Bjerkandera adusta, Mycena species such as M. galericulata and Hypholoma species, such as H. fasciculare and H. sublateritium, which produce high concentrations of organohalogens or polyaromatic hydrocarbons to decay the wood.

- Because brown rotters only decompose the cellulose fibres, the cubical "bricks" of the lignin chimneys remain.

- Not only ascomycete Sphaeriales such as K. deusta cause soft rot, there are also some annual bracket fungi such as Meripilus giganteus and Inonotus species, which combine white and soft rot in their wood degrading strategies.

[RobArb]

Thank you Gerrit, that fungi guide is on my list of things to get, just not got round to it yet.

 

And thanks for the info:thumbup:

 

Sent from Rob's GalaxySII

[Fungus]

- There is a fifth type of white rot, which is caused by the mycelia of saprotrophic wood decomposers, such as Bjerkandera adusta, Mycena species such as M. galericulata and Hypholoma species, such as H. fasciculare and H. sublateritium, which produce high concentrations of organohalogens or polyaromatic hydrocarbons to decay the wood.

 

Correction :

- There is a fifth type of wood rot, i.e. a third type of white rot, which ...

[David Humphries]

Thank you Gerrit, that fungi guide is on my list of things to get, just not got round to it yet.

 

 

 

 

Better hurry up, the first print run is nearly at an end.

 

I hear the photos are very good

 

 

 

 

.

[Fungus]

I hear the photos are very good

 

Fishing for credits and compliments then ? O.k., especially those made by a certain mister Humphries .

[RobArb]

Better hurry up, the first print run is nearly at an end.

 

I hear the photos are very good

 

 

 

 

.

 

Is there going to be a second print/edition?

[David Humphries]

Fishing for credits and compliments then ? O.k., especially those made by a certain mister Humphries .

 

 

Oh go on then, if you must

 

Mr Phillips' shots aren't to shabby either

 

 

Is there going to be a second print/edition?

 

 

There is likely to be a second edition out later in the year Rob.

No date as yet.

 

 

 

 

.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Rob,

As this information on white and soft wood rot caused by fungi is only partially correct, I think it's best you buy Fungi on Trees. An Arborists' Field Guide by Guy Watson & Ted Green (Arboricultural Association, 2011) and read the text on page 7 under Decay.

To the text, I add the following remarks and answers to your questions :

- (simultaneous) white rotters have to decompose the lignin first, which costs energy, to get to the energy rich cellulose hosepipes or fibres (tension), which are enclosed inside the lignin chimneys (pressure). This process changes the flexibility-stiffness ratio of the wood in the direction of the tree trunk becoming more flexible and at the same time becoming more loaded with the weight of the total tree, which causes certain types of buckling (life belt, wrinkling) to develop because of the formation of (over)compensating year rings, which are pressed downward and outside while "creating" bucklings or wrinkles. The second phase of (simultaneous) white rot implies total decay of the remaining cellulose, after which only the "empty" cellulose fibres or strings (ropes) remain.

- There is a fifth type of white rot, which is caused by the mycelia of saprotrophic wood decomposers, such as Bjerkandera adusta, Mycena species such as M. galericulata and Hypholoma species, such as H. fasciculare and H. sublateritium, which produce high concentrations of organohalogens or polyaromatic hydrocarbons to decay the wood.

- Because brown rotters only decompose the cellulose fibres, the cubical "bricks" of the lignin chimneys remain.

- Not only ascomycete Sphaeriales such as K. deusta cause soft rot, there are also some annual bracket fungi such as Meripilus giganteus and Inonotus species, which combine white and soft rot in their wood degrading strategies.

 

this explains a bit for me, meripilus is one of the few to degrade pectin (a super adhesive) is this right? cant remember where i read that:001_huh:

[Fungus]

meripilus is one of the few to degrade pectin (a super adhesive) is this right? cant remember where i read that

 

Tony,

Maybe here ?