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Fungi As

Saprophyt
es

Successions Of Fungi On Dead


materials
Saprophytic fungi grows on dead organic
matters such as fallen leaves, dung pellet,
human hair and even dead animals and
insects.
These fungi have enzymes that digest
cellulose and lignin found in the organic
matter.

lignin - organic substance which act as binders for the


cellulose fibers in wood and certain plants

Succession of species occurs with


groups that breakdown easily digested
small molecules and the last call
involves species that can breakdown
the
resistant
cellulosic
wall
impregnated with lignin.
A period of 2 to 4 years may be
needed for complete decomposition.
Succession may occur in the order
- Zygomycotina
Ascomycotina
- Deuteromycotina Basidiomycotina

But still There are some points that


must be taken into account
- Original substrates are not completely
exhausted in sequence.
- Simpler microbes may be unavailable to
microbes in the early stage.
>> these molecules are chemically
complex
with more resistant one
>> or they are physically coated with
more
resistant one (enzyme cant gain access)

- Small animal ingest part of the original


material, particularly if it is enriched with
the
fungal hyphae and they deposit it in their
faeces.
>> animals comminute the material,
making
it more readily accessible to microbes.
- Fungus exhausts the substrates available to
it
>> its cells die
>> support secondary colonists

Fungus may synthesis some


extremely resistant polymers like
melanins that persist long after the
original substratum has disappeared.
Succession of microbes are
frequently associated with
progressive changes in the
composition of the substratum or
with progressive changes in the
environmental conditions.

Succession
associated with
Nutritional Factors
Decomposition Of Leaves and
Stems Of Herbaceous Plants

1. Weak parasites or saprophytes


- Eg. Cladosporium herbarum, Alternaria
tenuis, Aureobasidium pullulans,
Epicoccum purpurascens
- utilize simple soluble nutrients that
leach
out of the leaves or that are present in
aphid honeydew ( restricted abilities to
degrade structural polymers like
cellulose )

- commonly occur on plant surface


>> ability to withstand drying of the
hyphal
tips.
>> pigmented hyphae which are
resistant to
UV radiation.
- they compete poorly with other fungi
>> have limited phase of activity after
the
leaf dies.

2. Primary saprophytic sugar fungi


- first part of the secondary succession
- sugar fungus denotes that they readily
utilize simple organic materials but have
restricted abilities to use cellulose.
- Eg. Members of zygomycotina like Mucor
and Rhizopus.
>> occur on dung, heating composts,
autoclaved materials etc.

>> high growth rates and short life cycles


>> able to produce sexual and asexual
spores within a few days of starting to
grow.
- Pythium mamillatum (oomycete) shows
behavior of a primary sugar fungus.
>> colonize virgin, sugar rich substrata
>> but cant invade the same materials
if they have been precolonized by others.

3. Cellulolytic fungi
- decompose by utilizing cellulose and
hemicellulose
- Eg. Chaeotomium, Fusarium,
Stachybotrys,
and Trichoderma
4. Lignin- degrading fungi
- slow growing members of
Basidiomycotina
such as Mycena galopus

- utilize cellulose chemically complexed


with
lignin.
- cannot use lignin as sole carbon
source
>> degrades lignin in the presence of
cellulose.
- often grow on materials after other
fungi
have utilized some of the substrates.

5. Associated fungi
- occur together with cellulolytic fungi and
lignin-degrading fungi
- members of oomycetes or zygomycoyina
( several deuteromycotina also found )
- some may parasitize the hyphae of the
other fungi
- secondary sugar saprophytism: grow in
close association of other fungi, sharing
proportion of the enzymic breakdown
products.

Succession of
Fungi On Dung

Zygomycotina Ascomycotina
Basidiomycotina
Many of them may be presented when dung
is deposited, do not differ in rates of spore
germination and mycelial growth.
- succession of fruitbodies and not
necessarily
of vegetative growth.
Argument because: Basidiomycotina
requires
considerable nutrient reserves to develop
fruiting bodies ( longer period of vegetative
growth)

Thus, succession should be


combination of successive phases of
vegetative growth and
sporulation.

Thank You !!!!

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