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IntroductionBasidiomycetes are rarely reported to cause decay in water-saturated wood, but the wood degradation modes of somespecies allow them to colonise wood of supra-optimal mois-ture content (Schwarze et al. 1997). Among the saprophyticwhite-rot fungi,Physisporinus vitreus(Pers.: Fr.) P. Karst.and Donkioporia expansa (Desm.) Kotl. & Pouz. are appar-ently unique in that they can colonise and degrade woodwith a very high moisture content (van Acker and Stevens1996; Kleist and Seehann 1999). Recently, Schmidt et al.(1996) showed that P. vitreuswas associated with decay inwater cooling towers and demonstrated its ability to decom-pose artificially inoculated wood blocks with a moisturecontent exceeding >320% (w.v.). From an examination ofthese blocks, they described a mode of fungal degradation,but this did not show any special adaptation to very wet con-ditions. The present study, based on comprehensive lightmicroscopy of naturally and artificially colonised wood,addressed the question as to whether the fungus has otherdegradative strategies which might explain its associationwith this moist substrate.Material and Methods |
