A Review on Litter Decomposition by Soil Fungal Community
Journal Title: IOSR Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences (IOSR-JPBS) - Year 2016, Vol 11, Issue 4
Abstract
Fungi play an important role in plant litter decomposition in forest ecosystems through nutrient recycling and humus formation in soil because they attack the lingo-cellulose matrix in litter that other organisms are unable to assimilate. Fungi are considered to be the key players in litter decomposition because of their ability to produce a wide range of extracellular enzymes, which allows them to efficiently attack the recalcitrant ligno-cellulose matrix that other organisms are unable to decompose. Biochemical decomposition of leaf litter is a sequential process that initially involves the loss of the less recalcitrant components followed by the degradation of the remaining highly recalcitrant compounds. Litter quality changes during the course of its transformation and so does the activity of litter-associated microorganisms especially fungi. These changes are accompanied by a succession of microbial litter decomposers that reflect the varied catabolic capabilities that are sequentially required to complete the process of litter decomposition. The review reveals that fungi are divided into three functional groups according to their substrate utilization patterns during litter decomposition: lingo-cellulose decomposers that attack both lignin and cellulose in various proportions, cellulose decomposers that preferentially attack carbohydrates and sugar fungi that rely on soluble sugar for growth. Plant organic matter transformation leads to the disappearance of easily utilizable compounds and to the formation of recalcitrant ones. As a consequence, the chemical and spatial heterogeneity of the substrate changes with time. This process results in the formation of novel niches and a potential increase in fungal diversity.
Authors and Affiliations
P. A Geethanjali, Prof. M. Jayashankar2
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP385548
- DOI 10.9790/3008-1104030103
- Views 73
- Downloads 0
Evolution of Reovirus in Cancer Therapy
The overactive Ras signaling can ultimately lead to cancer. The 3 Ras genes in humans (HRas, KRas, and NRas) are the most common oncogenes in human cancer.Mutations that permanently activate Ras are found in 20% to 25% o...
Concomitant use of Dopamine agonist Bromocriptine with Glimepride Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Type II Diabetic Patients
Type -2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex syndrome originated by a multifactorial pathogenesis. Restoration of a normal glycaemia is very difficult and requires a multiple medication with different mechanismsof actio...
A study on germination and seedling growth of Blcakgram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper) germplasm against Polyethylene glycol 6000 stress
Seed germination is considered as one of the first and foremost fundamental life stages of a plant, where the success in growth and yield is also depending on this stage. An experiment was conducted in order to study the...
Assessment of Airborne Fungi in an Indoors Laboratory Toilet
Fungi are ubiquitous in both indoors and outdoors environment, exposures to them result to allergies, infection and other adverse health conditions. The assessment of indoor fungi prevalent in six toilets (Biotechnology...
Comparative Testing of Antibacterial Activity of Aqueous Extract of Bergenia Ligulata Rhizomes and Ethanolic Extract of Butea Monosperma Flowers for Herbal Gel Formulation
The aim of this research was to formulate a gel comprising of the both extracts of Bergenia ligulata rhizomes and Butea monosperma flowers that would aid in wound healing by exhibiting antibacterial activity at the site...