David Moore's World of Fungi: where mycology starts

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to fungal bioremediation
2. Overview
3. The problem
4. White rot fungi
5. Fascinating fungi
6. Research
7. The future
8. Links
9. Glossary

Overview

In informal terms there are three major groups of fungi:

• moulds (filamentous fungi that might be found growing on something old at the back of the fridge);
• yeasts (unicellular organisms that in nature form the blooms on fruit like grapes and are used to make bread and beer);
• mushroom fungi (which make the most complex fruit bodies comprised of several distinctively differentiated tissues; including the cultivated ('button') mushroom, shiitake, oyster mushroom, etc.).

Whilst they all have different properties, they generally all share the key feature of the fungal lifestyle, which is the ability to decay organic matter as a means of accessing the nutrients that waste materials contain (saprotrophism).

In fact the recycling ability of fungi is the area that holds the prime interest for scientists today. Lignin is one of three components of plant cell walls (the others being cellulose and hemicellulose), and is a complex polymer which provides the strength and support in the secondary growth of perennial plants like bushes and trees; it is part of the woody tissue that makes timber as we know it. However, lignin is a complex polyphenolic; whilst it is of great use to all plants, it is a major problem for most microorganisms that try to access the nutrients inside the plant, but are foiled by the phenolic antiseptics released by any attempt to degrade its lignocellulose protective barrier. In fact, there is only one type of microorganism that can degrade lignin…and , yes, you guessed it…it's the fungi.

In fact it is mainly the basidiomycetes that make up a group known as the white rot fungi, and this amazing ability is where the focus of research is taking place today. The potential that is offered by these fungi is enormous; lignin and its related lignocellulose structures are abundant around the world. Alongside the crops it produces, the agricultural industry generates enormous quantities of lignocellulose wastes. From a field of corn only the grain is used, from a field of rape only the oil of the seed; the rest is waste which can be a source of pollution but could be recycled for the energy it contains. But while lignin degradation is important, it is the similarity of lignin to other chemical structures that offers even greater potential to scientists and environmentalists worldwide.

There are many sources of pollution in the world today, but one of the worst is the category known as organopollutants, which are chemicals that persist in the environment for a long time and hold many dangers for humans and animals. Examples are pesticides like DDT (supposedly prohibited in use worldwide), and the wood preservative creosote. These organopollutants share structural similarities to lignin, in particular the number of phenolic residues in the structure, and the enzymes that fungi produce to degrade the phenolic residues of lignin are what scientists are exploiting to degrade these organopollutants. 

These are the fungi for the future.

Further information about bioremediation can be found in chapters 13 and 17 of the new textbook 21st Century Guidebook to Fungi by David Moore, Geoffrey D. Robson & Anthony P.J. Trinci, published 2011 by Cambridge University Press: ISBN: 9780521186957. URL: ttp://www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/isbn/item6026594/?site_locale=en_GB. View Amazon page.

Updated December 15, 2016