Tracing the evolution of shiitake mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms get their name from the same place they often source their nutrients—the shii tree, a Japanese relative of the oak. These fungi are part of the genus Lentinula, which have evolved to decompose hardwoods ...

Fungi that evolved to eat wood offer new biomass conversion tool

Twenty years ago, microbiologist Barry Goodell, now a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and colleagues discovered a unique system that some microorganisms use to digest and recycle wood. Three orders of ...

Termite gut holds a secret to breaking down plant biomass

In the Microbial Sciences Building at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the incredibly efficient eating habits of a fungus-cultivating termite are surprising even to those well acquainted with the insect's natural gift ...

Rotting away: Getting at the evolutionary roots of wood decay

Decay is a complex process in which organisms use a repertoire of enzymes to slowly exploit and ultimately digest their hosts. Fungi are master decayers of dead plant matter, including wood. So-called white rot fungi have ...

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