Fomes fomentarius and F. inzengae—A Comparison of Their Decay Patterns on Beech Wood

Abstract

Wood-decaying fungi are responsible for the degradation of wood and the alteration in its material properties. Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr. is one of the most common white-rot fungi colonising coarse wood and standing trees. In recent years, according to their genetic, physiological, and morphological differences, Fomes inzengae (Ces. and De Not.) Lécuru was identified as an independent species. This article aimed to compare the impact of the degradation caused by both species on the anatomical, physical, and mechanical properties of beech wood. When comparing the degradation caused by different strains of both species, no statistically significant difference was found in mass loss (ML) or moisture content (MC). A relevant correlation between ML and MC was confirmed for both species. Variabilities in the density distribution of the degraded and intact bending samples were found to be statistically different. No relevant difference was observed in the modulus of rupture (MOR) between the two species after each exposure period. A strong linear relationship between the MOR and the dynamic modulus of elasticity was revealed for both species. Both species showed decay patterns typical for simultaneous white rot and soft rot. According to the presented results, the impact of both species on the investigated material properties of wood cannot be considered significantly different.

Characterization of Fomes fomentarius s.s. and F. inzengae in Belgian Beech Forests

“…Both F. inzengae isolates showed contrasting behavior, and it was not possible to demonstrate any significant difference in mass loss between the two species (F. fomentarius s.s. and F. inzengae). Our results are consistent with those of Cristini et al [47] even though a different experimental protocol was followed, particularly with regard to the size of the wood samples and the incubation period. However, a difference between species appeared in terms of response repeatability.…”

“…To our knowledge, this is the first report of this species in Belgium. This fungus has been reported in Europe, notably in England, Italy, Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia [46], Spain [47] and the Czech Republic [24]. It is capable of infecting various hardwood species, but rarely infects beech trees, unlike F. fomentarius s.s. which is prevalent on beeches [21].…”

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Explores the Mechanism of Angiosperm and Gymnosperm Deadwood Degradation by Fomes fomentarius

“…Cellulose and lignin are the xylem cell-wall components of wood, and their structure is destroyed when wood-decaying fungi attack wood. The wood density distribution, cellulose, and lignin content tend to decrease with longer fungal exposure [ 26 ]. Different fungal species colonize different host tree species with different decaying processes [ 27 ].…”

Unearthing Current Knowledge Gaps in Our Understanding of Tree Stability: Review and Bibliometric Analysis

“…The chronology overlay of the co-occurrence highlights the evolution of the keywords (Figure 8). Figure 8 shows that recently, research efforts have been focused on urban forestry and tree failure due to decay (disease) [116]. Climate change and diversity are two sub-themes driving recent studies on the stability of rural forests [117,118].…”