Isolates of six species of Ganoderma in the G. lucidum complex were evaluated for their ability to decay wood of Quercus hypoleucoides A. Camus and Abies concolor (Gord. and Glend.) Lindl. ex. Hildebr. by using in vitro agar block decay tests. Morphological, ultrastructural, and chemical studies of decayed wood were used to determine the extent of delignification or simultaneous decay caused by each species of Ganoderma. All species decayed both white fir and oak wood; however, less percent weight loss (%WL) occurred in white fir than oak. In white fir, isolates of two undescribed Ganoderma species (RLG16161, RLG16162, JEA615, and JEA625) caused significantly higher%WL (21 to 26%) than that in G. colossum, G. oregonense, G. meredithiae, and G. zonatum (10 to 16%). Only Ganoderma sp. isolates JEA615 and JEA625 caused delignification, with JEA615 causing a lignin-to-glucose gram loss ratio of 1.6:1. Morphological and ultrastructural studies confirmed delignification by this fungus and showed that some delignification had occurred by all of the species, although areas of delignification were limited to small regions adjacent to simultaneously decayed cells. In oak, G. colossum caused significantly less%WL (22 to 35%) than the other species (38 to 52%). All of the species, except G. meredithiae, caused delignification with lignin-to-glucose gram loss ratios ranging from 1.4 to 4.9:1. Extensive delignification by isolates of G. colossum and G. oregonense was observed; moderate delignification was caused by the other species. Ganoderma meredithiae caused a simultaneous decay, with only small localized regions of cells delignified, while delignification by G. zonatum was irregular, with specific zones within the cell wall delignified. The thermophilic and chlamydosporic G. colossum has the capacity to cause extensive delignification and appears ideally suited for use in lignin degradation studies and biotechnological applications of lignin-degrading fungi.
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