High Spatial Resolution Infrared Micro-Spectroscopy Reveals the Mechanism of Leaf Lignin Decomposition by Aquatic Fungi.

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	High Spatial Resolution Infrared Micro-Spectroscopy Reveals the Mechanism of Leaf Lignin Decomposition by Aquatic Fungi. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International License

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Title: High Spatial Resolution Infrared Micro-Spectroscopy Reveals the Mechanism of Leaf Lignin Decomposition by Aquatic Fungi.
Creator: Kerr, Janice L.
Creator: Baldwin, Darren S.
Creator: Tobin, Mark J.
Creator: Puskar, Ljiljana.
Creator: Kappen, Peter.
Creator: Rees, Gavin N.
Creator: Silvester, Ewen.
Subject: 270000 Biological Sciences
Subject: Micro-Spectroscopy
Subject: Aquatic Fungi
Subject: Organic Carbon
Subject: River Redgum
Subject: lowland rivers
Subject: South-Eastern Australia
Date: 2013
Publisher: Public Library of Science.
Description: MDFRC item.
Description: Organic carbon is a critical component of aquatic systems, providing energy storage and transfer between organisms. Fungi are a major decomposer group in the aquatic carbon cycle, and are one of few groups thought to be capable of breaking down woody (lignified) tissue. In this work we have used high spatial resolution (synchrotron light source) infrared microspectroscopy to study the interaction between aquatic fungi and lignified leaf vein material (xylem) from River Redgum trees (E. camaldulensis) endemic to the lowland rivers of South-Eastern Australia. The work provides spatially explicit evidence that fungal colonisation of leaf litter involves the oxidative breakdown of lignin immediately adjacent to the fungal tissue and depletion of the lignin-bound cellulose. Cellulose depletion occurs over relatively short length scales (5–15 mm)and highlights the likely importance of mechanical breakdown in accessing the carbohydrate content of this resource. Low bioavailability compounds (oxidized lignin and polyphenols of plant origin) remain in colonised leaves, even after fungal activity diminishes, and suggests a possible pathway for the sequestration of carbon in wetlands. The work shows that fungi likely have a critical role in the partitioning of lignified material into a biodegradable fraction that can re-enter the aquatic carbon cycle, and a recalcitrant fraction that enters long-term storage in sediments or contribute to the formation of dissolved organic carbon in the water column.

Digital Object ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0060857
Format: 10 p. (p. [1-10])
Language: en
Rights: Open Access. This article has been reproduced here under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Rights: This permits users the freedom to share and adapt the material for any purpose, even commercially, as long as proper attribution is given to the original creator. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). This work was published in PLOS One 8(4) e60857, 2013.
Type: journal article
Source: PLoS ONE, 8(4): [1-10]

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