Browsing by Subject "Kääpäsienet"

Wood-decaying fungi of Basidiomycota are important decomposers of wood and plant biomass in nature. Interactions of five birch-wood decaying fungi (Fomitopsis pinicola, Fp; Fomitopsis betulina, Fb; Phlebia radiata, Pr; Fomes fomentarius, Ff; Schizophyllum commune, Sc) were studied by forming combinations of two, three or five fungal species and cultivating them on low-nitrogen liquid medium, and on three different agar media. Of the fungal species studied, Sc was the most dominant at the metabolic level. Pr was more dominant than Fp, Ff and Fb, while Fp was more dominant than Ff and Fb. This conclusion was supported by measurements from the cultivations on liquid medium (pH, enzyme activities, antioxidant and reduction ability, sugar consumption), non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis and compounds found in extracts from culture fluids and mycelia. Three variations of mycelial interactions were observed when fungal combinations were cultivated on agar media: inhibition and two types of co-existence. Tens of compound peaks were detected in HPLC-chromatograms of the culture fluid and mycelial extracts, but only a part of the compounds could be identified. The presence of two or more fungal species in the cultivations increased the number of peaks in the chromatograms indicating the potential of co-cultivation as a method for production of new natural compounds. Several extracts showed weak antibacterial properties. These results suggest that larger-scale cultivations, more concentrated extracts, and isolation of the numerous compounds in the extracts could facilitate finding and identifying antimicrobial substances produced by fungi.