FUNGI AS WOOD DECAYING ORGANISM

Wood Decay Fungi is often not considered a serious pest of timber, but it can become such a severe problem that structural integrity is affected. Fungi occuring on wood are epigean.

Decay fungi destroy the tree's internal supportive or structural components its cellulose and hemicellulose and sometimes its lignin. Decay isn't visible on the outside of the tree, except where the bark has been cut or injured, when a cavity is present, or when the rot fungi produce reproductive structures. 

Wood decay makes trees hazardous, because trunks and limbs become unable to support their own weight and can fall, especially when stressed by wind, heavy rain, or other conditions. 

Most of wood decay fungi came from basiomycota. Basidiophores are exogenous spores.

Wood decay fungi have four basic requirements for growth:

•  Oxygen
•  Water
•  Suitable Temperature
• Food Source - the timber

Wood Decaying Fungi consists of two types:
 White rot fungi

Wood attacked by a white rot looks completely different to attack by a brown rot: The wood takes on a 'fibrous appearance and tends to go slightly lighter in color ( this may not be too noticeable). There is no cuboidal cracking as in the brown rots. Tend to be more common in hardwood

Brown rot fungi

Brown rots cause the wood to crack in a cuboidal manner; the wood also goes slightly darker in color. The 'cubes' may vary in size depending on the wood and conditions, but they are generally very visible and distinct especially as the wood dries.

Fungi is lack of chlorophyll. Thus it can undergo photosynthesis. Due to that it feeds off of the cells from the woods.
The process involved in the decaying of the wood is breaking down complex chemical compound (Cellulose and Lignin)


Soft Rot Fungi