Fungal Lignocellulose Utilisation Strategies from a Bioenergetic Perspective: Quantification of Related Functional Traits Using Biocalorimetry

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 8; p. 1675
• Main Authors: Duong, Hieu Linh, Paufler, Sven, Harms, Hauke, Schlosser, Dietmar, Maskow, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 19-08-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; ascomycete; basidiomycete; Bioenergetics; Biomass; biothermodynamics; Cell culture; Cellulase; Cellulose; Chemicals; ecological theory; Energy metabolism; Enzymes; functional trait; fungal growth; Fungi; Growth rate; Heat flux; Life history; Lignin; Lignocellulose; Metabolic flux; Metabolism; Microbiological research; Microorganisms; Organisms; Parameters; Penicillin; Physiological aspects; Proteins; Substrates; Wheat straw; Germany; functional trait; wheat straw; basidiomycete; biothermodynamics; ecological theory; life history strategy; zygomycete; ascomycete; fungal growth; lignocellulose
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10081675

In the present study, we investigated whether a non-invasive metabolic heat flux analysis could serve the determination of the functional traits in free-living saprotrophic decomposer fungi and aid the prediction of fungal influences on ecosystem processes. For this, seven fungi, including ascomycete, basidiomycete, and zygomycete species, were investigated in a standardised laboratory environment, employing wheat straw as a globally relevant lignocellulosic substrate. Our study demonstrates that biocalorimetry can be employed successfully to determine growth-related fungal activity parameters, such as apparent maximum growth rates (
), cultivation times until the observable onset of fungal growth at
(
), quotients formed from the
and
(herein referred to as competitive growth potential,
), and heat yield coefficients (
), the latter indicating the degree of resource investment into fungal biomass versus other functional attributes. These parameters seem suitable to link fungal potentials for biomass production to corresponding ecological strategies employed during resource utilisation, and therefore may be considered as fungal life history traits. A close connection exists between the
and
values, which suggests an interpretation that relates to fungal life history strategies.