Special Interest Group Meeting

Production and role of volatile organic compounds during interspecific basidiomycete interactions in soil and wood

Nawal Elariebi & Lynne Boddy, Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Biomedical Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK

When basidiomycete mycelia interact changes in colony morphology occur in the interaction zone (the area of physical contact between competing mycelia) and elsewhere, and extracellular enzymes and secondary metabolites are produced and released. Interaction can also occur without contact, i.e. at a distance, by production of diffusible or volatile secondary chemicals. Probably, all species constitutively generate a profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but profiles and quantities produced change during interactions, with age and depending on the combination of fungi. Many of the VOCs are sesquiterpenes, some of which are known to have defensive roles during interaction between plants and other organisms. Here we will consider production of VOCs by wood-rotting, cord-forming basidiomycetes in wood and extending across the surface of soil when growing alone and during interspecific mycelial interactions. We will show effects of VOCs on the extension rate, hyphal coverage and fractal dimension of mycelial cord-forming fungi growing in soil microcosms.

Skip to main navigation
Skip to secondary navigation
Skip to content
Skip to sidebar for calendar files