PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE PYCNOPORUS SPECIES

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Abstract
The physiology of three groups of morphologically similar wood-rotting polypores, which produce extracellular oxidases as indicated by positive reactions with guaiacol, was studied comparatively.The inability to oxidize tyrosine and phenols, including guaiacol, in 'spot tests' distinguished P. cinnabarinus (Jacq. ex Fr.) Karst. from P. sanguineus (L. ex Fr.) Murr. and P. coccineus (Fr.) Bond. and Sing. growing on a tyrosine medium.The possible application of these methods for obtaining more specific distinctions within the two larger groups, the 'guaiacum-positive', lignin-decomposing and the 'guaiacum-negative' organisms, is indicated.The three groups separated on the basis of differential growth on malt extract agar at 35.2 °C.P. cinnabarinus grew slower generally than P. sanguineus and P. coccineus on malt extract agar between 20 °C and 40 °C and on various nitrogenous and phenolic substrates.There were indications that differences in the history of the isolates might have been a factor contributing to the intraspecific variations observed in growth and pigmentation.The pigments obtained from malt extract cultures of the three groups were the same.Eighteen, out of a total of 41 different ninhydrin-reacting compounds, were common to all isolates of the three groups grown in asparagine medium. Three compounds were specific to certain groups and 20 were distributed randomly between the isolates.