The maceration of deciduous leaf litter by aquatic hyphomycetes

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Abstract
Isolates of five species of aquatic hyphomycetes were grown in pure culture with hickory leaf material as the sole source of carbon and energy. Enzymatic activity by all five species resulted in the skeletonization of leaves through maceration of the leaf matrix and subsequent release of leaf cells as fine particulate organic matter. Fractionation and analysis of leaf material after incubation indicated that all five species metabolized (degraded) cellulose and two species metabolized (degraded) hemicelluloses. In cultures inoculated with Tetracladium marchalianum, fine particulate release coincided with increases in fungal biomass (ATP) and activity of enzymes in the supernatant which degraded carboxymethylcellulose, xylan, and polygalacturonic acid. Macerating activity increased with increasing pH suggesting involvement of pectin trans-eliminase in the softening of leaf tissue by this fungus.