Author(s)

Yan Chen¹, Gaozhong Pu², Bo Lian³, Xiuxia Pei¹, Guifang Huang¹, Qifeng Wang¹, Yanna Lv^1*

¹School of Pharmacy, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China.
²Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, China.
³School of Bioscience and Technology, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, China.

Fungi are the key agents in litter decomposition in forest ecosystems. However, the specific roles of the interactions between different fungal species during litter decomposition process are unclear. To evaluate the interactions, two fungi strains with significantly different morphs were isolated from the soils of Quercus acutissima forest and Pinus massoniana forest, and inoculated in the litter powder of Quercus acutissima leaves and Pinus massoniana needles with grown separately and in coexistence equally through a microcosm experiment. The enzyme activities were determined as a proxy for microbial activities. The results showed that the degradative enzymes involved in litter decomposition showed varying dynamics pattern during the incubation period. The interactions between the two fungi strains are synergism, and benefit to each other according to enzyme activities, suggesting that a fungi strain growth was accelerated by the presence of other fungi strain during litter decomposition process. However, the interactions of the two fungi strains were bilateral antagonism inoculated in the litter powder of Quercus acutissima leaves according to cellobiohydrolase activities. The synergism, despite bilateral antagonism in an exceptional case, may be an important factor controlling the fungal colonization and growth on litter substrate. The results implied that more fungal species may accelerate litter decomposition rates due to their mutual cooperation.

Antagonism, Degradative Enzymes, Fungi, Interactions, Litter Decomposition, Synergism

Chen, Y. , Pu, G. , Lian, B. , Pei, X. , Huang, G. , Wang, Q. and Lv, Y. (2018) Interactions between Two Fungi Strains during Litter Decomposition through a Microcosm Experiment: Different Degradative Enzyme Activities. Advances in Enzyme Research, 6, 1-9. doi: 10.4236/aer.2018.61001.