Biological Sciences
Rotting
Rotting refers to the decomposition of organic matter by the action of microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi. This process breaks down complex molecules into simpler compounds, releasing nutrients back into the ecosystem. Rotting is an essential part of the natural cycle of nutrient recycling and plays a crucial role in the decomposition of dead organisms and organic waste.
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5 Key excerpts on "Rotting"
eBook - PDF- Monica Ek, Göran Gellerstedt, Gunnar Henriksson, Monica Ek, Göran Gellerstedt, Gunnar Henriksson(Authors)
- 2009(Publication Date)
- De Gruyter(Publisher)
219 NM _áçäçÖáÅ~ä tççÇ aÉÖê~Ç~íáçå Thomas Nilsson Department of Wood Science, SLU 10.1 Introduction 219 10.1.1 Wood as a Substrate for Microorganisms 223 10.1.2 Morphological Aspects of Wood 223 10.1.3 Chemistry of Wood and Microbial Degradation 224 10.2 Overview of Wood-attacking Microorganisms 225 10.2.1 White Rot Fungi 225 10.2.2 Brown Rot 228 10.2.3 Soft Rot 231 10.2.4 Sapstain and Mould Fungi 234 10.2.5 Bacteria 235 10.3 Ecology 239 10.4 Storage of Wood 243 10.5 Microorganisms During Processing 244 10.6 Further Reading 244 NMKN fåíêçÇìÅíáçå Wood is a biological material and is, like most such materials, degraded by a variety of organ-isms. Wood degradation constitutes an important part of carbon cycling, a process that is re-quired for a continued biological life on earth. Various organisms have become adapted to wood degradation in very diverse environments, terrestrial and aquatic. Biological degradation ap-pears to be prevented only by complete absence of oxygen, extreme temperatures or enclosures that prevent the access of organisms. Environments lacking oxygen can be found in very deep waterlogged sediments. Wood is known to have survived in such environments for ca. 10 000 years. Enclosures can be found in the form of deep burial under sediments, where high temper-atures and pressures deny access and life of organisms. Such wood is slowly undergoing coalifi-cation leading to formation of brown coal. Here, the non-coalified parts of wood may look and smell like fresh wood even after a million years. The wood-degrading organisms are found in quite diverse groups; insects, molluscs, fungi and bacteria. In addition, mechanical damage to wood is caused by higher animals, such as bea-vers, rats and woodpeckers. Termites represent the most important group of insects that are spe-cialised in living on wood. The larval stages of other insects represent another form of insect
eBook - PDFEcology
From Individuals to Ecosystems
- Michael Begon, Colin R. Townsend, John L. Harper(Authors)
- 2009(Publication Date)
- Wiley-Blackwell(Publisher)
Decomposition is defined as the gradual disintegration of dead organic matter and is brought about by both physical and biological agencies. It culminates with complex, energy-rich molecules being broken down by their consumers (decomposers and detritivores) into carbon dioxide, water and inorganic nutrients. Some of the chemical elements will have been locked up for a time as part of the body structure of the decomposer organisms, and the energy present in the organic matter will have been used to do work and is eventually lost as heat. Ultimately, the incorporation of solar energy in photosyn- thesis, and the immobilization of inorganic nutrients into biomass, is balanced by the loss of heat energy and organic nutrients when the organic matter is mineralized. Thus a given nutrient molecule may be successively immobilized and mineralized in a repeated round of nutrient cycling. We discuss the overall role played by decomposers and detritivores in the fluxes of energy saprotrophs: detritivores and decomposers . . . . . . do not generally control their supply of resources – ‘donor control’ decomposition defined Chapter 11 Decomposers and Detritivores DECOMPOSERS AND DETRITIVORES 327 and nutrients at the ecosystem level in Chapters 17 and 18. In the present chapter, we introduce the organisms involved and look in detail at the ways in which they deal with their resources. It is not only the bodies of dead ani- mals and plants that serve as resources for decomposers and detritivores. Dead organic matter is continually produced during the life of both animals and plants and can be a major resource. Unitary organisms shed dead parts as they develop and grow – the larval skins of arthropods, the skins of snakes, the skin, hair, feathers and horn of other vertebrates. Specialist feeders are often associated with these cast-off resources.
eBook - PDF- N.A.M. Eskin(Author)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
5 The Biodeterioration of Foods I. Introduction Biodeterioration may be defined as any undesirable change in the properties, chemical composition, or structure of a material or substance caused by the activities of organisms. This definition covers an enormously wide range of biological phenomena and materials. The biodeterioration of perishable goods and materials has been known to man for centuries, and an infinite variety of raw materials, manufactured goods, and commodities are involved. These range from cotton, paper, and timber products to cereals, food, and feedstuffs. A recent estimate of the economic consequences of biodeterioration to man has been placed at one billion dollars. Consequently, the phenomenon of bio-deterioration is being investigated in laboratories throughout the world and is now supported by such international organizations as Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (F.A.O.) and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (O.E.C.D.) (Knox, 1968). The best-known cases of biodeterioration are to be found in farm produce and foodstuffs. Plant diseases, insect pests, rodents, bacteria, and fungi are the principal agents, and all contribute to the loss, both quantitatively and qualita-tively, of many millions of tons of food per year. It has been estimated that the annual loss alone of fruit and vegetables amounts to more than 300 million dollars (Losses in Agriculture, 1954). Some examples of the biodeterioration of foods are given below. 154 5. The Biodeterioration of Foods Plant diseases. Mildew of tomato plants, potato blight, and soft rot of celery plants. Insect pests. Green fly on fruit trees, codling moth larvae in apples, and the massive destruction of crops by swarms of locusts. Bacteria. The contamination of meat and meat products by pathogenic organisms such as Salmonella typhi or Clostridium botulinum, which are both dangerous health hazards.
eBook - PDFSoil Analysis in Forensic Taphonomy
Chemical and Biological Effects of Buried Human Remains
- Mark Tibbett, David O. Carter, Mark Tibbett, David O. Carter(Authors)
- 2008(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
Rather, organic residues are continually being broken down, replenished by new inputs, and modified by the decomposer organ-isms that synthesize new compounds and biomass as they grow and produce their own excretory products (Figure 3.1). 3.2 Decomposition and Turnover The closest we have come to a unified concept for summarizing the interac-tion of decomposing organic matter in soils and soil organisms is embod-Rest In Peace Labile Residues Stable Residues Uptake Decomposer Respiration CO 2 Zymogenous Decomposer Organisms Autochthonous Decomposer Organisms Chemically Protected Organic Matter Physically Protected Organic Matter Dissolved Organic Matter Volatile Organic Compounds Inert Organic Matter D E C O M P O S I T I O N Leaf Litter, Faeces, Urine, Root Litter, Exudates Figure 3.1 Decomposition and carbon turnover in soil: A conceptual diagram summarizing the main elements of the initial Rothamsted carbon model (Jen-kinson 1971). To this we have added other small, but potentially functionally important, compartments: the volatile organic carbon and the dissolved organic carbon derived during both decomposition of litter and exudation from plants. An inert organic matter pool is added as this appears in later versions of the Rothamsted model. The Role of Soil Organisms in Terrestrial Decomposition ied in models of soil C turnover. The conceptual model summarized in Figure 3.1 owes much to the Rothamsted C model (Jenkinson and Rayner 1977). This model is based on compartments with functional relevance, and the figure therefore serves to illustrate the main processes of decom-position and turnover. Decomposing organic matter includes a wide range of compounds in complex mixtures (e.g., polysaccharides, proteins, lip-ids, and lignin) that arise from the bodily remains of plants, animals, and microorganisms, as well as their metabolic wastes.
eBook - PDFWood Microbiology
Decay and Its Prevention
- Robert A. Zabel, Jeffrey J. Morrell(Authors)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
Vogels, G. D. ( 1 9 7 9 ) . The global cycle of methane. Antonie Leeuwenhoek J. Microbiol Serai 4 5 : 3 4 7 -3 5 2 . Worrall, J. J., and J. R. Parmeter, Jr. ( 1 9 8 3 ) . Inhibition of wood decay fungi by wetwood of white fir. Phytopathology 7 3 : 1 1 4 0 -1 1 4 5 . Zeikus, U. G. ( 1 9 7 4 ) . Methane formation in living trees: A microbial origin. Science 1 8 4 : 1 1 8 1 -1 1 8 3 . C H A P T E R 5 Fungal Metabolism in Relation to Wood Decay A brief review of selected aspects of fungal metabolism is necessary to set the stage for an understanding of the enzymatic nature of wood decay by micro-organisms and why preservatives are toxic to fungi. Emphasis is placed on fungal metabolism since it is similar to that of the principal wood-damaging bacteria. Metabolism is a complex topic and broadly includes all the chemical reac-tions occurring in living systems. General reviews of the energy release and synthesis aspects of cell and organism functioning are available in many mod-ern textbooks on biology and microbiology (Raven et al, 1986; Cano and Colomé, 1986; Brock et al, 1988). More comprehensive coverage is avail-able in textbooks on biochemistry (Stryer, 1981) or fungus physiology (Grif-fin, 1981; Garraway and Evans, 1984). These sources provide references to the many specialized topics composing the vast literature that has ac-cumulated on microbial metabolism. In this chapter, emphasis will be placed on digestion and energy release from organic carbon compounds, since these two processes play key roles in the decay process. Metabolism Defined Biochemistry is the principal discipline dealing with the study of the chemical processes occurring in living systems (metabolism). In the 1800s, many scientists studying the chemical functioning of cells believed in a mysterious and unique property of living materials that they termed vitalism.
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