What is the difference between Brown rot and White rot fungi Give examples as well?

Answer 1

Macroscopically the white rot will appear as white spots on the wood, indicating that it has eaten up all the lignin and left the white cellulose behind. It does eat away the cellulose and hemicellulose too, but the lignin is delicious to them. It will appear fibrous, stringy, and spongy with the white pockets present. Brown rot is the opposite and it eats the cellulose first and doesn't do much to the lignin. it is brown in colour, and the fibrous texture is lost quickly. There is a much greater diversity of white rot, but brown rot can reduce the weight of a tree much faster than white rot.

Microscopically, the fungi's hyphae secretes enzymes which attack the S2 and S3 layers of the wood and move into the tracheids. It will destroy all layers from the lumen out to the middle lamella.

for Brown rot, there is extensive degradation of cellulose...the S2 layers degrade fast, but the S3 layer is more resistant. The fungi (examples to come) eat all the carbs (cellulose& hemicellulose).

examples of brown rot include Gelophyllum sepiarium and Oligoporus placenus.

examples of white rot include Trametes versicolor and Phellinus pini