Biological activity of fungal volatile organic compounds to mycelial growth of wood decay fungi

Abstract

Among the volatile organic compounds which are produced by fungi（FVOCs）, there are compounds showing biological activity, and it has been suggested that they function as signaling molecules, “infochemicals”, in biological interactions through the biological activity. In the present study, we aimed to obtain information on the roles of FVOCs in the interaction between wood decay fungi. As a first step, we investigated the biological activity of FVOCs produced by wood decay fungi, using mycelial growth as an indicator. Seven species of wood decay fungi were exposed to 13 FVOCs, and only 2,5-dimethylfuran showed strong inhibitory activity against all tested species. The responses to the other FVOCs were different among the species. Furthermore, the effects of FVOCs-concentrations on mycelial growth were investigated in Gloeophyllum trabeum and Ganoderma mastoporum using six eight-carbon FVOCs. The results showed that the effect of FVOCs on mycelial growth depended on the concentrations of FVOCs. These results indicate that wood decay fungi could recognize different FVOCs compounds, and that the susceptibility to FVOCs varies among species.