Fungal Strategies of Wood Decay in Trees

1 Introduction.- 2 Fundamental Aspects.- Wood Anatomy.- Structure of the Lignified Cell Wall.- Middle Lamella.- Primary Wall.- Secondary Wall.- New Information on the Structure of the S2 Layer.- Mechanical Model for Wood.- Types of Wood Decay.- Brown Rot.- White Rots: the Whole Spectrum of Diversity.- White Rot.- White Rot: Selective Delignification.- White Rot: Simultaneous Rot.- Soft Rot.- Soft Rot in Living Trees Caused by an Ascomycete.- Basidiomycetes as Facultative Soft-Rotters.- 3 Examination, Importance and Mechanical Effects of Wood-Decay Fungi in the Living Trees.- Fungus Identification.- Basidiomycetes.- Ascomycetes.- Differentiation and Asexual Reproduction of Mycelium.- Classification of Wood-Decay Fungi According to Their Main Occurrence in the Tree.- Colonization Strategies of Stem-Decaying Fungi.- Colonization Strategies of Root-Decaying Fungi.- Number of Fungal Fruit Bodies and Their Predictive Value.- Fungus Species Which Invade the Stemwood as Well as the Roots.- Root Fungi Found Mainly Only in the Roots.- Wood-Decay Patterns Observable in the Roots.- Factors Influencing Wood Degradation.- Symptoms of Damage by Fungal Pathogens.- Symptoms of Damage by Stem and Root-Decaying Fungi.- Fungus-Host Combinations.- Fomes fomentarius.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Possibilities of Misidentification.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Fomes fomentarius (on Beech and Oak).- Inonotus hispidus.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Inonotus hispidus (on London Plane and Ash).- Laetiporus sulphureus.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Laetiporus sulphureus (on Robinia and Oak).- Fistulina hepatica.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Fistulina hepatica (on Oak).- Ustulina deusta.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay by Ustulina deusta.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Ustulina deusta (on Beech and Lime).- Polyporus squamosus.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Polyporus squamosus (on Lime and London Plane).- Phellinus robustus.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Possibilities of Misidentification.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Phellinus robustus (on Oak).- Fomitopsis pinicola.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Fomitopsis pinicola (on Spruce and Beech).- Heterobasidion annosum.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Possibilities of Misidentification.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Heterobasidion annosum (on Spruce and Pine).- Meripilus giganteus.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Meripilus giganteus (on Beech and Lime).- Armillaria spp.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Armillaria (Armillaria ostoyae on Spruce; Armillaria mellea on Maple).- Ganoderma spp.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Ganoderma spp. (Ganoderma pfeifferi on Oak; Ganoderma applanatum on Broad-Leaved Lime).- Grifola frondosa.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pattern of Wood Decay by Grifola frondosa (on Oak).- Inonotus dryadeus.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- Pholiota squarrosa.- Distribution and Hosts.- Fruit Bodies.- Useful Information.- Appearance of the Decay.- 4 Host-Fungus Interactions: Development and Prognosis of Wood Decay in the Sapwood.- The CODIT Model.- Host Response Mechanisms in the Sapwood.- Different Response Mechanisms in Heartwood and Sapwood.- The Importance of Walls 1-3 from the Mycological Standpoint.- The Importance of Walls 1 -3 of the CODIT Model in Heartwood and Ripewood and Their Anatomical Interpretation.- The Importance of Walls 1-3 in Sapwood: the Reaction Zones.- Reaction Zone Penetration, as Exemplified by Inonotus hispidus.- Inonotus hispidus in a London Plane Tree 153.- Example of Strong Compartmentalization of Ustulina deusta in a Healthy Beech Tree.- Examples of Weak Compartmentalization of Ustulina deusta in a Weakened Beech Tree.- Ustulina deusta in Lime Trees.- The Behavior of Strong and Weak Compartmentalizers in the Host-Fungus Interaction.- Xylem Rays as the Tree’s Achilles Heel in Host-Fungus Interactions.- Cracks as’ Motorways’ for Fungi.- The Importance of the Barrier Zone (Wall 4).- Postscript.- References.