Elucidation of wood decay process of trees based on microbial community function

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18H02232
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 40010:Forest science-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Yamada Toshihiro 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 教授 (30332571)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 松下 範久 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 准教授 (00282567) ; 杉元 倫子 国立研究開発法人森林研究・整備機構, 森林総合研究所, 主任研究員 等 (20353732) ; 横田 信三 宇都宮大学, 農学部, 教授 (60210613) ; 平尾 聡秀 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科(農学部), 講師 (90598210)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 腐朽 / 微生物 / 群集組成 / 群集機能 / 樹木

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We tried to elucidate the relationship between the progress of the decay of living trees and the change of the fungal community, mainly in the case of the heartrot of Chamaecyparis pisifera caused by Serpula himantioides.
It has become clear that Japanese S. himantioides is a new cryptic species. The abundance of this fungus in the wood increased and then decreased as the heartwood decay progressed, and the variations and amounts of other fungi also fluctuated accordingly. This genus was also detected from soils in both damaged and undamaged forests, and from the damaged butt, showing the dynamics of fungi during infection and the progress of decay.
In decayed wood, the non-condensed structure of lignin decreased, the extracted component decreased and the qualitative change was observed as the wood constituents, suggesting the interaction with the decay fungi.

Free Research Field

樹木医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで知られていなかった生立木腐朽における菌類の動態の詳細をDNAレベルで明らかにした意義は大きいと考えられ、今後の菌類間および被害樹木との相互作用の研究の立ち上げに貢献できる。
社会的にも、腐朽の進行と腐朽菌の動態との関連はグリーンインフラとしての森林林業や都市樹木の管理に適用することが可能である。特に従来型の腐朽診断や対策の参考になる他、DNAを活用した診断技術開発にも繋がる。