Functional differentiation of two autochthonous cohabiting strains of Pleurotus ostreatus and Cyclocybe aegerita from Serbia in lignin compound degradation

In nature, woody substrates are usually degraded by entire communities of microorganisms, which are nowadays jeopardised by anthropogenic influence, making it important to define the functional specificity of every species. Two strains of autochthonous fungi from Serbian lowland forests (Pleurotus ostreatus Ser1 and Cyclocybe aegerita Ser1) have been investigated for their ability to degrade lignin substrates [oak sawdust, oak isolated cell walls, and synthetic dehydrogenative polymer (DHP)]. Measuring the activities of the enzymes involved in lignin degradation was coupled with detecting the HPLC profile of the phenolics in the fungal growth media, and the lignin loss. While Pleurotus ostreatus Ser1 appeared highly effective within a very short time span, Cyclocybe aegerita Ser1 failed to degrade lignin. This situation was supported by very high enzyme activities and the low presence of phenolics in the media of Pleurotus ostreatus Ser1, compared to very low enzyme activity and the high presence of phenolics in the media with Cyclocybe aegerita Ser1.