Fungal colonization and decomposition of Castanopsis sieboldii leaves in a subtropical forest

Fungi play a crucial role in the decomposition of lignin in fallen leaves but few studies have examined the functional roles of ligninolytic fungi associated with the decomposition of fallen leaves on tropical forest soils. This study examined fungal populations responsible for lignin decomposition in Castanopsis sieboldii leaves in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in southern Japan. Fallen leaves of C. sieboldii are characterized by the occurrence of bleached portions attributable to fungal colonization of leaf tissues and decomposition of lignin. The bleached area accounted for 29.7%, on average, of the total area of C. sieboldii fallen leaves in the study site. Leaf mass per unit area (LMA) and lignin content were lower in the bleached area than in the surrounding nonbleached area of the same leaves, indicating that removal of lignin enhanced mass loss from leaf tissues and created small-scale heterogeneity of decomposition within single leaves. An unidentified species of Lachnocladiaceae (Basidiomycetes) was isolated frequently from the bleached area and caused selective decomposition of lignin in leaves under pure culture conditions, indicating that this fungus was responsible for the bleaching. The greater hyphal length of basidiomycetes in the bleached area than in the nonbleached area supported the finding that this Lachnocladiaceae sp. was associated with the bleaching. The relatively rapid decomposition of C. sieboldii leaves on the subtropical forest soil is partly attributable to colonization of the litter by this Lachnocladiaceae sp.