Serpula lacrymans

Serpula lacrymans Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) 15 53 Takahashi eta/. (1 989)... 

Palfreyman, J. W., Phillips, E. M. Staines, H. J. (1996). The effect of calcium ion concentration on the growth and decay capacity of Serpula lacrymans (Schumacher ex Fr.) Gray and Coniophoraputeana (Schumacher ex Fr.) Karst. Holzdorschung, 50, 3-8. 

Brownlee, C. Jetmings, D. H. (1982). Long-distance translocation in Serpula lacrymans velocity estimates and the continuous monitoring of induced perturbations. 

Fig. 7.2. The structure of the translocation pathway in mycelial cords. (A) Hyphae fanning out at the distal end of a cord of Phanerochaete velutina (scanning electron microscopy by A. Yarwood) (B) Internal structure of a cord of Serpula lacrymans, showing vessels and cytoplasm-filled hyphae and extracellular matrix material. (C) Diagram of the components of the translocation pathway (adapted from Cairney, 1992) V, vessel hypha f, foraging front a, anastomosis (D) A cord system in beech woodland showing both corded mycelium and diffuse growth in contact with the wood substrate.

Fig. 7.4. Differential effect of nutrient supply on biomass and cord development in Serpula lacrymans. The fungus was inoculated centrally on uniform defined agar media in a factorial experiment with 5,10, 20, 40 and 80g/l sucrose and 1.5, 3, 6 and 12.5 g/1 sodium aspartate. Biomass was measured as oven dry weight at 8 weeks, cords were counted crossing a circular transect 3 cm from the inoculum disc. Left to right C/N ratio of each of the twenty combinations of carbon and nitrogen concentration biomass cord development. (Adapted from Watkinson, 1975).

Venables, C. E. Watkinson, S. C. (1989). Medium-induced changes in patterns of free and combined amino acids in mycelium of Serpula lacrymans. Mycological Research, 92, 273-7. 

Wadekar, R. V., North, M. J. Watkinson, S. C. (1995). Proteolytic enzymes in two wood decaying basidiomycete fungi, Serpula lacrymans and Coriolus versicolor. Microbiology, 141, 1575-83. 

Watkinson, S. C. (1975). The relation between nitrogen nutrition and formation of mycelial strands in Serpula lacrymans. Transactions of the British Mycological Society, 64, 195-200. 

Watkinson, S. C. (1984). Inhibition of growth and development of Serpula lacrymans by the non-metabolized amino acid analogue 2-aminoisobutyric acid. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 24, 247—50. 

Figure 1 Effect of acetylation on the decay resistance of wood against Tyromyces palustris (A). Serpula lacrymans (B), Coriolus versicolor (C), and soil burial (D). (O) Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), ( ) Japanese red pine Pinus densiflora) (A) albizzia (Albizia falcata), (A) Japanese beech (Fagus crenata). Relative weight loss = Wj/Wi X 100, W, weight loss of control wood W2. weight loss of acetylated wood.

For field use we were interested in detection of mouldy odour in buildings where the presence of dry rot is suspected caused by the fungus Serpula lacrymans. In this case the chemical concentration levels in the vapour phase may be in ppb range, and it is essential to be able to preconcentrate samples before analysis. 

Fig 2.4. Biomass density patterns of Serpula lacrymans that translocate nutrients actively when grown on a medium with carbon and mineral sources separated (G-AsnM) or when carbon and mineral sources have been mixed (GAsnM). The fungus was inoculated at position 0 ... 

Hamilton, S. Hepher, M. J. Sommerville, J. Detection of Serpula lacrymans infestation with a polypyrrole sensor array. Sens. Actuators B Chem. 2006, 2, 989-997. 

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