Tunneling bacteria and tunneling of wood cell walls

Article By:

Nilsson, Thomas Department of Wood Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.

Singh, Adya P. Department of Wood Science and Technology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.

Last reviewed:2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB140273

Wood exposed to natural environments can deteriorate because of the interaction of a wide variety of biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) factors. Biotic factors are induced by the actions of living organisms. Abiotic factors include all physical and nonliving chemical factors (for example, soil, water, and atmosphere), which influence living organisms. Among biotic factors, fungi and bacteria are considered to be important for degradation of the wood polymers, that is, cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. Whereas biological degradation of lignocellulosics is a significant contributor to the carbon cycle in natural ecosystems, deterioration of wood products is of concern with regard to economic reasons. Therefore, microbial degradation of wood and its protection against microbial decay have been intensively studied for decades.

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