Key concepts
- Extracellular enzymes act outside cells.
- Substrates differ in chemical composition.
- Fungal capacities differ among species.
The lesson
External digestion makes complex organic material accessible to many fungi. Secreted enzymes act on substrates before smaller products are absorbed. Different fungi have different capacities; a single enzyme list does not describe the whole kingdom.
Decomposition involves other organisms and environmental conditions as well. A visible mushroom alone cannot reveal the rate of a chemical process. The Pleurotus ostreatus catalog entry offers a specimen record to compare with these general concepts.
Further reading
A moment to apply it
Put it into practice
List the measurements needed to compare decomposition of two substrates, including starting mass, elapsed time and comparable moisture conditions.
Keep in mind
Separate a plausible biochemical mechanism from a process that has actually been measured.
Educational material. Check the linked reading and distinguish general principles from evidence about a particular specimen or field site. Lessons do not establish edibility or causal effects on livestock performance.