Characterization of Endophytic Cellulose Degrading Fungi at the Sevilleta LTER site.

Very few microorganisms are currently used in bioethanol production and the discovery of novel species with the capacity to degrade cellulose could impact directly the biofuel industry. Plants could be major reservoirs of cellulose degrading microorganisms because all plants are colonized by diverse communities of endophytic fungi.  The main objective of this project was to characterize cellulose degradation by plant associated and soil fungal communities from the SEV LTER.  Fungi were isolated from different plant species and plated on two different cellulose media. Cultures were incubated for approximately one month and degradation of cellulose was determined based on media discoloration. The isolates that were positive for cellulose degradation were tested for cellobiohydrolases genes using PCR and sequencing. Approximately 95% of the isolates that degrade cellulose in culture were positive for cellobiohydrolases using direct amplification of CBH genes. The isolates were also sequenced and identified using ITS rDNA primers. Dominant fungi included Ascomycota taxa closely related to Monosporascus, Chaetomium, Phoma and Fusarium.  Plant-associated fungi showed great potential as a novel source of cellulose degrading fungi.