Potential indicators for assessing FE-mediated decomposition.

A wide range of substrate-utilization patterns (ligninolytic enzymes) serves as a prerequisite for decomposition. The high colonization frequency reflects the large number of niches occupied by FEs. Antibiotic metabolites produced by FEs would confer a major ecological advantage in competition with other microbial groups. A rapid growth rate guarantees the persistence of mycelium on substrates (litter) for nutrition acquisition. Life cycles differ greatly among fungi. The role of FE life cycles in decomposition is not well known. Most often, FEs are sterile on artificial media, and their life cycles in litter are not well characterized.