3 Vibrating Blobs and Fungi
ONE OF THE DIGESTERATI RECENTLY SAID that the world of algae is so genetically diverse that humans have more in common with fungus than some algae have in common with each other. Turns out there’s plenty for people to learn from our distant cousins when it comes to breaking down cellulose.
1. Rumen fungus
In Oklahoma, researchers at Oklahoma State University have published the first analysis of a genome of rumen fungus, organisms that reside in the gut of ruminant animals and are remarkably efficient at digesting plant biomass. The team’s genomic and experimental analyses indicate the fungus efficiently degrades a wide range of non-crop plant materials, such as switchgrass, corn stover, sorghum and energy cane. The extent of plant biomass degradation has rarely been observed in other microorganisms.
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