''Coniophora puteana'' (commonly known as a cellar fungus) is a

wet rot Wet rot is a generic term used to define a variety of fungal species, such as '' Coniophora puteana'' ( otherwise known as cellar fungus) and '' Choanephora cucurbitarum''. Some species obtain their food by breaking down the cell walls of woo ...

(specifically brown rot fungus belonging to the division

Basidiomycota Basidiomycota () is one of two large divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya (often referred to as the "higher fungi") within the kingdom Fungi. Members are known as basidiomycetes. More specifically, Basi ...

. It has the appearance of large brown patches surrounded by white edges typically found in humid areas on

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

as well as

hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...

. The

mycelium Mycelium (: mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Its normal form is that of branched, slender, entangled, anastomosing, hyaline threads. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are fo ...

of ''C. puteana'' is not always present and often leaves a very thin layer of healthy wood making the fungus very difficult to detect before the structure becomes instable. Contrary to most brown rot fungi ''C. puteana'' behaves more like a white-rot fungi in the way it decays, such as the thinning of the cell walls and leaving cavities within the substrate. Unlike other common wet rot fungi, ''C. puteana'' is a fungus that requires high humidity averaging around 50-60%. Because of this ''C. puteana'' can be found in wood near water leakage or naturally humid areas not limiting it to the common areas such as cellars. ''Coniophora puteana'' has a very widespread distribution being found on most continents including North America, South America, Europe, India, Africa, Australia, and Asia. ''C. puteana'' is most predominantly found in eastern North America as well as western Europe. ''C. puteana'' is most commonly found during autumn in the month of October.

Damage

''Coniophora puteana'' unlike other brown-rot fungi can completely degrade the secondary cell wall of its substrate through the 2 types of hyphae that it possesses. While one type of

hyphae A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one o ...

can completely degrade the entire

cell wall A cell wall is a structural layer that surrounds some Cell type, cell types, found immediately outside the cell membrane. It can be tough, flexible, and sometimes rigid. Primarily, it provides the cell with structural support, shape, protection, ...

the other can only modify the

lignin Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of most plants. Lignins are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidit ...

within. Given the vast ability to degrade the entire cell wall ''C. puteana'' can cause immense damage to the

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...

leading to structural instability especially in old buildings that are made mostly out of wood. Given the difficulty of detecting ''C. puteana'' it can lead to severe instability before being noticed. The lack of visible mycelium can actually make ''C. puteana'' easier to identify if noticed before it widely spreads. The high

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...

requirement for growth makes ''C. puteana'' grow predominantly near water leaks or areas with high humidity or high

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

. Due to the unique requirements for growth ''C. puteana'' rarely grows in nature but rather under the circumstances of man made buildings making it an issue for many people around the globe.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q901047 Coniophoraceae Fungus species Wood-decay fungi