STUDIES IN THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE FUNGI 



IX. Enzyme Action in Armillaria mellea Vahl, 

 Daedalea confragosa (Bolt.) Fr., and Polyportjs 



lucidus (Leys.) Fr. 



henry schmitz 



Formerly Rufus J . Lackland Fellow in the Henry Shaw School of Botany of 



Washington University 



and sanford m. zeller 



Formerly Visiting Fellow in the Henry Shaw School of Botany of 



Washington University 



Careful studies in the phy 



of the wood-destroy 



fungi have but recently received the degree of consideration 



which their economic im 



them. Many 



nomic forms are as yet untouched, and it is our purpose to study 

 some of the fundamental physiological relations existing be- 

 tween fungus and host. The following is the first of a series of 

 investigations concerning especially the enzyme activities of such 

 forms. It is recognized that Armillaria mellea has received con- 

 siderable attention in respect to its physiological relations because 

 of its imoortance as a root rot of fruit trees, but, as far as the 



writers are aware, there has been no physiolo 



itudy of 



Daedalea confragosa or Polyporus lucidus, both of which must be 

 recognized as important wood-rotting fungi. 



In a recent paper by one of us 1 the literature and methods of 

 enzyme study in the wood-destroying fungi have been sufficiently 

 reviewed, so that in the present paper only specific references to 

 previous literature will be made, and unless otherwise stated, the 

 methods followed will be those previously described. 



The fungi from which was obtained the fungous meal used in 

 the present study were grown on sterile, sliced carrot in large 

 Erlenmeyer flasks. 



While 



• . ft 



the fungous mats were removed and rapidly air-dried by means 



1 Zeller, S. M. Studies in the physiology of the fungi. II. Lenzites saepiaria 

 Fries, with special reference to enzyme activity. Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 3:439-512. 



pi. 8-9. 1916. 



Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard., Vol. 6, 1919 



(193) 



