The public perception of fungi is typically focused on the beautiful, and occasionally delicious, fruiting bodies of a relatively limited range of fungal species. But the human applications of fungi and the compounds they produce go well beyond our dinner plate or photo album. Fungi, many of which gain energy from decaying plant matter, are known to produce a wide suite of enzymes specializing in the degradation of biomass components. Of particular interest is their capacity to break down lignocellulose, a complex and abundant constituent of plant tissue that forms secondary cell walls.
