Wood is a mix of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.
Cellulose is a linear polymer (chain) of glucose molecules. Its decomposition is a piece of cake compared to hemicellulose, which has ājaggiesā sticking out on the sides of a chain. One might imagine something looking like the cutting chain on a chainsaw. It presents decomposer organisms added difficulty, but nothing like lignin.
Lignin is a decomposerās worst nightmare. Itās not simple and straight. Itās not jagged and straight. Lignin is an autistic, nightmarish matrix of carbon rings bursting forth in every direction.
Need a resiliency mentor? Look no further. Most enzymes ārecognizeā specific molecular shapes, lock on to them and start cutting. Not so with lignin. There is no specific shape to recognize, so enzymes are incompetent for the job.
It took white-rot fungi millions of years to figure out how to produce peroxidases. If you canāt cut it, burn it! A torrent of free radicals released from these peroxidases cracks open Lignin.
Once peroxidases became a tool in the utility belt of the mushroom, all bets were off and the face of the planet was forever changed.
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