ABSTRACT
The same extracellular enzymes that are important in the degradation of leaf litter and the recycling of nutrients in the biosphere can cause massive economic losses when they occur in circumstances where they are not wanted. Fungi can attack and utilize as substrates paper, cloth, leather, and hydrocarbons, but also can cause degradative change in other materials, for instance, glass and metal, because of their ability to produce acid as they grow. The supply of water is a key control point in these processes, and keeping substrates dry is an effective way of avoiding these changes.
