ABSTRACT
Trichoderma and Gliocladium spp. are cosmopolitan and abundant inhabitants of soil, and their potential Hypocrea teleomorphs are known as lignicolous ascomycetes. They are therefore potent producers of a variety of plant polysaccharide degrading enzymes and capable of degrading a variety of xenobiotic materials. Many of them are recognized as fundamental organisms in forest soils due to their involvement in decomposition and nutrient cycling and their regulation of associated mycoflora. Selected strains of Trichoderma and Gliocladium spp. have also frequently been studied because of their formation of secondary metabolites (Volume 1, Chapter 8) and their use in biocontrol (Volume 2, Chapters 6 and 11 ). While the biochemical and molecular genetic knowledge has advanced considerably towards these targets, the basic biochemical pathways and cellular physiology of Trichoderma and Gliocladium have been dealt with only briefly. This chapter reviews the current knowledge on these topics.
