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Updated: Nov 28, 2025

Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
Published on: May 10, 2013
The "quality" and "quantity" of microbial species drive the degradation of cellulose during composting
Xiaomeng Chen1, Wanting Cheng2, Shenzhou Li2
1College of Life Sciences and Technology, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China; College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to explore the contribution of microbial community to cellulose degradation during cellulosic wastes composting. Three raw materials with different cellulose content were employed, including rice straws (RS), leaves (L) and mushroom dregs (MD). The cellulose degraded by 92.09%, 56.68% and 40.03% during RS, L and MD composting, respectively, which could be explained by cellulases activity. Besides, each cellulase were only linked to a specific group of bacteria, thus cellulose degradation needed the cooperation of various microorganisms. Ultimately, structural equation models verified that the richness and evenness of microbial community were the primary driving factors of cellulose degradation. The richness symbolized microbial functionality, which was equivalent to the "quality" of microbial species. The evenness symbolized the scope of function, which was equivalent to the "quantity". Therefore, the "quality" and "quantity" of microbial species drove cellulose degradation during RS, L and MD composting.
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