The Structure, Biosynthesis, and Degradation of Wood

533 Pages·1977·14.4 MB·English

by  Frank A. Loewus, Wilfred A. Côté (auth.), V. C. Runeckles (eds.)

recent advances in phytochemistry
volume 11
The Structure, Biosynthesis,
and Degradation of Wood
RECENT ADVANCES IN PHYTOCHEMISTRY
Recent Volumes in the Series
Volume 9 Proceedings of the Fourteenth Annual Meeting
of the Phytochemical Society of North American held at
Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina, August, 1974
Volume 10 Biochemical Interaction Between Plants and Insects
Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual Meeting,
Tampa, Florida, August, 1975
Volume 11 The Structure, Biosynthesis, and Degradation of Wood
(Proceedings of the Sixteenth Annual Meeting,
Vancouver, Canada, August, 1976)
A Continuation Order Plan is available for this series. A continuation order will bring
delivery of each new volume immediately upon publication. Volumes are billed only upon
actual shipment. For further information please contact the publisher.
recent advances in phytochemistry
volume 11
The Structure, Biosynthesis,
and Degradation of Wood
Edited by
Frank A. Loewus
Washington State University
Pullman, Washington
and
V. C. Runeckles
The University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
PLENUM PRESS. NEW YORK AND LONDON
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Phytochemical Society of North America.
The structure, biosynthesis, and degradation of wood.
(Recent advances in phytochemistry; v. 11)
"Proceedings of the sixteenth annual meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North
America held at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver ... August 1976."
Includes index.
1. Wood-Chemistry-Congresses. I. Loewus, Frank Abel, 1919- II. Runeckles,
Victor C. III. Title. IV. Series.
TS921.P461977 582'.15'041 77-8275
ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-8875-7 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4615-8873-3
001: 10.1007/978-1-4615-8873-3
Proceedings of the Sixteenth Annual Meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North
America held at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada, August, 1976
© 1977 Plenum Press. New York
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 15t edition 1977
A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation
227 West 17th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia) and redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) were the main
timber sources for this sawmill scene which was recorded in Humbolt County, California
near the town of Carlotta. The mature Douglas fir log being toppled into the mill pond
dwarfs the truck driver as he stands alongside his rig. Wood scrap, which included unmarket-
able lumber, sawdust, bark and slash, was burned in the large "teepee" burner as seen in the
background. Such practice is rapidly receding into history as the forest products industr.,.
recognizes and utilizes recent advances in the chemistry and biochemistry of wood.
F. A. Loewus, 1956.
Contributors
W. J. CONNORS, Forest Products Laboratory, USDA, Forest
Service, ~mdison, WI 53705.
WILFRED A. COTE, N. C. Brown Center for Ultrastructure
Studies, State University of New York, College of
Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210.
DEBORAH P. DELMER, MSU/ERDA Plant Research Laboratory,
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824.
GEORG G. GROSS, Lehrstuhl fUr Pflanzenphysiologie, Ruhr-
UniversitHt, 4630 Bochum, FRG.
HERBERT L. HERGERT, ITT Rayonier Incorporated, 605 Third
Avenue, New York, NY 10016.
FRANKLIN W. HERRICK, Olympic Research Division, ITT Rayonier
Incorporated, Shelton, WA 98584.
W. E. HILLIS, Forest Products Laboratory, Division of
Building Research, CSIRO, Highett, Victoria, 3190,
Australia.
T. KENT KIRK, Forest Products Laboratory, USDA, Forest
Service, Madison, WI 53705.
PAPPACHAN E. KOLATTUKUDY, Department of Agricultural
Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
99164.
DEREK T. A. LAMPORT, MSU/ERDA Plant Research Laboratory,
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824.
D. BIR MULLICK, Pacific Forest Research Centre, Canadian
Forestry Service, Department of the Environment, 506
West Burnside Road, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
E. T. REESE, Food Science Laboratory, U.S. Army Research and
Development Command, Natick, MA 01760.
vii
viii CONTRIBUTORS
AKlRA SAKAKIBARA, Department of Forest Products, Faculty of
Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
J. G. ZElKUS,Department of Bacteriology, University of
Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706.
Preface
Forest trees constitute one of the major resources of
the world and their utilization, either for structural
purposes or for the materials which they yield, dates back
to antiquity. Over the centuries, the exploitation of
this resource has become progressively more sophisticated,
and, in many parts of the world has led to the development
of highly complex forest-based industries. The research
and development work which led to these industrial uses
fostered the formation of numerous technical societies
and associations, which, through their meetings and publi-
cations, have facilitated communication and the exchange of
ideas.
Over the years, there have been numerous symposia
devoted to wood and the many facets of its properties and
utilization. However, rarely has the emphasis in such
symposia been placed upon the living tree and the changes
which it undergoes in relation to its ultimate utilization.
Hence the Phytochemical Society of North America arranged
the symposium, "The Structure, Biosynthesis, and Degradation
of Wood", held at the University of British Columbia in
August, 1976. the contributions to which form the basis of
the present volume.
The first chapter (W. E. Cate) reviews the ultrastruc-
ture of woody tissues and provides a frame of reference
for many of the subsequent contributions. In the chapters
which follow, several deal with the chemical structure and
biosynthesis of carbohydrate polymers, glycoproteins, lignin,
and lipid polymers, the major components of wood. D. Delmer
reviews the formation of cell wall polysaccharides with
particular emphasis on recent developments in our under-
standing of the biosynthesis of cellulose. D. T. A. Lamport
examines cell wall glycoprotein. His chapter includes a
summary of recent progress and some thought-provoking
suggestions as to the functional and evolutionary signifi-
cance of these structures. A. Sakakibara discusses the
x PREFACE
evidence for the "fine" structure of lignin, based on mild
hydrolysis procedures. His chapter is followed by a compre-
hensive review by G. Gross that deals with lignin biosynthesis
and the formation of related monomers. P. E. Kolattukudy's
detailed account of his research on the structure, biosyn-
thesis, and degradation of lipid polymers, cutin, and
suberin provides a fitting climax to these chapters on the
major components of wood.
Now the focus shifts to secondary changes in wood
with 1Y. E. Hillis' extensive review of changes which occur
within the tree during aging (e.g. the transition to heart-
wood) as a result of various environmental conditions
encountered during growth. Other biological agents also
influence wood structure and chemistry. Thus, E. T.
Reese's chapter deals with the degradation of cell wall
carbohydrates by microorganisms while the following chapter
by T. K. Kirk, W. J. Conners, and J. G. Zeikus reviews the
microbial degradation of lignin. In the next chapter,
D. B. Mullick presents a detailed review of recent work on
the cytological changes in both bark and wood which result
from wounding or attack by insects and pathogens.
The final chapter by Herrick and Hergert leads the
reader back to the potentials and practicalities, successes
and failures in the development of commercial wood products,
emphasizing those materials which can be obtained directly
as extractives or by treatment of wood.
We wish to thank the contributors for their role in
making the original symposium a success, and for their
cooperation in bringing this volume to completion. Special
notes of acknowledgment go to the National Research Council
of Canada, and to the Deans of the Faculties of Agricultural
Sciences and Forestry at the University of British Columbia
for financial support of the symposium, and to the Canadian
Forestry Service for supporting the costs of the color
plates included in the chapter by Dr. D. B. Mullick.
Special appreciation goes to Mrs. Donna Verstrate and
Mrs. Paula Jenkins who contributed much of their time to
retyping this volume for publication and to Washington
State University for the use of its facilities in preparing
final copy.
Contents
1. Wood Ultrastructure in Relation to
Chemical Composition 1
Wilfred A. Cote
2. The Biosynthesis of Cellulose and
Other Plant Cell Wall Polysaccharides. 45
Deborah P. Delmer
3. Structure, Biosynthesis, and Significance
of Cell Wall Glycoproteins •••.•.• 79
Derek T. A. Lamport
4. Degradation Products of Protolignin
and the Structure of Lignin. . . • • • . • • • . • 117
Akira Sakakibara
5. Biosynthesis of Lignin and Related
Monomers . • •• •••.•.• • • • • • 141
Georg G. Gross
6. Lipid Polymers and Associated Phenols,
Their Chemistry, Biosynthesis and Role
in Pathogenesis. • • • • • • . . • • • • • • • • • 185
Pappachan E. Kolattukudy
xi