XVI International Botanical Congess

The conversion of secondary metabolites as a response to injury was investigated in fruit bodies of 121 species of Macromycetes. Extracts from intact and injured specimens were compared by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and bioassays (antifungal: Nematospora coryli, antibacterial, B. brevis, nematicidal: C. elegans). Significant conversion upon injury was observed by TLC with extracts of 66 species. For 37 of those the extracts of injured specimens showed stronger bioactivities. Out of the remaining species, which showed no significant changes, 30 were found biologically active. These results point toward the presence of chemical defense systems in macrofungi, which are mediated by enzymatic conversions activated by physical damage to the fruit-bodies.