Biodeterioration

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.