While hundreds of fungi and other microorganisms are known to break down various plastics, it was previously unknown that these particular hardwood-eating species could degrade polyethylene.

This weight loss occurred because the fungi broke down the lignin and cellulose into products that included carbon dioxide.

Plastic also lost weight by being converted to simpler molecules by enzymes from the fungi for the same amount of time, losing nearly half of its mass.

It was possible they would eat less plastic without their favorite food in sight since something about wood presumably activates their digestive enzymes.

Their degradation of more plastic, when it was offered to them, showed that they were easily able to metabolically adapt and change up their diet when there was no wood around.

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