Five-member bacterial-fungal composting SynCom for lignocellulose degradation

A rationally designed five-member bacterial-fungal synthetic microbial community (SynCom) used to bioaugment the co-composting of cattle manure and mulberry branches. Inoculation acts as an ecological engineer that elevates pile temperatures, shortens the maturation period by roughly 7 days, and enhances degradation of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose while boosting humus content. Metagenomics shows the SynCom restructures the native microbiome, enriching key lignocellulose-degrading functional genera such as Thermobifida and Actinomadura and increasing the abundance of carbohydrate-active enzymes (cellulases, hemicellulases, and lignin-modifying auxiliary-activity enzymes).