The abilities of yeasts to produce different extracellular enzymes and their distribution characteristics were studied in municipal, inosine fermentation, papermaking, antibiotic fermentation, and printing and dyeing wastewater treatment systems. The results indicated that of the 257 yeasts, 16, 14, 55, and 11 produced lipase, protease, manganese dependant peroxidase (MnP), and lignin peroxidase (Lip), respectively. They were distributed in 12 identified and four unidentified genera, in which Candida rugosa (AA-M17) and an unidentified Saccharomycetales (AA-Y5), Pseudozyma sp. (PH-M15), Candida sp. (MO-Y11), and Trichosporon montevideense (MO-M16) were shown to have the highest activity of lipase, protease, Mnp, and LiP, respectively. No yeast had amylase, cellulose, phytase, or laccase activity. Although only 60 isolates produced ligninolytic enzymes, 249 of the 257 yeasts could decolorize different dyes through the mechanism of biodegradation (222 isolates) or bio-sorption. The types of extracellular enzymes that the yeasts produced were significantly shaped by the types of wastewater treated. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.