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Naturalist NotesFungus Among Usby Sarah MismashWolf Ridge Naturalist |
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Naturalist NotesFungus Among Usby Sarah MismashWolf Ridge Naturalist |
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Ahhh…Fall! A time of cooling temperatures, reddening leaves and new growth. New growth? Well, maybe not if you are one of the green plants whose days are definitely numbered as the winter months approach, but if you are a fungus… Autumn is a great time to make a showy appearance. |
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Mushrooms are probably a common sight to all of us; we recognize them by their characteristic shape, which often, but not always, includes a colorful cap. What may not be so familiar is the fact that the mushroom we see growing above ground is not the body of the fungus, but merely the fruiting structure of the whole organism. Just like the apple is only the fruit of the apple tree, the mushroom is only the fruit of the fungus. One big difference with fungi is that the rest of the organism grows underground and unlike plants, they cannot make their own food. If you were to follow the base of a mushroom into the spot where it is growing, you would come across a bunch of thread-like strands called mycelia that criss-cross and connect throughout the soil. It is these structures that make up the bulk of the organism, that do most of the growing, and they provide a huge amount of surface area with which to collect nutrients. |
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Because fungi do not make their own food, they must seek food from other sources. They do this in one of three ways. Mushrooms that are saprophytes get their nutrients from dead and rotting material—you might see these types of fungi growing on old logs or in fallen leaves. Fungi that are parasites feed themselves by using another living organism, which often harms the host organism. Examples of parasitic mushrooms are the ones you might see growing on live trees. The third way that a fungus might get its nutrients is through a mycorrhizal association. This is a great example of cooperation between organisms and it involves a fungus and a plant. In a case of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”, the fungus pulls nutrients from the soil that can be used by the plants and increases the surface area of their roots. In return, the plants roots offer moisture and protection to the growing fungi. Everyone is a winner!
| Mushrooms are about 90% water so it takes the perfect conditions to get those underground mycelia to produce a mushroom. Fortunately, fall rains provide exactly what those fungi need. So if you are wandering around in the woods, or even in your back yard and come across something that seems to have sprouted up overnight…it probably did! Just remember that the rest of that organism has been there all along. Its just one of the fungus who live among us. |  |
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Fun Fact: Did you know that some fungi can glow in the dark? These fungi give off light through a chemical process called bioluminescence. If you are ever outside and see a rotting log that is glowing, you are seeing "foxfire" or bioluminescent fungi. |
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Try this: One of the characteristics that people use to identify mushrooms is their spore prints. Spores are the tiny structures that fungi use to reproduce. To make your own spore print: remove the stalk from the mushroom cap and place the cap with the gills down on a piece of paper. Spores can be light or dark, so you might want to try using both white and black paper. Place an upside-down cup over the mushroom and leave it overnight. When you check it in the morning you will find some beautiful designs and some interesting colors |