With all the recent rain, the diversity and number of fungi – what most people call mushrooms – in the woods right now is outstanding. Even though most should NOT be eaten by humans, the seemingly endless variety of colors and shapes make this an ideal time for hunting them with your camera.
Role of the
Mighty Mushroom
Fungi are some of the most important organisms for life on this planet, both in terms of their ecological and economic roles. By breaking down dead organic material, fungi constantly cycle and recycle the limited supply of nutrients. In fact, most plants cannot grow without some species of fungi inhabiting their roots to supply essential nutrients. Other fungi provide drugs (such as penicillin and other antibiotics), food for humans and wildlife, and even the bubbles in bread, champagne, and beer.
In a forest, the decomposition of forest litter is essential for forest health. The fine duff and upper layer of soil on the forest floor are a result of the complex relationships between dead plant and animal tissue and organisms that decompose them. Fungi enable material as rigid as wood to decay, reducing it to a soft, almost paper-like substance. Next time you’re out for a walk in the woods, examine a handful of this half-wood, half-dirt layer. Without fungi, the forest floor would continue to amass dead sticks, leaves, and small creatures, piling up in ever mounting heaps.
Fungi Kingdom
Fungi were originally studied by botanists because they are often associated with plants. For many years, they were even considered “lower”, less-evolved and non-photosynthesizing plants. Today, scientists consider fungi to have their own category (called Kingdom in the study of plants and animals; humans are part of the Animal Kingdom). This Fungi Kingdom is an amazingly large and diverse group, capable of taking on many shapes and filling many niches. They are somewhat unique, however, in their broad ability to digest and decompose nutrient sources not available to many other organisms. This includes their skill at eating everything from birch trees to leather, and crude oil to kerosene.
Not surprisingly, different forest types have different needs for different decomposition processes. The fast growing and abundant trees in tropical locations have rich humid environments that help fungi keep up with decaying wood. Pine forests on the other hand are, by comparison, generally poor sites for fungi, with low pH and challenging sources of the cellulose and lignin that make up woody vegetation. Don’t tell the fungi here, but they have a tougher job than their brethren in the tropics.
Secret Life
The part of a fungus we see is actually the “fruit” of the organism. The living body of the fungus, called the mycelium, is a web of tiny filaments (“hyphae”) hidden in the soil. Some mycelium are the size of an ant, while others cover many acres. In some species, the hyphae are capable of growing more than a half mile in length each day! These webs live unseen until they develop mushrooms, puffballs, truffles, brackets, cups, “birds’ nests”, “corals”, or other fruiting bodies. The variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and habitats, even just a few yards apart, is why many consider them to be truly amazing!
Fungi feed by absorbing nutrients directly from the organic material on which they live. Without stomachs, they must digest their food before it can pass through the cell wall into the body of the mycelium. So, the hyphae secrete acids and enzymes that break the organic material into simple molecules that be easily absorbed.
For more information, feel free to visit the Forest Service in Saratoga, where we have some field guides on “mushrooms”. To be clear, picking and eating mushrooms should only be done by those with skill in identification, as many varieties are poisonous – some fatally (no need to become mushroom FOOD, if you know what I mean!). Hope to see YOU in the woods, enjoying a look at the wonderful world of the fungi.
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