Mushroom Fact Of The Week - Blog Posts

Mushroom fact of the week!

Termitomyces fungus forms symbiotic relationships with termites. The termites bring the fungi plant material to decompose and build it "fungal combs" to grow in. In exchange the fungi provides nutrient rich spherules for the termites to eat.

Mushroom fact of the week!

Mushrooms scam trees!

Some fungi get their nutrients by exchanging nutrients with plants. The fungi provides phosphorous and the plant gives carbon in return.

The less phosphorous available, higher price the plant will pay for the phosphorous, giving more carbon for each unit received. However, when there is more available the fungi will receive less carbon for its troubles.

So what these fungi do, being the scammers they are, is transport phosphorous through the mycelium from areas of high abundance to areas of low abundance where it is more scarce and fetches a higher price. This way, the fungi is able to get much more carbon out of the plant.

Mushroom fact of the week!

The white spots viewed on the fly agaric are actually not a part of the cap at all!

Many fungi’s fruiting bodies form inside a small sac, which when it breaks open becomes the universal veil. It's actually pieces of this sac that stick to the cap of the fly agaric becoming the appearance of white spots! If you were to touch the cap the spots would wipe off quite easily 

Mushroom fact of the week!

Enoki mushrooms actually only look like how most people think of them when grown in total darkness. They look quite normal otherwise!

Wild enoki vs. enoki cultivated in darkness ^