Your path towards ecological understanding

Mushrooms create their own air currents

November 29, 2019 Philip Pinzone

Oyster mushrooms can manipulate their own microclimate. Photo by Zachary Cava.

By releasing more water than transpiring plants, many fungi can change the density of air surrounding their fruitbodies ultimately resulting in more efficient spore dispersal.

Fungi Friday; The rarity of the color blue in nature-Entoloma hochstetteri

May 18, 2018 Philip Pinzone

Entoloma hochstetteri found in New Zealand by Michael Wallace. — *Entoloma hochstetteri* found in New Zealand by Michael Wallace.

Blue pigments take notoriously more time to evolve. This has led to animal species coming up with structural solutions instead of chemical ones. Since fungi don’t see, and usually don’t use animal dispersers that specialize in seeing blue, blue pigments have slowly evolved. These blue pigments are a rarity in nature, but leave it up to our fungal friends to find a way to produce these compounds.

Fungi Friday: Bias in the fossil record and the oldest fungal fossil

March 9, 2018 Philip Pinzone

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  … — *Gondwanagaricites magnificus* that lived 113–120 million years ago in what is now Northeast Brazil. Heads et al. 2017.

This aptly named fossilized species represents the oldest preserved mushroom ever found. We have found older spores and hyphae, but not an entire fruiting structure that is this old.