Catherine Spann
Omphalotus illudens
This photo was taken at Paramo: Los Quetzales National Park.
Omphalotus illudens is a fungus that appears in orange clumps located at the base of deciduous trees and stumps from decaying underground roots. In this particular photo, the fungus is growing off a decaying branch of a charcoal oak tree. The vivid orange color serves as a warning to animals that the fungus is poisonous. In fact the fungus is poisonous to both humans and animals and can cause serious reactions if consumed. The color aids the fungus by giving it protection from foragers. This enables the fungus to focus on consuming the dead organic matter. Without the color, more foragers would be tempted to eat the fungus. This would result in the population to decline which would lead to a higher number of dead organic matter being left unattended too.
Fungi, like the one above, such be conserved as they are important decomposers in their environments. They, among other decomposers, consume dead organic matter that other organism would see as "waste." In doing so, the fungi provide nutritious substrates rich with minerals for new seedlings and fruits to be planted. Without fungi, nutrients would not be able to cycle through an ecosystem, causing the breakdown of the entire food chain.
Sources of information:
www.messiah.edu/Oakes/fungi_on_wood/gilled%20fungi/specie...
www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_rn575.pdf
Omphalotus illudens
This photo was taken at Paramo: Los Quetzales National Park.
Omphalotus illudens is a fungus that appears in orange clumps located at the base of deciduous trees and stumps from decaying underground roots. In this particular photo, the fungus is growing off a decaying branch of a charcoal oak tree. The vivid orange color serves as a warning to animals that the fungus is poisonous. In fact the fungus is poisonous to both humans and animals and can cause serious reactions if consumed. The color aids the fungus by giving it protection from foragers. This enables the fungus to focus on consuming the dead organic matter. Without the color, more foragers would be tempted to eat the fungus. This would result in the population to decline which would lead to a higher number of dead organic matter being left unattended too.
Fungi, like the one above, such be conserved as they are important decomposers in their environments. They, among other decomposers, consume dead organic matter that other organism would see as "waste." In doing so, the fungi provide nutritious substrates rich with minerals for new seedlings and fruits to be planted. Without fungi, nutrients would not be able to cycle through an ecosystem, causing the breakdown of the entire food chain.
Sources of information:
www.messiah.edu/Oakes/fungi_on_wood/gilled%20fungi/specie...
www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/pnw_rn575.pdf