Lynne Boddy on Fungi.

[MATTMOSS]

I would say she means both. For example, one could look at the birch polypore being latently present and beginning its attack once the host birch tree is under physiological stress, or conversely fungi such as Bulgaria inquinans that are latently present in the sapwood of oak and - following either entire failure or the death of a branch - readily colonises in potentially massive proportions.

 

Thats what i meant

Edited November 16, 2016 by MATTMOSS
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[MATTMOSS]

If we're talking about pathogenic fungi then - by virtue of the definition - they'd attack a living host (though they can of course also - but not in ever case - attack dead hosts, or dead parts of a living host). Therefore, pathogenic fungi have indeed adapted to 'get through' the defence mechanisms employed by the host tree.

 

As a sort of side, the term 'pathogenic' is a little difficult when one looks at fungi such as the beefsteak (Fistulina hepatica), because it's not technically ever attacking a living (as in functional in the vascular sense) part of the host tree (that may well be living). It's a heartwood specialist, and thus degrades only the wood no longer serving any (or very little) conductive purpose. Conversely, Armillaria mellea is indeed pathogenic, in the true sense of the word. Granted, it can - and often is - a saprophyte, too.

 

I guess the key here is that the parasite-saprophyte continuum is incredibly fluid in the fungal world, and slotting different fungi into certain areas of the continuum can be very tricky, if not down-right impossible; at least, when we assess the wood-rotters. Phylloplane fungi and mycorrhizal fungi are entirely different kettles of fish, and we aren't even then delving into grassland or freshwater species...

 

Ok, ill do the thinking and let you do the typing

[Kveldssanger]

In that case we'll be here all day every day hahah.

[Gary Prentice]

See this is what happens when you try categorise nature into man made compartments.

 

We have to have international conferences of experts to even name things, then decide a few years later that 'no, they're in the wrong box, put them in another and call them something else!'

 

The damn things just won't conform.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Ummmm, did you mean fungi or TOs Gary???