Fungibal Lecter

[David Humphries]

When the shrooms go cannibal

 

Lifted up this cap to get a shifty at the gills, and winced at the ferocious nature of a sybling devouring its brother..........

 

The top cap has sporalated & the subsequent mycelium is eating away at the cap of it's prey.

 

 

Aint fung just nuts

 

.

[Bundle 2]

LOL...what do they reckon (whoever they are...?) Fungi are closer the animal kingdom than the plants?

Its a little bit of an animal!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Is that not just a mold David?

[David Humphries]

Bring ya lab coat & joe 90 specs and we'll go check it tommorow

 

 

 

seriously - How would tell ?

 

 

 

.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

well in my experiance, (nothing special!) mycelium tends to be only in a protected environment (under leaves/bark etc) whereas mold which is always typicaly furry like your sample is well adapted to a high exposure lifestyle but does require humid or damp conditions all the same, wether that be in the air or its substrate.

 

I also (IMO) doubt very much that a mycelial network would at any stage consume its on fruiting body, it just doesnt make viable sense. It would be left to sporalate for as long as poss.

 

There are many molds that specialise in fungi, the Bolete mold for one, which renders the fruit bodies toxic.

 

As you know though there are many parasitic fungi that live soley on the mycelium of other fungi, the tremellas and the parasitic bolete to name but a few.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Mycelium is also a key identifying feature of all fungi, each fungi has a unique shape texture and matt morphology, some fungi have bright pink mycelium, others bright yellow, some form thick sheets like laeti and others strings like the lepiotas.

 

There are books that assist in this model of identifying fungi but they are currently to me at least prohibitivley expensive

[David Humphries]

Oh shut up with the science already !

 

It's a bit of fun & a cool picture

 

 

 

If it was a science class I'd hardly of gone with the Anthony Hopkins slant, now would I

 

 

 

 

Oh go on then, I'll play,

 

so why is the "mould" seemingly not consuming the gills of the top cap?

 

 

.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

another point that makes this obviously mold, is that mycelium is hydrotropic and this is what keeps it seeking dampness, whereas the mycelium undergoes a change to hydrophobia as it begins to fruit, this hydrophobic mycelium then forms a dense matt which becomes the "sclerotia" later becoming the fruiting body, for the myclium of the fruit to come up into the atmosphere it would have to also undergo a similar change, this of course doesnt happen.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Oh shut up with the science already !

 

It's a bit of fun & a cool picture

 

 

 

If it was a science class I'd hardly of gone with the Anthony Hopkins slant, now would I

 

 

 

 

Oh go on then, I'll play,

 

so why is the "mould" seemingly not consuming the gills of the top cap?

 

 

.

 

mold always starts top side doesnt it! gills would be inherantly dryer, and air vapours go up, ensuring that the upper regions would be the first instigator for mold to grow, spreading from there down.

[Bundle 2]

There's science here abouts.....!

 

No well...I for one appreciate the discussion. Really!

Edited September 22, 2010 by Bundle 2