Auricularia mesenterica A.K.A the tripe fungus

[Fungus]

In the second image we see the black plating and necroses/canker fully from ground to canopy, I have only ever seen the fruiting of A. mesenterica on ash and only twice within this wood, which i know intimately.

 

Tony,

Are you 100 % sure that the black melanine plating doesn't come from a necrotrophic parasitic Armillaria (mellea/ostoyae), although you never have seen evidence of its presence, because in my experience, as long as the mycelium protected by the black layer can uptake enough energy to survive, it will often refrain from fruiting and only starts emergency reproduction after all of the living structures of the tree have died, as can be seen after a tree has been cut without the presence of Honey Fungus fruitbodies in advance.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Tony,

Are you 100 % sure that the black melanine plating doesn't come from a necrotrophic parasitic Armillaria (mellea/ostoyae), although you never have seen evidence of its presence, because in my experience, as long as the mycelium protected by the black layer can uptake enough energy to survive, it will often refrain from fruiting and only starts emergency reproduction after all of the living structures of the tree have died, as can be seen after a tree has been cut without the presence of Honey Fungus fruitbodies in advance.

 

I doubt the armillaria could have got past the massive endophytic community of Bulgaria iquinans that erupted from this tree, the mesenterica is a top down as apposed to bottom up as in mellea.

 

I have also only bolstered my views by occasionaly coming across brackets in these scenarios, its taken me like the colybia, 5 years to come to these conclusions, it is hard to let these views go without a fight!

 

What say you to the rather unique growths that result from this colonisation, it appears to have a very unique flavour, and its just not a sweet honey like one for me!

[Fungus]

1. I doubt the armillaria could have got past the massive endophytic community of Bulgaria iquinans that erupted from this tree, the mesenterica is a top down as apposed to bottom up as in mellea.

2. I have also only bolstered my views by occasionaly coming across brackets in these scenarios, its taken me like the colybia, 5 years to come to these conclusions, it is hard to let these views go without a fight!

3. What say you to the rather unique growths that result from this colonisation, it appears to have a very unique flavour, and its just not a sweet honey like one for me!

 

Tony,

1. Being a representative of the pioneer phase of saprotrophic macrofungi, Bulgaria inquinans mostly develops thin layers of hyphae in the dead cambium (or in the outer zone of dead wood) and fruits breaking through and throwing off the bark (or the surface of the wood).

2. Of course you don't . In Dutch we say : Never throw old shoes away before you have found new ones to wear.

3. Could you enlighten me on this, I don't understand the question.

Edited May 2, 2011 by Fungus

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Tony,

1. Being a representative of the pioneer phase of saprotrophic macrofungi, Bulgaria inquinans mostly develops thin layers of hyphae in the dead cambium (or in the outer zone of dead wood) and fruits breaking through and throwing off the bark (or the surface of the wood).

2. Of course you don't . In Dutch we say : Never throw old shoes away before you have found new ones to wear.

3. Could you enlighten me on this, I don't understand the question.

 

well three i mean the reiterative growth of foliage, it has a very particular pattern/form/expression.

 

So rather than remain depressed that all my work is rather misgiuded, how would I scientificaly evaluate these situations to disprove my ideas? i know thats a big question, but i now need to break this one inparticular down for I had faith in my mind, in my observations, and now it is fading like a fog in the morning sun

 

 

 

 

[Fungus]

well three i mean the reiterative growth of foliage, it has a very particular pattern/form/expression. So rather than remain depressed that all my work is rather misgiuded, how would I scientificaly evaluate these situations

 

Tony,

I think I see a beech ? If yes, Fagus is one of the tree species, which through a vice versa "pathway" in the outer year rings of the trunk has a direct link between a major branch and a mayor root and that is why beeches can not be dramatically pruined or roots can not be cut off without detrimental consequences. And why Oudemansiella mucida on a dying branch in the crown is an indicator for the attack of the corresponding root by a parasite, such as Meripilus giganteus, Armillaria mellea/ostoyae (rhizomorphs) or Xerula radicata, together with which O. mucida "walks" from the outside of the crown towards the trunk of the tree and when it has reached this far, Meripilus f.i. fruits from the affected root at the base of the trunk.

In this case, I would speculate, that Auricularia, as an "egocentric survival strategy" of a necrotrophic parasite, leaves so much of the cambium intact, that the contact between roots and branches isn't completely interrupted, so that the fotosynthesis in the poorly "fed" diminished and abnormal foliage of the small crown continues and the mycelium still can dispose of the best (non-permanently stored) nourishment around.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Tony,

I think I see a beech ? If yes, Fagus is one of the tree species, which through a vice versa "pathway" in the outer year rings of the trunk has a direct link between a major branch and a mayor root and that is why beeches can not be dramatically pruined or roots can not be cut off without detrimental consequences. And why Oudemansiella mucida on a dying branch in the crown is an indicator for the attack of the corresponding root by a parasite, such as Meripilus giganteus, Armillaria mellea/ostoyae (rhizomorphs) or Xerula radicata, together with which O. mucida "walks" from the outside of the crown towards the trunk of the tree and when it has reached this far, Meripilus f.i. fruits from the affected root at the base of the trunk.

In this case, I would speculate, that Auricularia, as an "egocentric survival strategy" of a necrotrophic parasite, leaves so much of the cambium intact, that the contact between roots and branches isn't completely interrupted, so that the fotosynthesis in the poorly "fed" diminished and abnormal foliage of the small crown continues and the mycelium still can dispose of the best (non-permanently stored) nourishment around.

 

So auricularia is a "nectrophic" parasite? and this, nectrophic, means it kills its host?

[Fungus]

So auricularia is a "nectrophic" parasite? and this, nectrophic, means it kills its host?

 

In this case I speculated, so it maybe is, maybe not is parasitic, depending on whether its mycelium also invades and kills living tissues, but as this is (also) new to me, because I have not seen this before, further research would be needed to come to a definite answer to this meanwhile still open question. If Auricularia is not at all parasitic and the only fungus present, it would not explain for the poor and abnormal foliage of the crown of the tree. I would certainly be interested in looking deeper into this and visit the site together with you (and some of your collegues) when I'm in your country.

And necrotrophic (or optional) parasites (partially) kick of as "slow" parasites and become completely saprotrophic decomposing and recycling the remaining dead wood after the tree has died, as Ganoderma lipsiense, Fomes fomentarius, Piptoporus betulinus - all three species able of geotrophism once the tree has fallen - and Armillaria mellea/ostoyae and Pleurotus spp. for instance do, in contrast with the biotrophic parasites, such as Meripilus giganteus, Grifola frondosa, some Inonotus and Phellinus spp. and Pholiota squarrosa, of which the mycelium dies and the fruiting stops once the tree is completely killed.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

In this case I speculated, so it maybe is, maybe not is parasitic, depending on whether its mycelium also invades and kills living tissues, but as this is (also) new to me, because I have not seen this before, further research would be needed to come to a definite answer to this meanwhile still open question. If Auricularia is not at all parasitic and the only fungus present, it would not explain for the poor and abnormal foliage of the crown of the tree. I would certainly be interested in looking deeper into this and visit the site together with you (and some of your collegues) when I'm in your country.

And necrotrophic (or optional) parasites (partially) kick of as "slow" parasites and become completely saprotrophic decomposing and recycling the remaining dead wood after the tree has died, as Ganoderma lipsiense, Fomes fomentarius, Piptoporus betulinus - all three species able of geotrophism once the tree has fallen - and Armillaria mellea/ostoyae and Pleurotus spp. for instance do, in contrast with the biotrophic parasites, such as Meripilus giganteus, Grifola frondosa, some Inonotus and Phellinus spp. and Pholiota squarrosa, of which the mycelium dies and the fruiting stops once the tree is completely killed.

 

Then I shall make a point to continuously check some trees and document thier locations and other fungal associations until then. there is one location close to both myself and david where it has colonised and is effecting an ash a beech (most common) and an oak in 100yds of eachother. With friuts!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I have to prove this one especialy to you gerrit! these images, all from one day working, ash, and oak with fruiting, beech typical "body language no fruits detected (from ground) but im so confident and also within 30 yds of oak infected. the oaks suffering severe cambium issues, and issues as you can see are directly linked to the auricularia, the section longtitudinaly dissected is directly where fruits occurred. very little fruit on the oak, but its effects obvious in much of the crown, not recovering well after previous reduction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fungus]

I have to prove this one especialy to you gerrit! these images, all from one day working, ash, and oak with fruiting, beech typical "body language no fruits detected (from ground) but im so confident and also within 30 yds of oak infected. the oaks suffering severe cambium issues, and issues as you can see are directly linked to the auricularia, the section longtitudinaly dissected is directly where fruits occurred. very little fruit on the oak, but its effects obvious in much of the crown, not recovering well after previous reduction.

 

Tony,

Thanks , very valuable documentation of quite impressive damage caused by such an insignificant fungus.