Armilaria - Central cavity decayer

[David Humphries]

Im seeing armilaria more and more at BB, I suspect the acidification by deep humus deposits is strssing the old beeches and giving mellea an easy time.

 

 

 

Would be interesting to find out if it is on a year on year increase.

 

I'll ask Helen.

 

 

 

 

Perhaps just playing it's part in recycling & clearing up the deadwood/dysfunctional biomass.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Would be interesting to find out if it is on a year on year increase.

 

I'll ask Helen.

 

 

 

 

Perhaps just playing it's part in recycling & clearing up the deadwood/dysfunctional biomass.

 

 

 

 

 

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bit more than that, other key stress hunters like the kretz are seriously increasing, Im actualy getting pretty worried about them old beeches.

[David Humphries]

Haven't noticed a perceivable increase in Merip though.

 

But saying that, possibly not up there enough to qualify that.

 

 

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[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I have to admit to having not seen merip in BB, didnt even consider it tilll you just said that, interesting observation too.

[David Humphries]

I have to admit to having not seen merip in BB, didnt even consider it tilll you just said that, interesting observation too.

 

I rember talking to Helen about Merip at BB a couple of years back & I think she said it was fairly scarce there.

 

this was last autumn......

 

 

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[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Interesting.....

 

this has opened up a whole new direction for me to investigate, very very cool observation and im stunned I hadnt noticed the lack of it there.

 

I wonder if the biodiversity there, for example in the mycos and particularly the heavy dominence by inonotus cuticularis as the major heart consumer in the BB beeches is holding it out of "thier" territory.

 

so another In vitro experimental battle to be carried out, between the Cuticularis, and the monster poly

[Fungus]

Armillaria fruiting 'inside' the cavity of this old Beech form Burnham Beeches Possibly Coprinus sp also on the lhs of second shot.

 

Armillaria mellea s.s. and Coprinus micaceus s.l. .

[Fungus]

... this has opened up a whole new direction for me to investigate, very very cool observation and im stunned I hadnt noticed the lack of it there. I wonder if the biodiversity there, for example in the mycos and particularly the heavy dominence by inonotus cuticularis as the major heart consumer in the BB beeches is holding it out of "thier" territory. so another In vitro experimental battle to be carried out, between the Cuticularis, and the monster poly

 

Tony,

I don't think, Meripilus giganteus and Inonotus cuticularis are competitive, because they (normally) colonize parts of the tree which are too far apart to create an overlap in territories.

On beech, M. giganteus, Pholiota squarrosa and K. deusta however "share" most of their territorial spaces. And Armillaria species, Fomes fomentarius and G. lipsiense are competitive with one another and the other four mentioned, because their mycelial territories can overlap with those of all other species.

[Fungus]

Im seeing armilaria more and more at BB, I suspect the acidification by deep humus deposits is stressing the old beeches and giving mellea an easy time.

 

Tony,

Evaluating this phenomenon from a MTA-perspective, you would ask the following questions :

- How old are these beeches : 150 to 200 years, i.e. still in their midlife phase or older and at the end of their tree species specific life cycle ?

- Have they reached the phase of no longer being a provider ("sugar daddy") for their tree species specific ecosystem and of becoming a parasite of the ecosystem, which triggers the parasitic macrofungi to "intervene" to stop this process before the complete system is lost for the offspring of the tree and all other organisms present (in the soil food web) ?

- Are the beeches in the (beech dominated or mixed ?) forest, they are part of, all the same age ?

- Are the beeches panic fruiting ?

- Are tree species specific ectomycorrhizal symbionts, such as Russula fellea, R. mairei, Lactarius blennius, L. acris and L. fluens, still fruiting or have they been "replaced" by generalists, such as Xerocomus badius, X. chrysenteron, Amanita rubescens, Scleroderma citrinum and Paxillus involutus, which weakens the tree and roots defensive system ?

- Is secundary root development occuring from the base of the trees and is Laccaria amethystina present in the circle around the trunk bases ?

Also see my MTA case study.

Edited June 25, 2011 by Fungus

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Tony,

Evaluating this phenomenon from a MTA-perspective, you would ask the following questions :

- How old are these beeches : 150 to 200 years, i.e. still in their midlife phase or older and at the end of their tree species specific life cycle ?

- Have they reached the phase of no longer being a provider ("sugar daddy") for their tree species specific ecosystem and of becoming a parasite of the ecosystem, which triggers the parasitic macrofungi to "intervene" to stop this process before the complete system is lost for the offspring of the tree and all other organisms present (in the soil food web) ?

- Are the beeches in the (beech dominated or mixed ?) forest, they are part of, all the same age ?

- Are the beeches panic fruiting ?

- Are tree species specific ectomycorrhizal symbionts, such as Russula fellea, R. mairei, Lactarius blennius, L. acris and L. fluens, still fruiting or have they been "replaced" by generalists, such as Xerocomus badius, X. chrysenteron, Amanita rubescens, Scleroderma citrinum and Paxillus involutus, which weakens the tree and roots defensive system ?

- Is secundary root development occuring from the base of the trees and is Laccaria amethystina present in the circle around the trunk bases ?

Also see my MTA case study.

 

These beeches are the dominant species in certain areas, mix of beech and oak in others, the beeches many are tryuly ancient class for thier species, most well over the 300 year life cycle typical of the species, but it is because this was a working wood, full of polllards hence the long preservation. Burnham beeches has such fungal diversity as to make it hard to pin down your scenario, even chanterels, as well as all the others of which you speak, though i cant think for certain ive seen paxillus