Mycological Tree Assessment (MTA)

[RobArb]

yes, all sycy?

 

one sec i'll dig the photos out

[RobArb]

sorry can only find these at the mo, must be on another hard disc somewhere, first one is best one of the roots but it was definately acer pseudoplatanus 100%

 

from memory it was next to an industrial Lithium plant (would that make a difference?) and there was lots and lots of acers, salix and sambucus, nearest birch was probably 150yds away 100% confident on this

 

last pic is a general habitat pic, although this was about 100yds to the left of the fly's occurence

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I went for a walk today to see the larch already mentioned, it has a large scar on a root, where maybe phaeolus has entered, so I will be as always monitoring in my usual lax way but interesting how this conversation has now sharpened my minds eye to the things that may or may not be going on. interestingly the rude health I mentioned was not so evident today, this thinning associated with phaeolus has occurred in recent weeks, maybe just the drought as it hasnt rained much for two months but time will tell.

[Fungus]

first one is best one of the roots but it was definately acer pseudoplatanus 100% from memory it was next to an industrial Lithium plant (would that make a difference?) and there was lots and lots of acers, salix and sambucus, nearest birch was probably 150yds away 100% confident on this last pic is a general habitat pic, although this was about 100yds to the left of the fly's occurence

 

Rob,

These photo's don't make the impossible possibe. The Fly Agaric is not (yet) documented to fruit from roots of Salix, but new partners recently have emerged and it can also fruit from the roots of a cut down tree, like the one in the front, associated with ectomycorrhizal symbionts as long as the roots are alive and (partially) functional to newly activated sleeping branch buds at the lower trunk or shoots surfacing from the base of the trunk or the roots.

[RobArb]

Rob,

:confused1: Then there must have been tree species associated with ectomycorrhizal macrofungi present with their roots in the vicinity of this pseudoplatanus, because Acer has endomycorrhizal, a-sexually underground reproducing microfungi as symbiotic partners .

 

Rob,

These photo's don't make the impossible possibe. The Fly Agaric is not (yet) documented to fruit from roots of Salix, but new partners recently have emerged and it can also fruit from the roots of a cut down tree, like the one in the front, associated with ectomycorrhizal symbionts as long as the roots are alive and (partially) functional to newly activated sleeping branch buds at the lower trunk or shoots surfacing from the base of the trunk or the roots.

 

OK, i kinda get what your saying (still playing catch up on the technical words as not as much as an expert more of an interested layman for the time-being)

 

so, is there is no way at all that the fly agaric could grow around purely acer's?

 

as they only grow around the ectomycorrizhal as you state, what makes them not like the asexual endomycorrizhal fungi? what is it they don't like about them?

[Fungus]

I went for a walk today to see the larch already mentioned, it has a large scar on a root, where maybe phaeolus has entered, so I will be as always monitoring in my usual lax way but interesting how this conversation has now sharpened my minds eye to the things that may or may not be going on. interestingly the rude health I mentioned was not so evident today, this thinning associated with phaeolus has occurred in recent weeks, maybe just the drought as it hasnt rained much for two months but time will tell.

 

Tony,

First a photo of the necrotic and poorly regenerating unusual "smooth" bark of a Douglas with the mycelium of Phaeolus schweinitzii active in the cambium of its major roots and lower trunk and second a photo of a larch in the second phase of completely loosing bark and forming ineffective wound repairs, because of also being attacked by P. schweinitzii.

This type of bark "body language" of Larix and Pseudotsuga can also originate from attacks by the mycelium of Sparassis crispa, as I for both species of fungi have documented several times with the fruiting at the base of the affected tree as evidence.

---

[Fungus]

as they only grow around the ectomycorrizhal as you state, what makes them not like the asexual endomycorrizhal fungi? what is it they don't like about them?

 

Rob,

 

The endo- or (vesicular) arbuscular mycorrhizal symbionts belong to the a-sexually reproducing microfungi. With only 80-100 species of 4 Genera, of which Gigaspora, Glomus and Endospore are the most important and prevalent, they are present all over the world and associate with the roots of more then 90 % of all green plants or shrubs and with tree species, such as Acer, Fraxinus, Ulmus, Aesculus, Platanus and most of the not originally indigenous decideous and coniferous tree species, which have been introduced by men.

The roots of the plants can up to 90 % consist of fungal tissue (hyphae). The underground produced spores of the AM-symbionts are 0,2-0,8 mm, which makes them fixated in the soil, unless they can be transported by water running through worm canals or are moved about by ants, which "plant" the spores on roots to "harvest" secreted sugar from the fungal "garden". The hyphae of the mycorrhizal layers covering a root, superficially penetrate the bark or outer cells of the root. The structures (arbuscules) formed by the microfungi contain spiral hyphae, in which the transport and exchange of water soluble nutrients (minerals, nitrogen, phosphor, spore elements) and of sugar between plant or tree and microfungus takes place.

Endomycorrhizal symbionts are cosmopolitan generalists, which implies, that the antibiotics and fungicides produced by the mycelium are less effective in protecting and defending the roots of the plant or tree against attacks from parasites, then the tree species specific ectomycorrhizal symbionts of trees are, but because AM-symbionts do not need much energy (sugars) from the tree for reproduction purposes, on the other hand the tree does not have to invest as much as is needed for the yearly fruiting of symbiotic macrofungi.

Some plants or shrubs, such as orchids, Ericaceae, Arbutus and Pyrola, have special types of mycorrhizae. The roots and woody parts of Calluna vulgaris, f.i., can up to 70 % consist of chitine based cells of the AM-symbiont "taking over" the function of cellulose and lignin.

Of the total number of European macrofungi, depending on the habitat and the diversity of tree species associated with ectomycorrhizal symbionts, the amount of species of this type of symbionts can add up to about 20 % of the total number present. Ectomycorrhizal symbionts belong to the macrofungi, which sexually reproduce or at least have the capability of doing so and mostly, with the exception of truffles f.i., fruit above ground, which they predominantly do in autumn, after the tree has stored his self-produced energy reserves in its trunk and roots and stops the photosynthesis process by withdrowing chlorophyl from its leaves.

The ectomycorrhizal macrofungi either belong to the pioneer, the middle phase or the late or optimum phase of the life cycle of the tree and its tree species specific ecosystem, all having their specific role to play and fruiting in a specific order or succession. A second distinction is made between the generalistic and the tree species specific ectomycorrhizal symbionts, of which the last ones have the better "weapons", i.e. self-produced antibiotics and fungicides, to defend and protect the colonized roots compared to the generalistic ecto- and endomycorrhizal symbionts and are better capable of protecting for drought. Especially the tree species specific symbionts are vulnerable for ammonia emission (NOx, NOy).

Among the tree species associating with ectomycorrhizal macrofungi are, in order of the complexity of their tree species specific ecosystems : Quercus, Fagus, Betula, Populus, Salix, Alnus, Tilia, Carpinus, Castanea and Corylus and Pinus, Picea, Larix, Abies and Pseudotsuga. In their seedling stage, Betula, Alnus and Salix can temporarely also have AM-symbionts as partners.

The hyphae of the ectomycorrhizal symbionts do not penetrate the cells of the root, but form a so called "Hartig Net", with its hyphae "sandwiched" between the cells, the Hartig Net functioning as an interface between the root and the fungus. The via the contact zone to the tree delivered nutrients, minerals, antibodies and spore elements are transported to the part of the trunk closest to the soil to the "chemical factory", where the assimilation and converting process takes place and elements needed for the growth, flowering and fruiting and the condition and defensive system of the tree as a whole are produced, which then are distributed over the parts of the tree wanting "special products".

The hypha growing from the mycorrhiza into the soil develop mycelia, which can enlarge the root system and its uptake capacity of water and nutrients from the soil with a factor 1.000 to 2.000. The hyphae, which need 20 % more oxygen then tree roots do, uptake water soluble minerals and nutrients from the soil food web and transport them to the roots. In return, they receive sugar polymeres from the tree. The uptake of phosphor, an essential element of tree DNA and needed for blosseming and fruiting, is best with trees having Russula and/or Lactarius species (photo ectomycorrhiza Lactarius) as more or less tree species specific ectomycorrhizal partners.

The mycelia also uptake toxic heavy metals and salt, which they "store" in parts of the mycelium, that are then disconnected from the total tree-fungus system.

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Edited May 16, 2011 by Fungus

[RobArb]

phew, that was a read, but thanks Gerrit for explaining:thumbup:, i am slowly trying to understand everything and normally have to read your posts a good few times:blush:

 

Like the bit about the ants, thats enormously clever on their part

 

and i was surprised to see Betula as a pioneer species so high (between the obvious Quercus and Fagus) on the list in regards to the complexity of their tree species specific ecosystems

[Fungus]

and i was surprised to see Betula as a pioneer species so high (between the obvious Quercus and Fagus) on the list in regards to the complexity of their tree species specific ecosystems

 

The reason for that being, that Betula species have a (very) short life cycle compared to number one and two on the list.

[RobArb]

so how come Alnus (another short life cycle) are further down the list behind Populus and Salix?