When L. sulphureus & F. hepatica combine

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

looking at the life cycles and eco systems of Quercus robur constantly as I do, I am starting to realise that there may well be a pattern forming with regards to interactions of these two brown rot fungi in Quercus robur.

 

If I am right about this and I am sure it is only a matter of time before I get more examples to reiterate my suspicions this will have serious implications where both fungi are found to have colonised trees in medium to high risk zones.

 

Neither fungi is considered that much of a threat, but over the years ive looked at these two (seperatley) and was coming to the conclusion that laetiporus was considerably ahead in the failure potential, and that fistulina rarely caused major failures and almost never root plate/stem failures. years on i have been visiting some of my sample trees over a long period, and now it appears increasingly likely that many of the worst case failures I have witnessed have been where the two fungi combined.

 

So my thinking is that maybe these two are fiercely competing for the same resource, and that fistulina having claimed the heartwood region is forcing laetiporus into aggressively colonising sapwood in order to survive and reproduce. That this battle of two of the principle brown rotters of Oaks is causing a major issue and effecting the wood in a far more serious aggressive mode.

 

Laetiporus sulphureus is a necrotrophic/saprophytic parasitic

Fistulina hepatica is largley a biotrophic parasitic, it will fruit for a few years on dead wood.

 

It is therefore not in the interests of fistulina hepatica to kill its host, and hence its slow and low hazard lifestyle within oaks.

 

laetiporus on the other hand is as happy living on saprobic (dead) material as it is living.

 

So if the two are at war for a resource it stands to reason that the laeti has more to gain, for if the host dies, the fistulina will die with it leaving the corpse entirely on the table to laetiporus.

 

This tree failed summer 2010, at the time only L. sulphureus was present and obvious by the mycelial felts and cubicale brown/orange rot. Last month however, from the stump and lower stem where it broke of panic fruiting of fistulina hepatica occurred, the stump was alive with fistulina fruit bodies, a clear indication of a desire to leave the host for new pastures.

 

A lot of what I write is about my own learning journey, sharing both my triumphs and my shortcomings, my learning and my mistakes. I am not afraid to be wrong, I just want to share, to talk and to evoke some thought and interaction, I hope you all get that, i am no expert, just a fumbling idiot in a sea of learning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fungus]

So my thinking is that maybe these two are fiercely competing for the same resource, and that Fistulina having claimed the heartwood region is forcing Laetiporus into aggressively colonising sapwood in order to survive and reproduce.

Laetiporus sulphureus is necrotrophic parasitic Fistulina hepatica is largely a biotrophic parasitic, it will fruit for a few years on dead wood.

It is therefore not in the interests of fistulina hepatica to kill its host, and hence its slow and low hazard lifestyle within oaks.

laetiporus on the other hand is as happy living on saprobic (dead) material as it is living.

So if the two are at war for a resource it stands to reason that the laeti has more to gain, for if the host dies, the fistulina will die with it leaving the corpse entirely on the table to laetiporus.

 

Tony,

Following your valid line of reasoning, shouldn't the first hypothesis be the other way around, as Fistulina does not decompose heartwood, but vinegar acid rich sapwood, before it moves on his way out via the radial rays ?

[Gollum]

Tony how can you put so many pics on one post when I can only put 4

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Tony,

Following your valid line of reasoning, shouldn't the first hypothesis be the other way around, as Fistulina does not decompose heartwood, but vinegar acid rich sapwood, before it moves on his way out via the radial rays ?

 

O.K, im with you.

 

the thing that got me was the colour differences in the wood degraded by the two, i only noticed it in the photos just now, see the deep reds low down in one half, and the orange browns of the chicken with felts in the upper far half

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Tony how can you put so many pics on one post when I can only put 4

 

Just let the five download then click to add more, can do at least 20 per post

[RobArb]

is that the lesser spotted janey i spy in the pics?

[Fungus]

O.K, im with you. the thing that got me was the colour differences in the wood degraded by the two, i only noticed it in the photos just now, see the deep reds low down in one half, and the orange browns of the chicken with felts in the upper far half

 

That's because Fistulina causes a moist and incomplete brownrot of a type, that resembles the soft rot type of modification of wood, and Laetiporus a brittle dry cubical brownrot leaving only lignin behind.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

That's because Fistulina causes a moist and incomplete brownrot of a type, that resembles the soft rot type of modification of wood, and Laetiporus a brittle dry cubical brownrot leaving only lignin behind.

 

Yes, and I had an argument with a consultant about this, I said i bet him a month of my wages against a month of his that the tree rot was caused by laeti NOT Fistulina because of colour, and then i found a felt too which just reinforced my opinion!

 

This shot just shows it to perfection in one image:001_cool:

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

is that the lesser spotted janey i spy in the pics?

 

It is, oi janey, your famous now!

[Fungus]

I had an argument with a consultant about this, I said i bet him a month of my wages against a month of his

 

And, ... did he yet hand it over to you or do you need to bring the mafioso out ?

Edited August 31, 2011 by Fungus