blueleg brownie (Psilocybe cyanescens) and its effect on local ecology.

[sloth]

Recent effects have led to me wondering about invasive species and there negative impact on our native species. The obvious things like Himalayan balsa and Japanese knotweed are easy to see as they are rather 'in your face'. But what what about invasive fungi?

In particular I am curious about the effect the proliferation of P. cyanescens may have had on biodiversity in the New Forest.

Bring so prolific it must be impacting on the range of fungi which were already resident, so what of species who are to some extent dependent on the 'original' fungal species?

Has any research been done? I expect the introduction of the blueleg brownie from America has been active there long enough now to see some shift in other species numbers. I have Googled it but drawn a blank. Perhaps no one cares about what they can't see under their nose, or above their head!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Recent effects have led to me wondering about invasive species and there negative impact on our native species. The obvious things like Himalayan balsa and Japanese knotweed are easy to see as they are rather 'in your face'. But what what about invasive fungi?

In particular I am curious about the effect the proliferation of P. cyanescens may have had on biodiversity in the New Forest.

Bring so prolific it must be impacting on the range of fungi which were already resident, so what of species who are to some extent dependent on the 'original' fungal species?

Has any research been done? I expect the introduction of the blueleg brownie from America has been active there long enough now to see some shift in other species numbers. I have Googled it but drawn a blank. Perhaps no one cares about what they can't see under their nose, or above their head!

 

were talking about an emerging fraction of ecology, and things that go under the visual radar are often not easy to get the money to work on!

 

Theres a few of these, the red stropharia that came from australia too that is thriving in mulch beds, but have seen this happily co habiting with Coprinus lagopus. I wouldnt be panicked by new arrivals of fungi of the saprotrophic nature, I dont like it but were going to have to get used to climate changes and as a result, species changes. would be good to get a handle on it sooner rather than later though as soon we wont know whats natural and what isnt!

[APC]

Feel free to pass on the locations of P. cyanescens so that I, I mean a friend, can help errrr eradicate them from the New Forest.