Fungus

Which is an indication for both Cossus cossus and a green or black woodpecker searching for grubs, which can after having been active, leave a pile of wood bits and fibers behind. The caterpillar secretes an acid to prepare the wood for consumption, which can still be smelled at the opening of the whole after it has left "the house". ---

To add some more information to Tony's illustrative documentation on the effects of G. australe on different tree species, four photo's follow. 1. G. australe on Quercus robur (see Tony's text). 2. G. australe on Quercus rubra : detrimental and dangerous. 3. G. australe on Acer pseudoplatanus or A. saccharinum and Platanus species : more detrimental and more dangerous, especially if A. saccharinum is concerned. 4. G. australe on Tillia after two panic fruiting sterile bulbs appeared at one side of the tree in deep cracks between the buttresses : most detrimental and most dangerous : alarm bells ringing. The same goes for perennial brackets of G. australe present on Populus and Salix species. 5. G. australe on Aesculus : no photo, just as or even more dangerous as on Tilia, see the information in the last posts on : Failure of Anne Frank tree. ---

For a mycological and ecological systemic and contextual approach to endo- and ectomycorrhizal symbionts and the role they play in the dynamics of species specific ecosystems of trees, see : Mycorrhizae. ---

David, I understand your point, but I'm not that easy put off , so I suggest the possibility of linking the "technical" terms to a "background" list with - in short - the meaning and explanation of the terms most used, just like was done with my interactive guide CD-rom, a "trick" which you can also test on Soortenbank.nl while reading a description of one of the depicted fungi clicking on a blue word. For this list, you could copy (parts of) my list of terms from the CD-rom and you and I could add some technical terms on trees and the effect of macrofungi on them to it. And you could link the items to specific texts on several ecological and/or mycological subjects I already posted to supply extra background information. I f.i. think, that even for novices in the field, it's good to know what signs come from panic reproduction of macrofungi and/or trees and to know why the panic fruiting of a biotrophic parasite must be evaluated and interpreted differently as the same signs of a necrotrophic parasite and what this means for the prognosis of the tree. If you think it is too early for this, no problem, I can wait for the right moment.

Humble excuses , GreenGui, I would be of my high horse now if I had ever been on one. It must have been me not being a native speaker of the English language , which caused me to misunderstand your point and mistake you for a wasp killer. Once again, I'm sorry.

Even without microscopical examination of the spores and with the absence of galls, over 95 % sure G. lipsiense (= G. applanatum).

After the escape of the flying generation of Cossus cossus from their "birth and feeding canals" ?

Not much of a "GreenGui" are you, to suggest killing these beautiful and - if left in peace - harmless wasps, which - luckely - are under protection by law in Germany ?

As the horizontal crack in the bark above the annual fruitings and the size of the young brackets (panic reproduction) is an alarming sign of the mycelium having completely brown rotted the heart wood, causing the tree to slowly collaps while pushing the new formed sap wood rings outward causing the horizontal crack under his total weight, which is no longer supported by an intact central column at the lower part of the trunk, I would not like to be the owner of this oak.

David, Some suggestions on the content. - Maybe differentiating the biotrophic from the necrotrophic ("cross over") parasites could be implemented. - You could use my photo's of both the necrotrophic parasitic Armillaria mellea and A. ostoyae and the saprotrophic A. lutea (= A. bulbosa) and the descriptions on my CD-rom to show the differences among the three species. ---

David, Scan the Soortenbank : index, look at the photo's of the species and tell me what you want, how, what size, etc. And in what way is protection of © guaranteed ?

In The Netherlands, I have also seen them licking of the resin on the bark of Liquidambar styraciflua, on bleeding Acer or Betula after having been cut or damaged and on gum of Prunus. ---

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. ---

David, , if you want to use some of my photo's to complete already present species with or to add new species to the collection, just ask. ---

David, The camera has a 36x zoom lens and can be moved with more accuracy and much closer to outgoing affected branches then a man standing in a MEWP with binoculars or a camera can. Of course it can not take samples, but the quality of the video freeze frames or photo's is excellent, so it helps determining which tree has to be reinspected by a climber in harness and whether the tree is not too dangerous for a climber to have a closer look and take a sample. Besides, we don't have much Dutch climbers and the ones we have move abroad or work outside the country a lot. And the use of the equipment in large scale Massaria monitoring alongside roads saves time and money compared to using MEWP or harness. In the two Dutch cities, where the equipment was tested, the method turned out to be reliable and less costly then the traditional monitoring of the trees, even if some trees had to be reinspected afterwards.

Well documented, a good example of what damage "Astkriecher" of Phellinus tuberculosus can do to a Prunus. As attachment, a photo of what the perennial brackets look like, when they grow on the trunk of a Prunus avium. ---

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. ---

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.

Sean, I have never encountered this type of perennial Ganoderma brackets on a still standing and living Quercus robur being something else then G. australe, but you're right, this could be the first time , so really and totally sure : microscope, although I would bet quite a bit of euro's on me being correct in this case . ---

Biochar, an artificially produced medium, lasted over 2000 years in the Amazon ? And the argument for introducing terra preta, which rightfully may not be exported from the Amazon area, being ? Maybe first read just a little bit on the European tree species specific ecosystems and their soil food webs before presenting yourself as an advocate (or reseller ?) of yet another commercial product. ---

Without a doubt Laetiporus sulphureus. Did you also notice, that in the last two photo's there is evidence visible of the beech developing secondary roots from the intact cambium into the cavity to collect moisture and nutrients from the residue of brown rotted wood at the bottom ?

Sean, I beg your pardon , you said : Final answer......Robustus . ---

Rob, A root from a 15-20 metres away birch or beech will do the trick or sometimes even a birch in its "teens" growing nearer to the mushrooms. And did you take pictures of the roots of the surrounding trees to see which one the ectomycorrhizae were on ? ---

And I can add to the information on Amanita muscaria, that recent molecular studies on the ancesterial origin of the Fly Agaric have shown, that A. muscaria was present in the Siberian-Beringian region in the Tertiary Period (65-2.4 million years ago) before wider spreading across Asia, Europe and North America, with Alaska being the center of diversification of the three distinct clades within the species.

Final final answer : definite and 100 % Ganoderma australe on pendunculate oak, its favorite feeding "station", on which it often can feast for a long time, without killing or felling the tree.