Kveldssanger

Thanks! Going to post another later - a friend went bird watching in St Lucia and got some good shots of some exotic trees, and I have his permission to share the photos.

Cheers guys; much appreciated.

It's great. Seriously, buy it if you have some cash going spare. So easy to read and so rewarding as well.

It's more fungi right now as I have had a few cool finds lately, though I'll be doing more 'tree' stuff as well - don't worry about that. To be honest, I am keeping mainly to the UK when I post stuff that I find, though I am certainly open to exploring the world of trees. I have some great shots of some eucalypts in Croatia, for example. When I psot facts, it'll be pretty much a worldwide thing. Many thanks.

Mad, 'aint it! I do sometimes wonder how much man is responsible for these floods being so significant, however. Building on flood plains, engineering rivers, altering land-use upstream, downstream, and so on. Nonetheless, my heart does go out to those impacted, as their lives really have been turned upside-down.

Thank you! For those who are wondering, you can click the horizontal lines on the top right to get the sidebar (where you can navigate the blog a little more easily).

Evening all, A bit of a shameless plug here, though some of you may very well be interested. I started up a blog a few days ago, where I post things that I find interesting about trees, or photos of actual interesting trees, and so on. I'll look to have new stuff every day or two, so I am sure there are some bits that may be interesting to everyone after a while! You can have a look here - https://arboriculture.wordpress.com/ I'm using a free wordpress blog page for now, as I don't want to pay £85 for a year whlst I still have 2.9GB of image space left! Any feedback on how the blog is set up is appreciated. Cheers, Chris

29/12/15. Fact #111. The old pastures of the UK that were once (or still are) grazed by livestock are home to many of our ancient trees. These ancient trees may be particularly crucial for saproxylic (deadwood) insects, which rely upon their host trees having adequate space to reach their maximum sizes. Because pastures were (or are) routinely grazed, regeneration from seed was (or is) very limited – this has lead to many ancient trees within such pastures being exposed, and having very full crowns (very much the opposite to what we see in closed canopy situations). As saproxylic species require expanses of heartwood and large lateral limbs that have died yet remain attached to the trunk, the conditions generated by grazing are ideal – trees become very broad in girth (to support the heavy crowns) and form wide crowns with large lateral limbs (to maximise photosynthetic capability). Many saproxylic insects also require significant amounts of light, with particular species of longhorn beetle needing large fallen branches to be exposed to plenty of light in order for there to be a viable habitat. Of course, the exact light conditions required will vary between species of insect (some moths will very much pursue shaded hosts), though the incubation effect of the wood from sun-exposed trees (the wood will be warmer) will usually mean that breeding is more frequent and mortality rates of larvae are lower. However, the exact required balance of sun-exposure and shade is not currently known. The benefits of grazing to saproxylic insects do not end just with the tree, however. Because many saproxylic insects require nectar as a food source, there is a necessary access to tall and white flowering herbaceous species such as hogweed. Whilst such plant species are found in pastures, they would not be found under closed canopy conditions. Other flowering plant species, which are usually to be considered trees (namely hawthorn and elder), also act as a critical nectar source. Again, these species are infrequently found within woodlands, and if they are then it would commonly be at a woodland edge or clearing (hawthorn will not flower under dense shade). Sources: Alexander, K. (2013) Ancient trees, grazing landscapes and the conservation of deadwood and wood decay invertebrates. In Rotherham, I. (ed.) Trees, Forested Landscapes and Grazing Animals – A European Perspective on Woodlands and Grazed Treescapes. UK: Earthscan. Siitonen, J. & Ranius, T. (2015) The Importance of Veteran Trees for Saproxylic Insects. In Kirby, K. & Watkins, C. (eds.) Europe's Changing Woods and Forests - From Wildwood to Managed Landscapes. UK: CABI.

Missed that. Just read the Latin, hah! Thanks, David.

I believe it's Kretz, at the moment. I am sure others can confirm.

Yep!

Spotted some more today - made a post about it here: https://arboriculture.wordpress.com/ Twice in two days. Not bad...

I can accept that.

OK, I am reading through this Sparassis crispa article and have the following observations to make (chronologically): - In the abstract, the authors write: "Both compounds [scI and ScII] were found in the decayed wood of trees, where their presence was diagnostic of S. crispa infection." This suggests that, if we take what the authors say literally, S. crispa has caused these antifungal compounds to be present within the decayed wood. - In 1923, sparassol (methyl-2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-6-methylbenzoate) was identified by Falck as an antifungal compound that suppressed the growth of competing fungi, enabling Sparassis crispa to grow without other fungi 'contaminating' its 'territory'. This was ascertained in vitro. - When Sparassis crispa was grown in vitro with other fungi, the following observations could be made: "Growth of H. annosum was almost completely suppressed, and that of Inonotus dryadeus and Rigidoporus ulmarius markedly inhibited. Mutual growth inhibition was evident with Armillaria gallica, A. mellea, A . ostoyae and Stereurn sanguinolentum. With A. tabescens, Coriolus versicolor, Hyphlophoma fasciculare, Phaeolus schweinitzii and Rhizina undulata, no gross inhibition was observed prior to contact, although P. schweinitzii exhibited a strong incompatibility response along the interaction interface." From this, we can allege that, in relation to Armillaria spp., the study suggests they both suppress one-another. - The compunds ScI and ScII persist at a ratio of between 3.8-4.1 in cultures of Sparassis crispa, and over a period of 8 weeks they were observed to markedly increase in abundance. From this, we can posit that Sparassis crispa will synthesise these compounds as it grows at relatively steady rates. - The authors list sparassol, ScI, and ScII, as "orsellinic acid derivatives". This suggests that they are borne from (definitions include: "originating from"; and synonyms include: "imitative, unoriginal, copied") orsellinic acid. Their chemical properties must therefore be at least predominantly similar. Therefore, relating back to Stamets' words (which we all agree that 'parasitises' is the wrong choice of word) and Jules' comments, Jules is indeed correct in asserting that sparassol is not identical to orsellinic acid. - "It is likely that a major part of the antifungal activity that Falck (1923) observed [which he penned was down to sparassol] preventing the contamination of old cultures was attributable to ScI and ScII, rather than to sparassol." We can deduce from this that scientific advancements have lead to older work becoming slightly obsolete, though still relevant from contextual purposes. - The authors confirm that orsellinic acid is produced by Armillaria spp. - More proof is required before it can be stated with absolute confidence that Sparassis crispa suppresses the growth of fungi such as H. annosum via the synthesising of ScI and ScII: "the data available are insufficient for proof." - The authors conclude by saying: "The present study has demonstrated that ScI and ScII occur naturally in wood decayed by S. crispa, at concentrations sufficient to impair the growth of other fungi. It seems possible, therefore, that these compounds may contribute to the suppression of potential competitors, hence allowing S. crispa to persist for an extended period." ...and: "Detection by HPLC of ScI and ScIl in extracts of conifer wood (which in some cases had been exposed to environmental weathering) decayed by S. crispa but not in wood decayed by other brown rot fungi, notably P. schweinitzii" was found. These conclusions are self-explanatory, though I cannot identify where Jules has read that ScI and ScII are present in wood inherently. Therefore, Jules' comment: "What I thought most interesting of all is that ScI and ScII are present naturally in woods, poresumably as antifungal defences, but that S. crispa can tolerate these better than its competitors can, giving it almost exclusive access to colonised (but still living) woody hosts" is without reference. ScI and ScII are not present in wood naturally, if we are to go by this article (and what I interpreted their words as). They are present only in wood decayed by Sparassis crispa. - Jules' comment: "Rather than being parasitism it is out-competition" is something I agree with, though we're arguing with symantecs here. I completely agree that Stamets used the wrong word when he chose to say S. crispa parasitises Armillaria.

Lovely tree. Top it, if it's between that and a fell. Maybe look into making fracture cuts so it's more amenable.

Perhaps (though I am not referring to the S. crispa article as I am yet to read that). Until I reach a state of omniscience, I shall be just as human as the rest of us.

Getting rid of Facebook is a great way to go. Good stuff. I suppose my resolution is to carry on learning (particularly interested in wood decay fungi), amongst a few other things that I need to address on a personal level.

Wonderful - thanks, David. Getting the hang of this a little more now, it seems. Slowly building up that knowledge base! I didn't have anything on me asides from the camera, as it was supposed to be a nice walk with my girlfriend (though quickly turned into a hunt for fungi, of which there was little). I may return next weekend and give the buttress a whack, as I imagine there'll be some hollowing going on around that region.

I wrote up a bit on my blog about Fomes, as well as on my thread on this forum (both can be found as links in my signature). I referenced to this thread for those that do read the blog from outside the forum.

Read the whole journal article. Learned a lot on that one. I posted this over on my blog as well, and back referenced to a few bits and bobs.

28/12/15. Fact #110. Fagus sylvatica, once felled (or following death), can quickly become riddled with decay pockets. It is suspected that fungal endophyte species latently present within the tree's system, which cause no disease / decay symptoms during the host's life, are responsible for the rapid manifestation of decay following death. The exact entry of these endophytes in Fagus sylvatica is not largely understood, though it is anticipated that leaf scars, bud scale scars, the thin periderm, and lenticels are the main means of entry. Laboratory experiments in the past have given weighting to such an assertion, when freshly-cut and healthy branches of Fagus sylvatica were incubated under varying drying regimes. After a period of 14 days, active mycelium could already be observed on the branches, indicating that latent endophytic fungi present at the time of the healthy branches being cut were the species now developing mycelial networks, and it is thought that the reduction in water content and increase of oxygen availability lead to the development of the mycelium (basically initiating the switch from latent to active). Past studies had not shown that Fomes fomentarius, a very common white rot of Fagus sylvatica, could persist within healthy Fagus sylvatica for a period of time before the host's death (or detachment of a part of the tree), though the decay strategy adopted by Fomes fomentarius (in Fungal Strategies of Wood Decay in Trees, the authors here allege, though I cannot find a specific direct reference to this in the book asides from comments regarding colonisation of the xylem in living hosts) suggests that the species should be able to exist as an endophyte prior to the right conditions manifesting within the host. The reason for past studies not showing Fomes fomentarius as an endophyte may perhaps be because past studies looked only at branch wood, whereas Fomes fomentarius is known to principally colonise the main stem and larger limbs of its host. In this study, therefore, samples were taken in February from the 'lower' canopy (diameter: 5-10cm), 'upper' canopy (diameter: 10-25cm), and main stem (diameter: 20-50cm), in order to test whether Fomes fomentarius does indeed exist within healthy wood. 360 main samples were taken from ten (outwardly) healthy Fagus sylvatica, all of which were 70-85 years old, once they had been felled, and then the samples were transported to a laboratory and processed within 24 hours into 2,160 smaller samples. Once the 2,160 samples had been processed and incubated for the duration of the study (either 8, 16, or 24 weeks), mycelium observed to have grown from the samples were analysed, identified, and recorded. Of the 2,160 samples, 61 had mycelial growth of Fomes fomentarius. The table below shows the breakdown of how long it took for the mycelium to begin developing, and in what samples they were found (lower canopy, upper canopy, or stem). What can be ascertained from these readings is that, whilst not a common endophyte (in these samples), Fomes fomentarius can indeed exist latently within a healthy Fagus sylvatica. Analysis of the locations of the samples also suggests that Fomes fomentarius will exist most frequently within the stem, much less frequently within the upper canopy, though not at all in the lower canopy. The data also indicates that Fomes fomentarius will not immediately begin its active mycelial phase following host death, but instead manifest after 16-24 weeks (or even longer, though this study ended after a 24 week period). A period of incubation is thus necessary, and active growth is likely initiated by a change in wood moisture content and the increase of oxygen (which may be the result of cracks associated with the drying wood). The study did also address concerns regarding whether Fomes fomentarius presence was simply a result of contamination post-branch removal, and the authors suggest that because the samples were taken in February, before the sporulating season of the fungus (starting in March across Central Europe, where the study was done), contamination was unlikely. Additionally, because isolates were found growing within heartwood of the main stem and 'upper' canopy (where diameters of samples were over 10cm in diameter, and up to 50cm), it is unlikely that contamination would have caused this - if isolates were found in the xylem of the 'lower' canopy samples that were 5-10cm in diameter, contamination may have been possible. Furthermore, the location of the isolates correlates with the position of Fomes fomentarius sporophores, which are typically found on the main stem of the host. Lastly, all isolates of Fomes fomentarius were genetically different, which means contamination to such extents would have been very unlikely (particularly given the time of year). Interestingly, the study also mentions that there has been evidence recorded by Danby, Boddy, & Lonsdale (but not published, it seems) of Fomes fomentarius being latently present within Betula pendula as well. Source: Baum, S., Sieber, T., Schwarze, F. and Fink, S. (2003) Latent infections of Fomes fomentarius in the xylem of European beech (Fagus sylvatica). Mycological Progress. 2 (2). p141-148.

Hi all, Spotted these old brackets (unfortunately snapped off by some means) on the butt of an oak with distinct buttressing. The oak is rather exposed, on the edge of a woodland that borders a golf course. I'm opting for Pseudoinonotus dryadeus because of the algal green atop, though realise it may be a long shot. Nice buttressing, though. Some extensive decay going on in there, I would expect. Cheers, Chris

No problem at all. Will read through that and the Sparassis crispa article Jules posted on the fact thread, and do a write up for my blog if I can wrap my head around it all properly. Going to explore an old woodland today, in the hope of seeing some fungi.

Great addition there. Shall read that later on. Cheers.