Mushroom Mania

My favorite part about the field trip had to be both learning about the different functions of fungus, as well as learning about the different species of fungus.  The most memorable was the boletus, as they had unique spore pores rather than gills.  They also had a large and meaty structure compared to many skinny stalked mushrooms.  The two types that were highlighted were the saprophytes and the symbionts.  There were some examples of parasitic fungus, but they weren't as much of a highlight for me in comparison.  Some examples were given with douglas firs having some sort of fungal infection, and bleeding out sap as a defense system to flush out the contamination and possibly even scabbing over the wound.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but i believe a young forest or the beginning of a forest will contain more saprophytes, which break down organic matter and make the nutrients available to plants.  These are found more commonly in disturbed areas whether that would be the edge of a forest or simply where a nurse log has fallen.  The symbionts on the other hand are connecting trees and other plants within a forest, acting as a network.  They help maintain balance and create a communication between different parts of a forest, and also acts as a immune system booster.  Some consider this connection comparable to the internet, neurons or even to function as the mind of a forest.  The shapes and patterns between the three systems are strikingly similar, and can be seen below.

mushrooms at pine ridge park

        The most interesting thing that I learned about mushrooms while at the park was that the fungi mycelium could reach such a vast expanse. It is crazy to think that a single, small mushroom can have so much going on under the surface. Moreover, I was really interested in the fact that mushrooms can communicate with each other below ground, not only to each other, but with the trees in which they have a symbiotic relationship with.

        Fungi are very important to the ecosystem because they break down the material and debris of dead organisms. This decomposition adds to the richness in the soil. Basically, mushrooms allow the death of organisms to be the beginning for others. They are the key player in the recycling that nature is known for. 

        A type of fungus that I learned about has a common name of "Chicken of the Woods", scientific name, Laetiporus. I learned that they are edible and that they are called their common name because some people say that they taste like chicken. They can be identified because they feed on decaying trees, and are orange and yellow in color. They appear as "shelves" on trees, and they grow in clusters. The lip of the fungi is a lighter yellow color, while the closer to the base of the tree, the fungi is darker and orange.  

Here are some fungi photos that I took on the fungi trip!

Mushrooms at Pine Ridge Park

I really enjoyed going out and learning all about different kinds of mushrooms. I was surprised by how many different categories and types of mushrooms there were just at Pine Ridge Park. One of the most interesting things we discussed on the field trip was the relationship between plants and fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi have mycelium networks that are actually more effective at gathering nutrients and water from the soil than actual plant roots. Nearly all plants on Earth rely on these fungi for those nutrients, but it isn't just the plant that benefits from this relationship. Plants give their accompanying fungus plenty of carbohydrates, which are produced during the photosynthesis process.

Not only is fungi an important part of the ecosystem because of the benefits it gives plants, but it also breaks down dead and decomposing organic matter. Fungi decompose what is dead, and in turn, provide essential nutrients for growing plants. They are a necessary part of a functioning ecosystem.

One species that we saw during the field trip that I really found interesting was the Inky Cap. Inky Caps range from a pale white to light brown, and secrete a dark black goo that can actually be used as ink. But the mushroom doesn't exist with the goal of writing in mind, inky caps liquefy their gills as a way of dispersing their spores quickly and efficiently.

Pine Ridge Park - The Fungal Jungle

Mushrooms are extremely fascinating to me because of their complexity and vast mysteriousness. They play a crucial role in the environment as decomposers, being to break down lignin is of most importance in maintaining a healthy ecosystems. Not only are they decomposers but they also share a symbiotic relationship with plants with fungi called Mycorrhizae. One of the things I learned while on our field trip to Pine Ridge Park was that there is a certain type of mycorrhizae fungi called Ericoid mycorrhiza that is only associated with plants from Ericaceae family, including plants like Salal, huckleberries, blueberries, rhododendrons, cranberries, among others that are native to our region in Western Washington.


Ericoid mycorrhiza is a saprotrophic fungus that breaks down dead and decaying organic matter such as wood and is a ectomycorrhizae that forms and attaches itself to the outside of the plant roots. This could be an explanation of how huckleberries are able to grown on dead stumps and nurse logs.

Although I didn't find this mushroom while on our field trip I still found it and was able to ID it. I found this while on a hike in the cascades near Snoqualmie Pass. It is a Fly Agaric, Amanita muscaria, the red cap and white dots are a distinguishing feature. The ring on the stipe is another characteristic that aids to the identification of this species which is the fruiting body of an ectomycorrhizae fungi.

Here are some other mushrooms I found in the Arboretum recently..

Pine Ridge Park

                                                       Cap and stipe of mushroom.                Mold eating away at a mushroom               A mushroom eater.

By far the most interesting thing that I learned on the field trip was how Ectomycorrhiza fungi can form extensive networks within the soil and that nutrients can move between different plants through the fungal network. These networks might even facilitate communication between trees and in the form of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous transfers. This network can communicate that there is an approaching fire, a parasitic fungus, or even an insect infestation. Of course, the first thing that came to mind was that this sounds exactly like the world described in Avatar.

Left: Pollypore mushroom. Right: Gilled mushroom

I also did not know the extent to which mycorrhizae was pared with plants. 95% of all known plant species have a mycorrhizal association with a fungus. This illustrates the importance of fungus in an ecosystem beyond their ability to decompose biomass. Even though we may not see the fungus, it is there, protecting and feeding our plants with necessary nutrients, and without them, the ecosystem would collapse. 

One of the first species that we came across was Laetiporus conifericola (chicken of the woods). It is a plant pathogen, affecting mainly fir, spruce, and hemlock. It has a fleshy fruiting body comprised of overlapping shelves. The top of the cap is bright orange while the underside is yellow and porous.

Laetiporus conifericola. (photo from wikipedia)

Hairy Cat's Ear (Hypochaeris radicata) - Survey

Hypochaeris radicata - hairy cat's-ear
Family: Asteraceae

I chose to do a survey of a large grassy area next to my house. Since Taraxacum officinale was already picked, I decided to do its closely related cousin hairy cat's-ear. The field where my survey took place is in Edmonds adjacent to Esperance Park at the end of 223rd SW and 76th.

There is a drainage ditch that runs through the site and could almost be a seasonal creek. The site receives about 6-10 hours of sun a day on the NE half of my transect and approximately 3-5 hours of sun exposure to the SW half of transect. The trees on the south side provide shade.

There are mixed grasses, dandelion, plantain, buttercup, thistle, teasel, and clover that also occupy the transected area. On the west side is a eastern facing slope with Himalayan blackberry.

In totally there were 52 hairy cat's-ears in my transect, which is about 4.33 per survey point. There were noticeably more counted in the NE half of transect with hardly any growing in the SW half.

Cherry Creek Falls Duvall

I chose to do my research assignment on oregon grape.  This quadrant was located in Cherry Creek falls in Duvall/Carnation.  About a mile in on the main trail there is a wrecked car on the right side, and just a few feet ahead is a second trail which leads to this site.  The area has moss covered trees and the ground is very wet and muddy considering it hasn't rained for a few days.  Up the hill on the second trail, it begins as sword ferns, but about 15 feet up it becomes a mixture of sword ferns and oregon grape, and tapers off to just oregon grape.  The average between quadrants was six, with more further up the trail than near the bottom.

I'm not exactly sure why the oregon grape and sword fern were in distinct separate locations, but I have a few ideas.  One might be because of water usage and how water travels throughout this hillside, which might explain why ferns were mostly at the bottom of the hill. Sword ferns might not be as drought tolerant as oregon grape.  The other prospect could be because of light, which the bottom of the hill received more of.  I could see this technique being helpful with pin pointing what might cause a population to decline.  Different samples could be taken from separate areas, and habitat differences between the two may explain why one area has a thriving species while the other area(s) are lacking.  Quadrant samples could be different sizes as well depending on population density.