Episode 6: Fungi

ScienceJosh“The Deep, Dark, & Dirty Depths”Environment / EcologyDecember
Written By Kara Nyhan

Mushrooms, Molds, & More!

Part 3 of the Mini-Series: “The Deep, Dark, & Dirty Depths” (non-consecutive episodes)

We’re wrapping up this section of “The Deep, Dark, & Dirty Depths” with a look at fungi and their many different forms! Building on Episode 2: Roots!, Josh goes deeper into the mysterious world of mycelium, molds, mildews, and more. Discover how the fungi, known as molds, became a vital part of medicine and what certain types of fungi have in common with BookTok’s favorite books. Of course, you can’t talk about fungi without talking about mushrooms, and we have quite the example of one out in Oregon!

Discussion Includes:

  • Review of Fungi & Mycelium Systems

  • Mushrooms,

  • Molds,

  • Mildews,

  • Yeasts and more!

  • The Humongous Fungus

©️Wolf & Stag Productions LLC, 2024

Images:

References:

  • Creating spore prints for species identification. Mycological Society of Toronto. (n.d.). https://www.myctor.org/resources/identification/sporeprints 

  • Campbell, N. A. (1996) Biology (4th edition) Benjamin Cummings, New Work. p.69 ISBN 0-8053-1957-3 

  • Ramsbottom, J. (1954). Mushrooms & Toadstools: a study of the activities of fungi. London: Collins.

  • Dickinson C, Lucas J (1982). VNR Color Dictionary of Mushrooms. Van Nostrand Reinhold. pp. 9–11.

  • Hungry Fungi: White-rot fungi eat all components of the wood they decompose | Department of Energy. (n.d.). https://www.energy.gov/science/ber/articles/hungry-fungi-white-rot-fungi-eat-all-components-wood-they-decompose 

  • Wood decay in trees. Forest Pathology. (n.d.). https://forestpathology.org/general/wood-decay/ 

  • WMS Home. Wisconsin Mycological Society. (n.d.). https://www.wisconsinmycologicalsociety.org/ 

  • Smith, M. (n.d.). Micscape Microscopy and Microscope Magazine. http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http%3A%2F%2Fwww.microscopy-uk.org.uk%2Fmag%2Fartjan99%2Fmmould.html 

  • Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024, October 23). Reproductive processes of Fungi. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/fungus/Sexual-reproduction 

  • Visagie CM, Houbraken J, Frisvad JC, Hong SB, Klaassen CH, Perrone G, Seifert KA, Varga J, Yaguchi T, Samson RA. Identification and nomenclature of the genus Penicillium. Stud Mycol. 2014 Jun;78:343-71. doi: 10.1016/j.simyco.2014.09.001. PMID: 25505353; PMCID: PMC4261876.

  • By Dr. David MidgleyUniversity of Sydney, Australia - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1021877

  • By W.J.Pilsak, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=167753

  • Doctors, A. the. (2024, April 8). Black mold should be eradicated by experts. UCLA Health. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/black-mold-should-be-eradicated-experts 

  • Black mold exposure: Symptoms, risks & treatment. Cleveland Clinic. (2024, May 1). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24862-black-mold 

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  • Powdery mildew – vegetables. Wisconsin Horticulture. (n.d.). https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/powdery-mildew-vegetables/ 

  • Downy mildews / RHS. / RHS. (n.d.). https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/downy-mildews 

  • Lifemap NCBI. Lifemap ncbi. (n.d.). https://lifemap-ncbi.univ-lyon1.fr/ 

  • U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). Mushrooms and other fungi. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature/mushrooms.htm#:~:text=Fungi%20are%20a%20large%20group,and%20are%20unable%20to%20photosynthesize 

  • Kurtzman CP, Piškur J (2006). "Taxonomy and phylogenetic diversity among the yeasts". In Sunnerhagen P, Piskur J (eds.). Comparative Genomics: Using Fungi as Models. Topics in Current Genetics. Vol. 15. Berlin: Springer. pp. 29–46.

  • Lahue C, Madden AA, Dunn RR, Smukowski Heil C. History and Domestication of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in Bread Baking. Front Genet. 2020 Nov 11;11:584718. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2020.584718. PMID: 33262788; PMCID: PMC7686800.

  • Kurtzman, C. P. (1994). Molecular taxonomy of the yeasts. https://doi.org/10.1002/yea.320101306

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  • Rust diseases / RHS. / RHS. (n.d.-b). https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/rust-diseases 

  • Smuts / RHS. / RHS. (n.d.-c). https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/smuts 

  • By Thayne Tuason - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66313722

  • Malheur National Forest - Home. Forest Service National Website. (n.d.). https://www.fs.usda.gov/malheur 

  • Schmitt, C. L., & Tatum, M. L. (2008). The Malheur National Forest. https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev3_033146.pdf 

  • Humongous fungus. The Oregon Encyclopedia. (n.d.). https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/humongous-fungus-armillaria-ostoyae/ 

  • Ferguson, B. A., Dreisbach, T. A., Parks, C. G., Filip, G. M., & Schmitt, C. L. (2003). Coarse-scale population structure of pathogenicarmillariaspecies in a mixed-conifer forest in the Blue Mountains of Northeast oregon. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 33(4), 612–623. https://doi.org/10.1139/x03-065 

  • Harris, J. C. (2018, October 19). The darker side – dark honey fungus. The Mushroom Diary - UK Wild Mushroom Hunting Blog. https://www.mushroomdiary.co.uk/2014/11/dark-honey-fungus/ 

Kara Nyhan
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