Fungi: Did You Know?

Map Branches

• Fungi are critical to forest renewal after a fire.
  • The first fungi appear within weeks.
  • Insects are attracted to the smell of the early species.
  • Insects lay eggs, and the larvae feed safely inside mushrooms.
  • Birds and animals eat the mushrooms and larvae.
  • Their scat in the burn area reseeds the forest.
• In forest ecosystems, underground fungi move nutrients around.
  • Where there are several species, fungi move nutrients from one root system to another
  • Fungi at roots support small trees until they get large enough to take in sufficient light
• Fungi have many different forms
  • Yeasts are one-celled microscopic fungi
  • Molds are filamentous microscopic fungi
  • Smuts are fungi that cause plant diseases
  • Lichens are fungi/algae symbiotic pairs
  • Mycelia and mushrooms have many varieties
• Ants and termites "farm" fungi
  • Ants and termites feed mycelia to their larvae
  • The mycelia secrete antibiotic substances, protecting the insects
  • When the colonies are abandoned, the mycelia live on the debris
• Fungi build soil
  • They grow though plant debris
  • They hold moisture and nutrients
  • They decompose dead matter into basic nutrients
  • When they die, they release their nutrients
• Fungi are more similar to animals than plants.
  • They must eat to live.
  • They cannot make their own food.
  • They secrete digestive enzymes before absorption.

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