Come with me into one of the most fascinating kingdoms on earth. A hidden kingdom; from tiny single-celled organisms to the largest living creature on earth … the kingdom of Fungi.
Those magical little red and white toadstools which pop up seemingly out of nowhere, are just the fruit of the fungus, the living body is hidden under the soil, in wood or other food sources. Underground is a mycelium made from a web of tiny filaments called hyphae - some can branch out as much as 1km a day. Until the mycelium produces fruiting bodies, the fungus remains hidden from our sight.
Those magical little red and white toadstools which pop up seemingly out of nowhere, are just the fruit of the fungus, the living body is hidden under the soil, in wood or other food sources. Underground is a mycelium made from a web of tiny filaments called hyphae - some can branch out as much as 1km a day. Until the mycelium produces fruiting bodies, the fungus remains hidden from our sight.
Without fungi, we would effectively be lost under piles, many metres thick, of dead plant and animal remains. Fungi, together with bacteria, are responsible for most of the recycling which returns dead material to the soil in a form in which it can be reused.
They are the vital decomposers in the ecosystem, breaking down dead organisms and biological waste, freeing nutrients for use by other organisms and clearing away their remains. And fungi, unlike bacteria, can continue to function in temperatures as low as -7 degrees.
They are the vital decomposers in the ecosystem, breaking down dead organisms and biological waste, freeing nutrients for use by other organisms and clearing away their remains. And fungi, unlike bacteria, can continue to function in temperatures as low as -7 degrees.
Fungi were once thought to be plants but actually have some features like animals. They are now classified in a kingdom of their own in equal rank with plants and animals. There are thought to be somewhere between 1.5 to 5 million species. It is estimated that only 6% of the world's fungi has been discovered and named.
It's a fascinating and intriguing kingdom.
On an average, about eighty-five BILLION tons of carbon in the form of carbon dioxide is returned annually to the atmosphere mainly by fungi.
Hat throwing fungi distempers and ejects their spores at a remarkable speed which is 100 to 200 times faster than the speed of sound. Human eyes are unable to detect the speed of fungi spores ejection with unaided eyes.
On an average, about eighty-five BILLION tons of carbon in the form of carbon dioxide is returned annually to the atmosphere mainly by fungi.
Hat throwing fungi distempers and ejects their spores at a remarkable speed which is 100 to 200 times faster than the speed of sound. Human eyes are unable to detect the speed of fungi spores ejection with unaided eyes.
Armillary ostoyae (discovered in 1998) is said to be the largest living organism on earth. It is a 3.5-mile-wide mushroom located in Oregon's Malheur National Forest. This honey mushroom covers more than 2,200 acres of the forest floor (equal to 1665 football fields). Sadly I haven't had the privilege of photographing it!
The cap of the mushroom is full of spores, it sends its spore-children as far away as possible, so the offspring don’t compete with their parent for nutrients. When it's time to eject their spores, mushrooms release water vapour. The water evaporates, cooling the air immediately surrounding the mushroom. This cooler air is denser than warm air, and so it flows out and away from the mushroom, creating lift. This lift can carry spores up to 4 inches (10 cm) both horizontally and vertically.
Researchers from Yale University have discovered fungus in the rain forests of Ecuador that eat polyurethane. It’s the first microbe found to survive exclusively on plastic and it can do so in anaerobic (oxygen-free) environments, meaning it could potentially thrive at the bottom of landfills. Could this be a solution to some of the world's waste problem?
In the Italian University of Torino they have found a way to use fungus to strip iron from asbestos so that it is no longer carcinogenic.
In the Patagonian rain forests of South America, there is a fungus called Gio cladium roseum that grow inside Ulmo trees and produces a number of hydrocarbons and their derivatives. This fungus eats cellulose - stalks, sawdust and wood chips and produces diesel fuel and more efficiently than any other known method, according to researchers.
I can't help wondering about the wild possibilities in this seemingly unlimited kingdom ... the yet-to-be-discovered wonders ... that are quietly, unnoticed, fulfilling their purpose.
In the Italian University of Torino they have found a way to use fungus to strip iron from asbestos so that it is no longer carcinogenic.
In the Patagonian rain forests of South America, there is a fungus called Gio cladium roseum that grow inside Ulmo trees and produces a number of hydrocarbons and their derivatives. This fungus eats cellulose - stalks, sawdust and wood chips and produces diesel fuel and more efficiently than any other known method, according to researchers.
I can't help wondering about the wild possibilities in this seemingly unlimited kingdom ... the yet-to-be-discovered wonders ... that are quietly, unnoticed, fulfilling their purpose.
Lichen is a type of composite organism which consists of a fungus and an alga living in symbiotic association.
Little did I know when I first started photographing fungus, what a magical world I had stumbled upon. It was their quirky beauty which drew me to them in the first place, but I had no idea of the extent and versatility of the kingdom. The more I've learnt, the more amazed I am at the magnitude and intricacy of God's creation.
I love every little detail of a life cycle that disposes of rubbish while providing the exact nutrients that are needed for the ecosystem. I love that it all goes on quietly, largely unseen but absolutely vital to a healthy environment. What a picture of God at work in our lives – largely unseen until the fruit appears.
This hidden kingdom reminds me of a quote by CS Lewis, " We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with him. He walks everywhere incognito."
I love every little detail of a life cycle that disposes of rubbish while providing the exact nutrients that are needed for the ecosystem. I love that it all goes on quietly, largely unseen but absolutely vital to a healthy environment. What a picture of God at work in our lives – largely unseen until the fruit appears.
This hidden kingdom reminds me of a quote by CS Lewis, " We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with him. He walks everywhere incognito."
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