Mushrooms, Nature's decomposer

NATURE'S ART WORK

What a beauty to behold when you see the art work of Nature in display on Mushrooms... they are known to decompose any material. The process and period to finish decomposing any material depends on the properties of that material.

 

From a numerous number to a wide horizon, there is not limit for their existence. Their adaptive habit of existence has given them a wide range of habitat to colonize. They occur on building made of clay-loamy soil, termite hills, standing or falling logs, leaves on the ground floor, dry and moist environments.These are not considered as plant or animals but definitely eukaryotic organism which grow and reproduce sexually and asexually like the living organisms. In shape they are graciously sized to fit their kind species. In sized they form an endowed body mass of chitin and in colours they form nature’s art work; pretty and lovely not to let go off sight without taken a snap shot.

Their fruiting body don’t live long but spores can stand the test of time and there is no place you go that they don’t occur. Out of their activities they create an enabling environment for plant to enjoy a by product as nutrient. 

They do not photosynthesize nor do they hunt for food but break down complex substance by secreting enzymes and at the end animals and plant benefit.

Economic/Biological importance

Some are friendly-edible while others are deadly-poisonous if consumed without caution. Very vital as antibiotics but again can cause permanent deformation in plant or animal if encountered without precaution. Some use for insect control and others as an industrial raw material.

Their role is endless but they are sometimes considered less important. Except for nature that has not failed to acknowledge their wide fitted contribution of this poor-beautiful object, mankind wouldn't find his environment habitable without mushrooms. Like the great scholars, I called them "The Decomposers" which are well known as Fungi.

Forms

Fungi exist in micro forms (not visible to the human eye) or macro forms (visible to human eye 
example are the mushrooms). The study of fungi in science is known as mycology.

Fungi come in diverse forms of shape of umbrella, thread-like, coral form, rounded;  texture and colours.

Reproduction

Reproduction is by the use of spores and in some cases zoospores found at various reproductive vegetative parts(gills) can be dispersed with the aid of water, wind or animals.

Images of few out of Thousands explains nature's art work

Fausse sp  found in Kwano field station, Gashaka Gumti National Park. Photo by Elisha ©2016

Pycnoporus cinnabarinus top surface found in Naraguta hills. Photo by Elisha ©2016

Amanita muscaria Photo by Elisha ©2016

Ganoderma applanatum Dried speciemen on a tree log. Photo by Elisha ©2016

Stereum ostrea Photo by Elisha ©2016

Pluteus umbrosus Photo by Elisha ©2016

Pluteus umbrosus. Photo by Elisha ©2016

Mycena aetites Photo by Elisha ©2016

Pycnoporus cinnabarinus underneath found in Naraguta hills. Photo by Elisha ©2016

Trametes versicolor Photo by Elisha ©2016

Coriolopsis sp  Photo by Elisha ©2016

Lycoperdon umbrinum. Photo by Elisha ©2016

Texture varies among species as some appears woody or soft; jelly or dry forms exist and are well adapted to their environments.

Clavulinopsis corniculata Photo by Elisha ©2016

Amanita bisporigera  found on walls of  buildings in Naraguta community Photo by Elisha ©2016

Lachnum sp found along riparian forest and moist habitat of Kwano field station Photo by Elisha ©2016

Podaxis pistillaris Occurs in Termite hills as observed in Amurum Forest Reserve. Photo by Elisha ©2016

 

Many still in the wild waiting to be discovered, recorded and further be utilized as food or for medicine. If only you could carefully observe a dumping refused site, better still you immediate environment there you could find amazing species of this great Kingdom of organism called Fungi likely to belong to one of this Phyla (Division): Microsporidia, Chytridiomycota, Blastocladiomycota, Neocallimastigomycota, Glomeromycota, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota.

 Never you attempt to consume any mushroom without a confirmatory knowledge even if it's familiar for substrate type can influence it chemical composition.

Sources:

• Kent H. McKnight and Vera B. McKnight Accessed 2016. Peterson field guide. ISBN 0-396-91090-0.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungus accessed 2017.
• Alexopoulos , C. J. , C. W. Mims , and M. Blackwell . 1996 . Introductory
  mycology. Wiley, New York, New York, USA.