What are the unusual facts about mushrooms
The existence of fungi and their distribution around the globe is one of the mysterious phenomena. These organisms have not been fully studied by scientists. Discoveries in this area and interesting facts about mushrooms never cease to amaze.
Unusual facts about mushrooms
general description
In nature, there are about 2 million species of mushrooms.
There is a classification for only about 100,000 species. By definition, these are special organisms, inhabitants of both forest and other types of biocenoses, which do not belong to either the plant or the animal world. Scientists have identified them in a separate kingdom of Mushrooms, which is divided into classes, orders, families, genera and species.
Fruit bodies look different, but they contain about 90% water.
Fiber, which is found in all types of forest organisms, makes them look like animal meat. Therefore, mushrooms are sometimes called "forest meat".
Recorded Facts
Many facts and interesting properties have been recorded for a long time.
In scientific circles, they are considered the largest organisms that have ever lived on Earth. They are larger than an elephant or an ancient dinosaur. And this is not an exaggeration. After all, the visible upper part is just a small drop from the whole, which is hidden under the ground. In North American myceliums, sizes reach tens of kilometers and weigh about 100 tons.
A huge mycelium was found in Oregon, weighing more than 200 tons and an area of 900 hectares.
There are many unusual and interesting facts about mushrooms. The most famous are:
- the ability to grow rapidly;
- a huge number of disputes;
- vitality;
- incredible size and weight;
- murderous power;
- ability to glow, etc.
These interesting living organisms survived dinosaurs, the Ice Age and other cataclysms throughout the history of life on Earth. It is not surprising if they outlive humanity at the expense of their qualities.
Unusual properties of porcini mushroom
"The king of the forest" - a white mushroom, is the largest in its kingdom. Its weight can reach 3.5 kg. The pulp remains completely white even when dried.
Amazing mushrooms of this species were found in Egypt, along with its rock carvings, indicating that the ancient Egyptians feasted on such a product and, like us, considered it a delicacy.
Vitality evidence
There are several such facts about mushrooms, testifying to their incredible adaptability and vitality:
- the number of disputes up to 7,000,000,000,000;
- survive at an altitude of more than 35 thousand meters above the Earth;
- have aerodynamic capabilities;
- variety of species.
The mushrooms themselves raise the spores 10 cm from the ground in complete calm. This movement is created by the organism itself. Water evaporating from the body cools its cap, the air around it sinks and a swirl is obtained, which raises spores upward along the edges of the cap.
Some mushrooms survive in sulfuric acid
The vitality of the organism of the fungus will be proved by any housewife who at least once fought at home with mold.It is extremely difficult to remove it, even with powerful chemicals. Cases were revealed when fungi survived in sulfuric acid.
Langermania giant is a direct relative of the common raincoat and forms up to 7,000,000,000,000 spores. If all the spores produced offspring, then the Earth would perish under their weight. Their mass would be 800 times the mass of the earth's macaw.
With an acceleration of 20,000g, a pilobotus spore flies out. For a person, an effort of already 10 g is fatal. During the takeoff of a space rocket, astronauts experience a load of 3 g.
The fact of the physical strength of the body
During its intensive growth, the strength of the body reaches 7 atmospheres.
This is the pressure in the tires of a dump truck, with a thrust of 10 tons. This fact of the power of mushrooms was recorded at the beginning of the 20th century. The hat pierces not only asphalt, but also iron or marble. The desire to survive wins in any conditions.
Facts about predatory tendencies
Several facts about the bloodthirstiness of mushrooms are striking in their realism. These organisms are able not only to feed on worms, but also to set traps on them, to lure them to themselves.
A sticky substance is generated on their surface. Its smell also attracts insects or worms to itself. As soon as a touch occurs, the trap is triggered, and the threads of the mycelium entangle the victim tightly.
Spores can penetrate into a human or other living organism. You can just breathe them in. After which the person will get sick, and the smaller creature will simply die. Mushrooms will continue to develop even inside a dead creature.
Glow in the dark facts
You can see an amazing luminous meadow in the dark forest. This is how myceliums of some species phosphoresce.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
Some species of honey mushrooms, in particular autumn mushrooms, are capable of glowing in the dark. The phenomenon of natural luminescence of organisms is called bioluminescence. This ability of mushrooms was already known to Aristotle and Pliny the Elder, who called it "cold fire". In 1823, they were able to establish a connection between the glow of wood and the mycelium actively growing in it. Sometimes only the substrate in which the mushroom grows can glow, like a mushroom. However, there are species in which the fruiting bodies themselves emit the glow. It is believed that all mushrooms belonging to the genus Armillia and some species from the genus Mycena, in which both mycelium and fruit bodies glow, are capable of bioluminescence.
Ordinary mushrooms can glow on a rotten stump. The sight is admirable. You can go to the forest late at night and return with a basket full of delicious mushrooms.
Legs Fact
Many forest organisms have legs on which their upper parts of the fruiting body - the caps - are located. They cannot move on the ground.
But there is an amazing organism. Its name is slime mold. This relative of fungi is capable of active movement. Although it moves extremely slowly, it still “walks”. Any snail in the race will win this "sprinter".
The description of the slime mold is completely different from other types of its mushroom relatives. Its vegetative body is a mass of plasma with many nuclei and not having a dense shell. Such bodies are called plasmodia.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
In the direction of movement in the plasmodium, outgrowths are formed on the surface of the cell, resembling pseudopods (pseudopodia) of the simplest animals, and the total volume of cytoplasm turns out to be large at the anterior end in the direction of movement of the plasmodium. This polarity is associated with the concentration of potassium at the anterior end of the migrating plasmodium. Measurements of the speed of movement of this creature showed that it is equal to 0.1-0.4 mm per minute.
Interestingly, under unfavorable conditions, plasmodium turns into sclerotium - a thickened, hardening mass. There is a known case when the sclerotia of the slime mold fuligo lay in the herbarium for 20 years.
If you examine the body of a slime mold under a microscope, you can see how protoplasm moves, shimmers and glows inside.Having reached the surface of the tree, the plasmodium begins to reproduce and throws out many processes from the body, transforms into sporulation organs, from which new organisms are born.
Beneficial features
The fact about the healing properties of mushrooms has been proven by doctors. Their chemical composition is not fully understood, but the knowledge gained proves that the presence of amino acids, vitamins, trace elements can be used with benefits for a person, to strengthen his immune system and to fight many diseases.
Back in 1940, the antibiotic penicillin was isolated from the molds of the genus Penicillin. After that, hundreds of soldiers were saved from certain death from sepsis. The antibiotic has firmly entered human life due to the healing properties of these ancient organisms.
Fungi are also used in the manufacture of cheese:
- Some yeast, in the course of its life, synthesize esters that can give the cheese different aromas.
- Some special types of mold (noble mold) from the genus Penicillus are used to produce blue cheeses.
The nutritional value of this product is due to its high protein content. There are practically no carbohydrates in them. Low in cholesterol and saturated fat. With proper nutrition, there is no better substitute for animal or poultry meat.
They are high in selenium, calcium, B2, D, and antioxidants. Therefore, it is good to periodically diversify the menu with dishes, with the addition of forest organisms.
Conclusion
There are a lot of unusual mushrooms on the planet. Some of them resemble marine “relatives”. Others do not look like anything at all, like space aliens. Their lifespan and size are respectable. Polypores grow on trees up to 85 years old and reach 600 kg. In China, a specimen of this species was found, which grew in length by 11 m. Therefore, the unusual amazing properties of organisms are suggestive. It will take many years until scientists can unravel the mystery of the appearance and life of these creatures on our home planet.
