Mushrooms in nature

In countries with a highly developed industry, the problem of increasing waste is becoming more and more acute, and a decision to eliminate or recycle them has not been found. Since the introduction of synthetic items into our everyday life, the mountains of waste are getting higher every day. But no one knows how to cope with the flow of spent.

The process of photosynthesis

However, this problem characterizes only the human society. And in nature, the solution of the problem was found long ago, millions of years ago. And, most surprisingly, this method is effective until now. Everything that is produced is disintegrated and returns to its original state. Thus there is a cycle between producers, consumers and destroyers. Manufacturers create organic matter from carbon dioxide in air and water. To do this, they need sunlight as an energy source and chlorophyll as a catalyst. These producers are green plants, and the process that they carry out is called photosynthesis. Thanks to this process, plants absorb carbon dioxide, and oxygen is released.

The consumers in this chain are animals. Some of them feed on plants, and others - with meat. The prey of predators are always herbivores.

To destroyers are not only bacteria, but also fungi. They save the world from a layer of dead remains. And to continue to play a role, mushrooms should be represented on the planet everywhere.

However, not all fungi replenish their energy reserves due to the fact that they destroy dead bodies, there are also those that parasitize on living organisms. These are fungi-parasites. Some of them form a vital community with higher plants.

Saprophytic fungi

Saprophytes are organisms that feed on the remains of other plants and animals. This group includes many large fungi( Fig.).They receive nutrients from humus, straw, fallen leaves in the forest, trunks, branches and stumps, manure, feathers, horns and charcoal.

But most saprophytes still prefer certain substrates. For example, a summer summer swamp prefers the remains of deciduous trees, and a falsely-glazed gray-laminated one - conifers. The dung beetle white develops well on soils that are rich in nitrogen.

No less important are microscopic saprophytes, which settle on food and make them unfit for consumption. Mold on jam, fermented juice or a rotten apple - all this is the result of their activities.

Fig.

saprophytes

mushroom parasites Parasites receive the substances they need from living organisms, hosts. As a result of their activities, they either harm or completely destroy the owner. Among large fungi, parasites are rare. It is known, for example, that the fallow fallow settles on living trees. It also happens that parasite fungi parasitize on other mushrooms. For example, a parasitic moss flyer settles on the fruit body of poisonous raincoats( Fig.), And parasitic vulvariella - on golovrushkah.

Fig.

parasitic fungi Microscopic fungi among parasites also play an important role, for example, smut and rust mushrooms require their share of the crop every year. The damage caused by them is estimated at billions of dollars. In the tropics, these fungi cause death of up to 50% of the crop.

Mushrooms-symbionts

In nature, there are fungi that are in symbiosis with green plants. They create mycorrhizas. Mushrooms twine their roots with the smallest roots of plants and draw necessary substances from them. However, these actions do not harm the roots of plants, and thanks to the fungi, they easily obtain necessary mineral substances from the soil. For example, pine seedlings can grow tall only if their roots are covered by certain species of fungi.

Seeds of orchids will germinate only if they are in symbiosis with special mushrooms.

This is why the symbiotic fungi( Fig.) Can be found only next to certain plant species.

Fig.

symbiont fungi Both edible and poisonous fungi are symbiotic, that is, they can not exist without a host plant. Mushrooms that specialize in certain types of trees can disappear if these trees are felled or killed for other reasons.

Lichens as a symbiosis of fungi and algae

There are more than 20 thousand lichen species in total. Lichens form a functionally homogeneous body. Studies have shown that lichen is a symbiosis of fungus and algae.

Ants and fungi

Animals can also form a symbiosis with mushrooms. So, for example, there are mushroom ants. They eat mushroom threads, rich in nutrients, and smash whole garden of mushrooms under the ground.

Ants bring pieces of leaves to their plantations, which they gnaw, thereby creating nutritious soil for mushrooms.