This Is Why Mushrooms Are Bloody Awesome!

 
Photo: Darvin DeShazer

The world of fungi is diverse and mystifying. Some fungi are delicious fried up or tossed into an omelet, other fungi are sought after for their hallucinogenic properties, and some fungi are thought to be responsible for mass plagues - dancing fever anyone?

Allow me to introduce to you one of the more unusual members of Kingdom Fungi, the Bleeding Tooth Fungus, or Hydnellum peckii which goes by various names often referring to juice or blood. This fungus can be found in North America where it is more common in the Pacific Northwest and resides mostly in coniferous forests. The Bleeding Tooth also makes appearances in Europe and has recently been discovered in both Iran and Korea.

 
Photo: Lacy Smith

Upon a first glimpse of the bleeding tooth fungus, one may dismiss the ruby-red liquid as the blood of some poor forest creature splattered across the white mushroom cap. When inspected more closely, it becomes obvious that the fungus is oozing liquid through its own small pores. The liquid on most specimens does in fact resemble blood, but can also be light pink, yellow, orange or beige in color. Many describe the liquid as blood-like or juice-like; some may think it resembles liquid candy, (the kind sold in vials at the convenience store). Though not uncommon, many people appear stumped when encountering this unusual shroom out in the wild, as is evident in many forum posts and blogs questioning their sanity and asking simply: “What is this thing?” One would think that the existence of these perplexing fungi would be a hot topic during biology class, it’s hard to imagine a middle school biology teacher passing up the opportunity to gross out the students with bleeding mushrooms, but I could be wrong.

 
Photo: Lacy Smith

We are often taught not to eat or touch unusual things that grow wild, but the flashy Hydnellum peckii is not considered toxic to humans, just inedible. This unique mushroom obtains its “inedible” status due to the taste of its flesh and juice which are described as “acrid” or extremely bitter and “peppery.”

 
Photo: Lacy Smith

The aroma of this fungus is often described as being “unpleasant”. The juice itself contains a pigment called atromentin which has been discovered as having anticoagulant properties similar to heparin which is derived from the mucus membranes of slaughtered cattle and hogs. Scientists have also discovered the fungus contains antibiotic properties, effective against streptococcus pneumoniae. The mushroom can also be dried and transformed into a plant based dye for cloth, producing an earthy beige color. Useful as well as mysteriously repulsive, this little fungus is sure to be counted as one of your favorites, that is, once you get over the initial shock of it’s gruesome appearance.

Sources: 1, 2

Scientists Force Fungus to Have Sex to Create Biofuel

Written by Bryan Nelson

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Austrian scientists are putting the ‘fun’ in ‘fungus’ by forcing organisms which are usually asexual to have sex instead.

The hope is that the fungus would then be easier to breed, which would allow researchers to create organisms that are more efficient at degrading cellulose for the purpose of making biofuel.

Originally discovered in the Solomon Islands during World War II eating away at the canvas and garments of the U.S. Army, scientists have long known that the soil fungus Trichoderma reesei was particularly good at converting cellulose– a major component of plant biomass– into glucose. But until now it has been difficult for researchers to improve the fungus because it was believed to be asexual.

Due to the fact that sexual organisms exchange and mix their genetic material when they breed, their traits can be more easily manipulated artificially. Under the assumption that Trichoderma reesei was asexual, scientists looking to improve the fungus were instead limited to techniques like dosing the fungus with radiation or chemicals in order to alter its genetic profile. But that process only created random or unpredictable mutations.

But for the first time since its discovery 50 years ago, scientists can now make the fungus have sex.

Past studies have shown that Trichoderma reesei is genetically identical to another species of fungus, Hypocrea jecorina, which it so happens is capable of sexual reproduction. The primary difference between the two organisms was that Hypocrea jecorina seemed capable of assuming both the male and female roles, whereas Trichoderma reesei seemed only capable of assuming the male role.

So scientists got a novel idea: Why not breed the male-oriented Trichoderma with a female-oriented Hypocrea? The result was a successful mating– the Trichoderma lured into having sex could now be artificially selected for their advantageous genetic traits.

The findings could have largescale ramifications. Researchers want to employ the organisms to make use of the otherwise useless cellulose in sawdust, weeds and other plant scrap to make biofuel. Thus, the primary benefit of fungus sex could be to turn bush into biofuel. But the newly sexualized fungus can also help farmers. Since Trichoderma includes species that help plants by killing harmful fungi, they can be put to use protecting crops we use for food.

Source: LiveScience

Image Credit: V. Seidl, Vienna University of Technology