Mushroom Ecology

Want to read about the unique ecology of SNOWBANK FUNGI? Click for a recent article about these unique mushrooms by Cathy Cripps of MSU.

As the snow melts in the spring, mushroom mycelia grow along the retreating edge of snow as this photo illustrates. Many people notice these spiderweb-like formations but dont realize they are fungal. Dozens of species have adapted to this unique ecological niche and water source, and mushrooms of several sorts can be found near melting snow.

This is a picture of snow fleas in their wintry dwelling, in the snow under some Doug firs. Laccaria laccata mushrooms actually eat these little fellers and since they are mycorrhizal, this may contribute a large amount of the nitrogen that these trees require.

These two pictures show a place where deer apparently dug up and devoured a number of mushrooms growing under the snow. My guess is that these were some sort of Tricholoma or Clitocybe.

This is the shadow of a log that has been pretty thoroughly absorbed by the forest floor. Wood in this condition is an excellent sponge to hold moisture, and fungal hyphae that penetrate ghost logs like this transport water and nutrients to living trees all summer long through their mycorrhizal bond.

This is what it looks like in the grass where Marasmius oreades, the fairy ring mushroom, grows.

Here we see where deer are rooting or digging for truffles, probably Rhizopogon rubescens, under pine. During the summer months, especially late July or August, deer eat a lot of these hypogeous fungi. Studies of deer scat have proven that R. rubescens is commonly eaten.

Here we see some slimey snails ripping into a luscious Geopora cooperi, or fuzzy truffle. But wait! This is no mere buffet! Three more snails approach through the pine needles! Indeed, it is an orgy of snails on top of this lovely smelling fungus. As I watched and photographed, I saw that the half dozen G. cooperi I was watching were being ravaged by snails. But we managed to race them to some others, and somehow won.

Here is a rather dramatic illustration of fungivory by small mammals. Several other photos illustrate squirrel's habit of nibbling or tasting mushrooms, but the whole proximity thing made this a nice picture.

Here is where I turned up a nest of Rhizopogon in the same area where deer were rooting. They often come in clusters like this under the duff layer. I'm not terribly impressed with these as food, but then I don't eat them raw, fresh out of the ground like the deer do. They certainly seem to like them that way.