Educational Trunk, page 3

Slide show 1: Identifying Mushrooms I (20 minutes)

TEACHER READ THIS:
These slide shows are marked, numbered, and separately boxed. Program 1 is marked in blue; when properly inserted in a carousel projector tray, the blue marks will face up. Program 2 is marked in red the same way. Program 3 is black.

This program compares the many different body types of fungi, and the vocabulary used to describe them. The class will first learn the difference between the mushroom (fruiting body) and the fungal MYCELIA (plural) MYCELIUM (singular) that grows in soils worldwide. We will learn the parts of the mushrooms and the meaning of terms such as cap and stem, gills or pores, cespitose or solitary, stemmed or stemless, and see a jelly fungus, morel-like cup fungi, coral mushrooms, and puffballs illustrated. The term "sex type" refers to the distinction between two different forms of fungal sexual reproduction, Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes. The term "body form" refers to the different physical shapes that distinguish these 2 sorts of fungi, as well as shapes that are associated with yet other, more complicated aspects of fungal taxonomy and nomenclature. These terms are also used in the flashcards.

This will give the students some of the terms and concepts they will need to identify fungi. Important terms are highlighted in the text and appear on the screen.

A worksheet for this slide show follows the narrative. You may copy them and have the students fill them out for homework or class work.

NARRATIVE

  • Slide 1: (Many Mushrooms) This program is about mushrooms: What they are and how to identify them. Mushrooms are the reproductive organs, or fruiting bodies of fungi. These fungal "fruits" produce millions of microscopic
  • Slide 2 (microphoto of spores) spores, which are like tiny seeds. These spores are only a few thousanths of a millimeter around. They will germinate to produce
  • slide 3 (mycelia) ...mycelia, the tiny thread-like strands of fungus that decompose wood and recycle dead plant and animal material. These tiny white fibers grow throughout the soil, and there may be miles of mycelia in a single handful of forest soil. This is the growing part, or the vegetative part of the fungus.
  • Virtually all fungi pass through most of their life cycle as mycelia. In some fungi, the mycelia break into individual units when growing in a rich medium. One rich medium is bread dough, and we call this fungus "yeast". Some species mycelia smell sweet and others smell moldy or rank. These smells are characteristic of each species, and independent of the age of the fungus.
  • Slide 4 (FAIRY RING) Although it is difficult to see the threads of mycelia in the soil, we can see the effects they have. Here the fairy ring fungus has created dark rings in this lawn. If you look carefully you can even see the small tan mushrooms.
  • Slide 5 (different hygrophorus) Even so, different species' mycelia are virtually impossible to tell apart, so fungal identification is based on the appearance of the mushrooms that produce the spores. This program will show you some of the features of mushrooms that we use for identification. We will start by looking at the basic parts of a mushroom.
  • Slide 6 (diagram of mushroom) The most common body type for mushrooms is the "cap and stem" body form. These mushrooms always have a cap (or pileus), a stipe (or stem), and often have gills (or lamellae) under the cap, where spores are produced. Often we find an annulus (or ring) around the stipe, and sometimes the base of the stipe is swollen into a round bulb. Some mushrooms have root-like rhizomes growing out of the base of the stem. In the following slides you will see examples of what each of these parts looks like.
  • Slide 7 (R xeramelina mushroom gills) This is what gills look like
  • Slide 8 (gills) some gills are dark (photo by maria mantas)
  • Slide 9 (R nigricans gills) other types of gills may be light in color.
  • Slide 10 (Lentinellus)This mushroom's gills are said to be serrated, or saw-toothed.
  • Slide 11(aa19) Another type of spore producing surface is called pores, which are hundreds of tiny tubes packed together like straws in a box. The tiny spores come out of these pores and fly away on the slightest breeze.
  • Slide 12 Mushrooms with pores come in many different shapes (Pyncoporus alboluteus)
  • Slide 13(Bolete photo Keith Leatherman)
  • Slide 14 (of Steven Truedell)) and they come in all sizes.
  • Slide 15 (B RUBRIPES) Notice that some mushrooms stain when handled. This mushroom's pores can even be written upon. How do you think it tastes?
  • Slide 16 (E. tinctorum) A third type of spore bearing surface is toothed. These spines may be tough and brittle, like on this toothed conk
  • Slide 17 (S.calvatium) or tiny and smooth, like on this fleshy Sarcodon.
  • Slide 18 (A. xanthoderma) the Stem or stipe of the mushroom is also important to notice when identifying a mushroom. Some have a noticeable ring around them.
  • Slide 19 (Cort traganus) Others have a spider-web like veil.
  • Slide 20 (A gemmata) All these different shaped rings and veils are called the annulus. The unique textures and forms of the annulus are used to tell mushrooms apart..
  • Slide 21 (Amanita smitiana) Another important feature in identifying mushrooms is the mushroom cap. Sometimes the cap is covered with scales or warts that can be wiped off
  • Slide 22(Gomphidius) Other times the cap is smooth (photo Keith Leatherman)
  • Slide 23 (S. floccopus) and other times the cap is covered with matted hairs.
  • Slide 24 (Omphalotus) or tiny hairs called fibrils.
  • Slide 25 (Stropharia) Another important feature to observe when identifying mushrooms is whether they are growing singly,
  • Slide 26 (Armillaria) or whether many mushroom stems are all joined together at the base, in a condition we call cespitose
  • Slide 27 (jj14-mme) Other mushrooms do not have a stem at all; They grow directly out of a log or other material. We call this stemless condition sessile.
  • Slide 28. (oyster) Many different groups of fungi produce mushrooms that are sessile. It is sometimes difficult to tell whether a mushrooom has a stem or not.
  • Slide 29 (Coral) And some mushrooms do not have a cap at all! This coral-shaped mushroom looks like a big yellow bunch of broccoli, or coral from the ocean.
  • Slide 30 (C. cinerea) while this one looks like purple spaghetti
  • Slide 31 (C. truncatus) Other mushrooms have a funnel-shaped appearance. This is a primitive kind of mushroom that is found in mature forests. These mushrooms live for a long time and reproduce slowly.
  • Slide 32 (guepiniopsis) Some mushrooms have a transparent, jelly-like texture. They grow on decaying logs and may be blob-like and look like a gumdrop,
  • Slide 33 (aussie jelly or tree ear) or they may be wiggly and wrinkled like brains or ears.
  • Slide 34 (puffball) other mushrooms are shaped like round balls, such as these puffballs.
  • Slide 35 (puffballs, Keith Leatherman) Some of these mushrooms may weigh 20 pounds, and they never develop a cap and stem no matter how big they get.
  • Slide 36 (morel --if there are shouts of excitement at this slide, you have mushroom pickers in class) There is another completly different group of fungi called the Ascomycetes, or Cup Fungi. Some cup fungi, like these morels, produce spores in the pits on the OUTSIDE of the cap.
  • Slide 37 (Sarcosphaera) These fungi have a different way of producing sexual spores. instead of producing them on gills underneath a cap, the spores are formed on the inside of a cup-shaped structure. When a wind disturbs these mushrooms,
  • Slide 38 (boom) ....they literally explode in a volcano of shooting spores. There are many different Body Forms in the Ascomycete sex type. We will see more examples of Cup Fungi in the next program.
  • Slide 39 (Amanita) So to review, What are the 6 parts of a mushroom? cap, gills, stipe, annulus, bulb, rhizomes. What? I CANT HEAR YOU!
  • Slide 40 (gill & pore together)The mushrooms which have caps and stems may have gills, pores, or teeth underneath.
  • Slide 41 There are thousands of these unusually shaped mushrooms called CUP fungi,
  • Slide 42 JELLY fungi all have a characteristic rubbery to Jelly like texture
  • Slide 43 FUNNEL SHAPED mushrooms may be large or small
  • Slide 44 BALL SHAPED puffball mushrooms shoot out spores when dry
  • Slide 45 CORAL SHAPED mushrooms may be white, yellow, purple, pink, or other colors
  • Slide 46 Many different kinds of mushrooms have a cap and stem,
  • Slide 47 while other mushrooms are SESSILE
  • Slide 48 and when many stems are joined at the base, we have CESPITOSE groups.
  • Slide 49 (group of mushies) There are many cool shapes and textures of mushrooms. Mushrooms are the reproductive part of fungi.
  • Slide 50 Now you'll know what you're seeing when you look at the white fibers on these pine needles. It's MYCELIA, the growing part of the fungus.

    This ends our first program. Be sure to fill out your vocabulary sheets for this unit. You may draw and use written descriptions to complete the sheets.

    WORKSHEET for MUSHROOM IDENTIFICATION program 1 Name: Write the definition of each term. You may use drawings to Class: clarify your statements. (20 points possible) SPORES

    MYCELIUM (plural: mycelia)

    CAP

    STEM

    GILLS

    RING

    BULB

    RHIZOMES

    PORES

    TEETH

    CESPITOSE

    SESSILE

    CORAL SHAPED

    FUNNEL SHAPED

    BALL SHAPED

    JELLY LIKE

    QUESTIONS: - Answer in complete sentences if possible.

    What are mushrooms?

    What is the growing part of the fungus? the reproductive part of the fungus?

    What are spores?

    Describe 2 types of mushroom ring.

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