Laura Smith
Mushrooms are the fruit bodies of fungi. They develop from a nodule, or pinhead, called a primordium, which is typically found on or near the surface of the substrate. The mushrooms we are most familiar with are the cultivated white button mushrooms, Agaricus bisporus. However, the term mushroom is also used to describe the fleshy fruiting bodies of some Ascomycota. These gilled fungi produce microscopic spores, which help the fungus spread across the ground or its occupant surface. The spores are produced on the gills and fall in a fine rain of powder from under the caps. They are dispersed through the air, water, or by hitching a ride on an animal, and can remain dormant for long periods of time.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Mushrooms are the fruit bodies of members of the order Agaricales. |
| Identification | Mushrooms are identified through macroscopic structure, microscopic examination, and molecular identification. |
| Parts | Stem (stipe), cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae) on the underside of the cap. |
| Spores | Microscopic structures produced on the gills that help the fungus spread. |
| Spore Dispersal | Spores are dispersed through the air, water, or by hitching a ride on an animal. |
| Spore Colour | White, brown, black, purple-brown, pink, yellow, creamy, cinnamon, and rarely blue, green, or red. |
| Spore Print | A powdery imprint left on a surface by the spores of a mushroom, used for identification. |
| Spore Germination | Spores germinate when they land in a moist place and fuse to form a new fungus capable of producing mushrooms. |
| Reproduction | Mushrooms can release over 1 billion spores per day, with spores shot off basidia and falling between the gills. |
| Uses | Spore syringes are used for cultivating mushrooms, especially for beginners or prohibited varieties. |
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What You'll Learn
Mushrooms use airflows to disperse spores
Mushrooms are the fruit bodies of members of the order Agaricales, whose type genus is Agaricus and type species is the field mushroom, Agaricus campestris. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. The word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes) that have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae, sing. lamella) on the underside of the cap. The gills produce microscopic spores, which help the fungus spread across the ground or its occupant surface.
Mushroom spores are dispersed in a two-phase process. In the first phase, spores are ejected clear of the gill surface by surface tension catapults. In the second phase, the spores are carried by whatever winds are present beneath the mushroom cap. However, it is now known that mushrooms can control the second phase of dispersal. Water vapour loss creates slow airflows that carry spores out from under the mushroom cap and potentially tens of centimetres into the air. This allows mushrooms to spread their spores even in low-wind environments.
The powered phase of spore dispersal requires feats of engineering in the mechanism of ejection and in the spacing and orientation of the gills or pores. However, spore size is the only attribute that has been studied for its influence on the passive phase of dispersal. Spores are typically less than 10 μm in size, so they can be carried by an upward wind of only 1 cm/s. Mushroom spores readily disperse from pilei that are crowded together or close to the ground. Even when mushrooms are isolated from external airflows, an asymmetric tongue of spores is deposited far from the pileus.
Convective cells can transport spores from gaps that may be only 1 cm high and lift spores 10 cm or more into the air. This reveals how mushrooms benefit from crowding and explains their high water needs. A single basidiomycete mushroom can release over 1 billion spores per day, but the probability of any single spore establishing a new individual is very small. Nevertheless, thousands of basidiomycete fungal species rely on mushroom spores to spread across landscapes.
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Spore dispersal is a two-phase process
Mushrooms are the fruit bodies of members of the order Agaricales. They are fleshy and have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae) on the underside of the cap. The gills produce microscopic spores, which help the fungus spread across the ground or its occupant surface.
Mushroom spore dispersal is typically described as a two-phase process. The first phase is the active ejection of spores from the gill surface by surface tension catapults. This powered phase requires feats of engineering in the mechanism of ejection and in the spacing and orientation of the gills or pores. The spores are ejected clear of the gill surface and are carried by whatever winds are present beneath the mushroom cap.
The second phase is passive, where the spores are carried by winds present in the surrounding environment. Even on seemingly windless days, there are slight breezes that can carry spores away from the parent mushroom. These micro-breezes can carry spores higher into the air and over long distances. Additionally, water vapor loss creates slow airflows that carry spores out from under the mushroom cap and into the air, allowing dispersal even in low-wind environments.
The two-phase process of spore dispersal is not limited to mushrooms but is also observed in other fungi, such as cup fungi and puffballs. In cup fungi, the spores are shot up through the top of the ascus (spore-producing structure) by built-up fluid pressure. In puffballs, the tough skin splits to expose the spores to wind and water, allowing them to be dispersed.
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Spores are microscopic
Mushrooms are a type of fungus that produces spores. These spores are microscopic, typically measuring less than 10 μm in size. They are formed on the gills of the mushroom, known as lamellae, and are crucial for the fungus's propagation and dispersal. The gills produce these microscopic spores, which help the fungus spread across the ground or any other surface it occupies.
The process of spore dispersal in mushrooms is usually described as a two-phase mechanism. In the first phase, known as the powered phase, spores are actively ejected from the gill or pore surface through surface tension catapults. This initial impulse propels the spores upwards, clearing them of the gill surface. The spacing and orientation of the gills or pores play a role in this phase.
The second phase is passive, where the spores descend below the pileus, or cap, of the mushroom. At this point, they are carried by air currents present in the surrounding environment. Even in low-wind conditions, mushrooms can control the dispersal of their spores by creating slow airflows through water vapor loss. This allows them to spread their spores tens of centimeters into the air, increasing the chances of successful dispersal.
Studying mushroom spores under a microscope is a common practice in mycology, the study of mushrooms. Microscopic examination plays a crucial role in identifying different species of mushrooms, as the structure and characteristics of spores can vary. Additionally, the color of the spore print, formed when the mushroom's cap is placed gill-side-down overnight, is also used for classification and identification.
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Spore prints are useful for identifying mushrooms
Mushrooms are fungi that have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae) on the underside of the cap. The gills produce microscopic spores, which help the fungus spread across the ground or its occupant surface. These spores are called basidiospores and are produced on the gills. They fall in a fine powder from under the caps as a result of being shot off basidia and then falling between the gills in the dead air space.
To make a spore print, cut off the stem and place the cap, with the gills facing down, on a piece of aluminium foil, a white piece of paper, an index card, or a glass microscope slide. Put a drop of water on top of the cap to help release the spores. Cover the cap with a paper cup or glass and leave for 2-24 hours, depending on the humidity and the freshness of the mushroom. The spores will fall on the paper, foil, or glass, making a spore print pattern. If you have only one specimen to study, just use a portion of the cap. If you don’t want to separate the cap from the stem, make a hole in an index card, place the card on a paper cup, and slide the stem of the mushroom through the hole until the underside of the cap is resting on the card; then proceed as above.
Spore prints can be preserved on paper or foil by spraying them lightly with an artist spray or hair spray. If you already know the colour of the spores, you can pick a coloured paper that will highlight the spore colour.
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Fungi produce billions of spores
Mushrooms are fungi, and fungi produce spores. A single basidiomycete mushroom can release over one billion spores per day. The probability of any one of these spores establishing a new mushroom is very small. However, if all the spores released grew into mushrooms, the spores produced by just one gill would cover 13 square kilometres.
The spores are formed on the gills of the mushroom and fall in a fine rain of powder from under the caps. They are so small and lightweight that they can easily move unseen in the air currents, and most fungal spores are spread by the wind. However, spores are not always released from gills. For example, the puffball pumps out whiffs of spores when jostled or squeezed.
Spores are tiny cells that form on special hyphae and are microscopic in size. They are so small that it takes 25,000 of them to cover a pinhead. They are also lighter than air, and can be carried aloft by an upward wind of only 1 cm/s.
Mushrooms must shed their spores quickly, as both mushrooms and spores have a short lifespan. The main purpose of the mushroom, a fungus's fruit body, is to produce spores so that the fungus can spread.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushroom spores are the first stage in the mushroom life cycle. They are small, single-celled structures that spread the mushroom's genetic material to new locations.
Mushrooms use airflow to disperse their spores. This is a two-phase process: an active ejection of spores from the gills, followed by a passive phase where the spores are carried by wind currents.
Spawn is the commercial term for mycelium colonizing a prepared substrate, such as straw or wood chips. It is used in large-scale mushroom growing operations. Spores, on the other hand, are the reproductive units of mushrooms, similar to seeds in plants.
Cut off the stem of a mushroom and place the cap, with the gills facing down, on a piece of paper or foil. Put a drop of water on the cap to help release the spores, then cover and leave for a few hours. The spores will fall and create a spore print pattern.
Spore colors include white (most common), brown, black, purple-brown, pink, yellow, and creamy shades.
