What Are Fungi

Neither vegetable, nor animal, how do they eat, grow and reproduce?

The Symbiotes: Sixty percent of fungi live with trees or grass in a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship, using mycorhyza as intermediaries for nutrition passing in both directions (ie the tree feeds the mushroom and the mushroom feeds the tree as they are able to process different nutritional elements). This includes boletes, russules (brittlegills), amanites, lactaires (milkcaps) and chanterelles.

Boletes.

Brittlegills.

Amanita.

Milkcaps.

Chanterelles.

The Decomposers: Thirty-five percent of fungi digest dead vegetable matter, dead animals and faeces. These species make the leaf litter and humus in the forest and include agarics, coprins (inkcaps), cortinaires (webcaps), lentins (shiitake), pholiotes and pleurotes (oysters).

Agarics.

Inkcap.

Webcaps.

Shiitakes.

Pholiotes.

Oysters.

The Parasites: Five percent of fungi digest still living vegetation and animals. They include polypores and ganodermes (brackets), collybies, and armillaires (honey fungi). They regulate the forest.

Polypore.

 Collybia.

 Ganoderma.

 Honey fungus.

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