BIRD’S NEST FUNGI nidulariaceae

PARASITIC STRUCTURES

BASIC INFORMATION

: birds nest fungi belong to the saphrophytic fungi family: the saprobic species of fungi feed on decomposing organic matter: nidulariaceae have a widespread distribution in most ecological regions : to date, there are 5 sub-species of nidulariaceae, which are distinguished from eather other by structural differences

crucibulum: identified by a light to tan peridium [body] that is comprised of a single layer of tissue

cyathus: identified by a gray brown to dark brown perdium that is lined with bristles

mycocalia: identified by a barrel to lens shaped peridium that stems from a living plant

nidula: identified by cup or urn shaped peridium that are lined with up to 3 separate layers of tissue

nidularia: identified by spiny, compacted peridium wall and noted for growing in large clusters

THE 5 TYPES

1 2 3 4 5

BIRD’S NEST FUNGI nidulariaceae

PARASITIC STRUCTURES

HABITATION + COLONIZATION

: birds nest fungi are commonly found growing on decaying wood, enriched soils, bark mulch, animal dung and some living vegetation: nidulariaceae can grow at heights of 2146 m above sea level: can multiply asexully with spores or sexually with meiosis: obtain nutrients from dead organic matter: considered to have a positive impact on their environment

SPORE DISPERSION: nidulariaceae disperse their spores differently in response to the various environments they inhabit: crucibulum are shaped with walls at a 75 degree angle to nadir, and use the kinetic energy of falling rain to free the spores that adhere to nearby plant matter: all other species adhere to the same basic principle, but those species with bristles can disperse additional spores

INTERNAL STRUCTURE: the “eggs” in the birds nest are formally called peridioles, and grow from nutrients obtained by the peridium: the peridioles contain the hapteron, which contain the spores or crystals that allow the fungi to spread and attach to other matter

BIRD’S NEST FUNGI nidulariaceae

PARASITIC STRUCTURES

CRYSTALS

: birds nest fungi have been discovered to produce enzymes, or crystals, that are contained within the peridioles: generally, these crystals enable the species to colonize aggressively and quickly, without harm: to date, only the nidula + cyathus families are known to produce these chemical crystals

MOSSbryophyta

PARASITIC STRUCTURES

BASIC INFORMATION:

: all mosses are classified as bryophytes, meaning they are non-vascular plants: there are over 12,000 species of mosses worldwide, but they can all be identified by clearly differentiated “stem” + “leaf” structure: moss can inhabit almost anything, and is nearly entirely self-reliant for reproduction

HABITATION + COLONIZATION

: moss is entirely reliant on water to survive, and generally grows in areas where sunlight is scarce and water is plentiful: while not intrinsically harmful, moss often colonizes on living structures [trees, groundcover, etc.] and can cause rot or prevent the host structure from repelling water or absorbing sunlight

SPORE DISPERSION

: moss spores fall constantly onto exposed surfaces: if the spores fall onto an area exposed to wind and rain, moss can overtake the area within years of cultivation: moss can also inhabit porous substances which are highly water retentive

MOSSbryophyta

PARASITIC STRUCTURES

MICROSCOPIC STRUCTURE::the types of moss structure are consistent with the way in which the moss absorbs + process water via photosynthesis

dicranum scoparium

lecodon sciuroides

orhtotricum thuidium tamariscinum thuidium tamariscinum

orhtotricum orhtotricum

grimmia pulvinata