BIOL213 | PLANT BIOLOGY | SPRING 2017

PINE RIDGE PARK FUNGI FIELD TRIP 

Megan Thees

Mahonia (Berberis) nervosa   Low Oregon grape and Gaultheria shallon (Salal) are usually found near each other  (Identifying source: http://soundnativeplants.com/nursery/species-descriptions/trees-and-shrubs/)

Mycorrhizal networks: underground hyphal created by Mycorrhizal  fungi found near a Acer macrophyllum  Big leaf maple. Mycorrhizal networks connect neighboring plants and help transport water and nutrients including nitrogen and carbon along with others. (Identifying source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycorrhizal_network)

Shelf Fungus also called Bracket Fungus, Basidiomycete found on a fallen log in a damp wetland park.   (Identifying source: https://www.britannica.com/science/shelf-fungus)

Cup Fungus growing on a pinecone. Ascomycota bearing spores on the surface of the cup. Some cup fungus are pathogenic  (Identifying source: https://www.britannica.com/science/cup-fungus)

Lichen a symbiotic relationship between cyanobacteria, algae  and fungi (Identifying source: https://www.britannica.com/science/lichen)

Salal (Gaultheria shallon)-Leaf Spots a fungus that eats away at the leaf (Identifying source: https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/salal-gaultheria-shallon-leaf-spots)

Rubus spectabilis   Salmonberry (identifying source:  http://soundnativeplants.com/nursery/species-descriptions/trees-and-shrubs/)

How to identify a Salmonberry plant, one leaf consists of 3 leaflets and if you fold back the center leaf the two remaining leaves resemble a butterfly!

Coprinopsis atramentaria inky cap decomposing mushrooms. Can be eaten but some are poisonous especially when mixed with alcohol. Most species have black spore prints and gills. The gills liquify as the spores mature. Liquifying the gills is an efficient way to disperse spores  (identifying source: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/coprinoid.html)

Questions: 

• Discuss at least 2 organisms (fungi, plant, animal) that you saw on the fungi field trip. Tell us at least one thing you learned about that organism.
• See photo captions
• Did you learn something about fungi or plants that surprised you?
• I did not know to the extent of the ecology in forests. It amazes me how everything is connected through mycelia networks underground, working together to transport water and nutrients to each other. Of course not everything works in harmony and some fungi are pathogenic, but even the pathogenic fungi do good in decomposing fallen trees and recycle them back into the earth. 
• Reflection: What was something that you observed on the fungi field trip? What was something you learned?
• I saw shelf fungus growing on a fallen log. Some shelf fungus can be pathogenic, so I wonder if this tree died because of the shelf fungus or if it started growing on the log after it had died. I learned that even though some fungi are pathogenic, they still do good in that they work as decomposers in order to recycle the material back into the ground. Without decomposers we would not be able to build tall buildings with sturdy foundations and the ground would continue to pile up really high. 
• Write at least 3 scientific questions based on your observation.
• What symbiotic relationship do Oregon grapes and salal plants have in order to always find them together in the forest? 
• What chemistry occurs to make a person sick after eating an inky cap along with alcohol? 
• Will leaf spots wipe out a whole plant or can the plant recover and continue to thrive without treatment? 
• Write 1 hypothesis based on the questions above.
• Salal plants can survive even when affected with leaf spot fungus