jenniferquaintance's Journal

Upon walking around Mount Royal, I was able to observe what I believe to be a Fairy Ring Marasmius Mushroom (Marasmius oreades). It was quite small but upon further research I’ve learned that this species can have a cap width of about 2 inches but spends most of its life cycle as mycelium. Like most fungi, marasmius oreades prefers a moist environment, or else the mushroom will shrivel up. But after a rain, mushrooms are able to perk back up, which I found quite cool!

Fairy ring mushroom. Missouri Department of Conservation. (n.d.). Retrieved October 22, 2021, from https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/fairy-ring-mushroom.

Something that I feel that I have yet to learn a lot about is the importance of fungi and decomposers in an ecosystem. During my hike of Mt Royal I came across a log with what I believe to be apart of Genus Trametes. It immediately struck my eye, due to the contrast of white against brown hues. Upon further research, it is considered to hold many healing properties (https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/trametes). In the environment, fungi are play an important role in simplifying nutrients from dead organisms into something that primary producers can use to survive. I hope to learn more about the roles of fungi in BIOL 111 at McGill.