Bioluminescent fungi

[Cyclingrelf]

I've been out camping for the past 6 days and noticed this where my husband had pulled up an old rotted stump:



Apparently, there are more than 75 species of known bioluminescent fungi, but I'd never seen one before so was delighted with my find
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bioluminescent_fungi

 

[Cyclingrelf]

Incidentally, I went back in daylight and photographed the stick that had drawn my attention whilst answering the call of nature during the night:

 

[Cyclingrelf]

For those with a scientific bent, National Geographic have produced a video about a study being performed in Brazil as to why fungi bioluminesce.
[video]http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/magazine/150213-ngm-glowing-mushrooms?source=relatedvideo[/video]

At the moment, noone knows whether the glow has a purpose. The fungus I found appeared to only be glowing within the rotting wood, so was only exposed when my husband ripped up the stump, and it appeared to glow more brightly after rain. I have also discovered the green glow has a cool name: "Foxfire".

 

[Trotsky]

It's a little eerie looking isn't it? You're quite right though, Foxfire is a cool name.

 

[Pioneer72]

If I could bioluminesce then I would, just for it being so cool

I propose there is no purpose to it other than just being the coolest 'shroom in the woods

 

[Robson Valley]

One biochemical hypothesis:

Fungi take in complex molecules and break them apart for simpler nutrients and energy.
In the process, much more energy is released than the fungus metabolism can deal with.
To avoid getting cooked, they shed the excess energy as light.

Now, why don't all fungi use this same strategy? Poor efficiency in the first place?

 

[Leshy]

It's fascinating stuff and I love mushrooms and mycology.

These are very inconspicuous in daylight but in the dark they do this....how wonderful.

Robson's theory (as it should be known from now on...&#128512 makes sense and its most probably correct.

I'd have hazarded a guess that it was something to do with some symbiotic relationship with insects whose existence and attraction to the glow, would greatly benefit the culture.
As a natural "bait" or lure...

Bit I'm just making it up...
Robson makes more sense.



Foxfire is beautiful
Thanks for sharing Cyclingrelf

 

[Robson Valley]

I have seen bioluminescent fungi just twice that I can recall.
Cyclingrelf, thanks so much for the pictures. Fascinating.


Well it's a hypothesis. Those can be tested by experiment.

Green plants, specifically the chloroplasts, release red light (Stoke's Law, I suppose) to avoid photo bleaching.
While that's not bioluminescence, it serves the purpose.

 

[Janne]

The last time I saw glowing fungi was at a Scout camp in Czechoslovakia in 1967. Still remember how beautiful it was.
Here we have glowing sea creatures.

 

[petrochemicals]

Brillians. Thanks for posting. I reccon the glowing is just to do with the drcomposition enzymes etc, the death cap has a funny green colour due to the decomposition process.

 

[Cyclingrelf]

Wow, thanks for all the ideas guys. I was wondering if there might be some insect interaction, but I like Robson's theory. It is curious that only a handful of fungi do it. For completeness, here is a photo I took of the whole rotted stump in the dark:

It really doesn't look anything in daylight, but in the dark it totally rocks

For those wondering about possible species, I don't know what the wood is because I'm not good at dead wood ID, but it was in a stand of Willow, Alder, Hazel and Ash, but mainly Willow.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

We spend a lot of time in the forests but see this only few times - its pretty unusual - you are lucky.

My mother used to tell us to not touch the stuff as she thought it was dangerous. We thought it was fun when we saw our 1st stump glowing in the dark and we rubbed it on our skin.

 

[Lancer165l]

On a very wet exercise in Denmark in 1984 I had to go into a wood to answer the call of nature just as it was getting dark. As my eyes adjusted to the poor light I noticed I was surrounded by luminescent objects on the ground , the more I looked the more I could see.
Next morning in daylight I went back to the site and all I could find was some unremarkable flat lichen and a few small toadstools. The area was very rich in fungi, the most I have ever seen, and I've never witnessed anything like this since.