Las Algas Andan de Mal Humor
Las floraciones de algas nocivas son un fenómeno cada vez más frecuente, pero pueden mitigarse con la ayuda de una nueva solución sorprendente.
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fungi
Algae In A Rotten Mood
Harmful Algal Blooms are an increasingly frequent phenomenon, but may be mitigated with help from a surprising source.
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How will Antarctic fungi respond to climate change?
A new study sheds light on how environmental conditions affect largely unexplored deep-sea fungi – and provides hints of their response to future changes.
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Versatile Invaders: Exploring the movement and interactions of nonnative pine trees, fungi, and hoofed mammals in Argentina
Invasive species are a concern across the globe, and efforts are being made to stop their spread. In some cases, multiple invasive species may help each other spread and become established, adding a new layer of complexity to predicting what areas might be at risk for future invasion. How do invasive deer, fungi, and pines interact in Argentina, and how important are these relationships in helping non-native pine trees spread?
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The Key to Higher Quality Fruit: Fungus!
Agricultural research reveals a vast swath of benefits to the quality of citrus fruits when tree roots are introduced to fungal partners.
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Marvelous Mold: The Untold Story of Your Incredible Occasional Refrigerator Fungal Guest
As industrialization continues to increase, so does pollution and contamination of our environment. In this article, learn about a surprising source of potential help. Penicillium polonicum, a mold, can reduce the concentration of toxic lead ions in solution. This might be an avenue humans can pursue to help clean our earth.
Read moreDead and Gone? – The loss of decaying wood communities in urban forests
Forests are beautiful. From flourishing plants to tranquil wildlife to decaying logs, all parts are beautiful, vital, and connected. Dead logs are responsible for maintaining a healthy forest thanks to teams of fungi and wood-dependent insects inside. These organisms break down plant material to add nutrients back to the ecosystem. Forests are essential for human health and well-being, but human disturbance could threaten these ecosystems. To keep our forests healthy and beautiful, we depend on these decomposers, but can they rely on us?
Read moreFrom Cropland to Cities: Aerial Transport of Fungi
How connected are our farms to our cities? If you are a flying fungus, they may be very connected! In a new study, researchers from De Paul University found fungi from the soil on the rooftops of Chicago and wondered why. It turns out, small fungal spores can travel from agricultural fields through the air into the cities and form friendships with the city-dwelling plants. Understanding how these spores move from agriculture to cities could help researchers develop new insight of the urban ecosystem.
Read moreLeaving a Legacy: Plants leave “memories” in the soil that can affect future generations
It’s easy to drive by grasslands, forests, and deserts without thinking too deeply about how and why they have developed to be unique from one another. Still, most of us have an intuition of how community drivers work, such as recognizing that sandy soils and very hot climates encourage the growth of cacti instead of oaks. As an ecologist that has done a lot of work with restoration projects, I am particularly interested in thinking about all of the environmental “ingredients” that go into the recipe for each unique plant community. The day that I found out that plants can leave “memories” in soil which change communities long term, I immediately began thinking about how we could harness this knowledge for good and whether or not humans play a role in the development of these legacies.
Read moreThe Forest-Fungi Loop
The ground under our feet might have more say in the landscape than we realize– researchers are studying the feedback loops between fungi and trees.
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