Extinctions ctd: Red List for Fungi?

 

Bugs are living in the middle stairs of ecological pyramid. They are eating vegetables, or the other animals, right? In the pyramid, plants are situated one step lower than the insects et al, but not in the bottom. For all the living creatures from the vegetables and the above in the pyramid, it is relatively easy to “count.” One mosquito is counted one. One tulip is tallied one. One dog is one dog. When we think a creature is endangered, it means probability-wise the generational continuation would be extremely tricky for them because the counting says they have few populations. IUCN set the detailed criteria to define conservation status of living things based on “counting.” Even corals, a tiny polyp individually, are counted mainly in the number of colonies. Any problem with this approach? Oh yes. Mushrooms, myxomycetes and bacteria have problems in counting.

Plants survive on sufficient supply of nutrients processed by underground fungi et al. Roots of plants cannot take complex organic materials directly from the soil. Fungi decompose organic things, and take nitrogen, phosphorus, and the other minerals out from the “organic fertilizer” in a form suckable for clumsy rootlets of plants. If fungi die out, so do the plants due to starvation. If the world of plants deteriorates, the bugs that depend on vegetable extinct, as the bugs nerds lamented last week (; my post last week). The chain will soon reach us mammals ... In Niiharu, now Lovers are engaging in revitalization of Japanese alders. The standard approach we first take is clearing the sky for the trees, i.e. thinning (😊 easy). We think it would stimulate photosynthesis of established alders. We next need seedlings to grow. It is tricky. We realize Japanese alders, especially their seedlings, need specialized mycorrhizal fungi, i.e. Lactarius, Alpova, and Alnicola, underground for receiving nutrients. Er … do you know any way to make it sure these fungi are abundant there, without using moneyed laboratories with microscopes and lots of analytical reagents? Meanwhile the site of the alder trees is rapidly drying up now. It would make the life of underground fungi difficult. We may need some civil engineering work to let the water come in … Anyway, we cannot count underground organisms if they have enough population to conserve alders. It’s like proceeding in a VERY dark road.

The fruits of Gastrodia pubilabiata, a member of the orchid family.
It does not have chloroplast, and hence, depends completely on
 the nutrients provided by underground organism.
 Researchers found the orchid take mycelium of wood-decaying fungi
 in their “root” and digest the fungi completely with
 the disassembled elements from organic matter.
 Wood-decaying fungi are able to destroy cellulose, 
so the orchid would need
 sustenance procured lot from decomposed cellulose.
 Not only that, when they flower they emit rotting odors
 similar to fungi that could attract flies.
 The bugs come and put on pollens,  
then fly to another Gastrodia pubilabiata
to practically facilitate pollination.
i.e. The orchid depend on fungi
 not only for food but also child bearing.
 The story has additional conclusion.
 The flies lay eggs on the orchid thinking
 it is mushroom edible for their maggots.
 Alas, the cradle their baby find does not provide any food,
 and so they die before becoming adults. Terrifying orchid …

The valley Lovers of Niiharu
try to restore Japanese alders.
The place was once rice paddies,
but now rapidly drying.
 Don’t you think the vegetation in this photo
 does not show much difference from dry land?
Drier ground has underground world of fungi
 that love drier environment.
 Such condition may not good
 for the fungi that can help alders.

When we meet a mushroom in forest, we are delighted and say “Here! One mushroom!” Er, the way of counting this way is exact in one sense and completely missing the point from another. A mushroom, that with a cap and stem, is a fruiting body of fungi’s mass of mycelia spreading widely underground. The mycelium is individually so thin as to be measured by micrometers. Counting individual mycelium is unpractical, especially to determine if we have many of it, or not. As they are as such, it is very difficult to apply IUCN’s definition dependent on counting for determining the conservation status. Of course the issue has been known for some time (please see here or here). People are trying to mitigate the problem. The number of red listed fungi is slowly increasing. Still, we should have a sense of urgency, Prof. Nara Kazuhide for Tokyo University said in a seminar recently.

One mushroom, Marasmius pulcherripes
 … or is it?

Mushrooms in the family of Boletes.

Calvatia craniiformis.
At least, we have not heard it is nearing extinction.

In Japan and Asia, Prof. Nara has identified several plants that are for endangered list AND having troubles to procure enough Mycorrhizal fungi for their survival. These include rare species of pines and symbiotic truffles in Yakushima Island 屋久島 and Tanegegashima Island 種子島. To conserve such vegetables, we have to safeguard the underground world of these fungi that are often specialists for endangered plants. In other words, when mycorrhizals are endangered, so are the plants dependent on the fungi. Prof. Nara is a bit cynical for the current status of the thing. “Even how to define endangered status for fungi is facing problems when we try to apply the same counting approach. But we must establish the way rather sooner. Already the endangered fungi produce lots of endangered plants. There are many experts for endangered pandas, but people are ignorant of the fungi and smaller bacteria which are very basic to the entire ecosystem. We must be attentive.” Well. All nature nerds, being for bugs or for fungi, are reaching the same conclusion, it seems to me.

If you find environmental issues in Kanagawa Prefecture, please make a contact with

Kanagawa Natural Environment Conservation Center 神奈川県自然環境保全センター

657 Nanasawa, Atsugi City, 243-0121
〒243－0121　厚木市七沢657
Phone: 046-248-0323

You can send an enquiry to them by clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/