 | Australia is host to an estimated 25,000 different types of macrofungi. 15,000 are believed to exist in Queensland alone. Some are parasitic, other damage produce. The fruiting bodies of macrofungi described in theses web pages appear in our forests, in lawns and garden beds. It is estimated that less than ten percent have been identified.
Without fungi, it is assumed, life on earth would come to a standstill within 50 to 80 years. Fungi are powerful and important recyclers breaking down decaying plant matters. They are different from plants and animals. They can’t manufacture their own food due to their inability to photosynthesize. |
What we see is only the fruiting body of a fungus. The actual fungus is formed by hyphae (branching threads similar to roots, but much finer). The hyphae produce an extensive web-like network, the mycelium.
Specific types of fungi are found in the vicinity of certain trees with which they form a symbiotic relationship. In this association, called mycorrhiza, the root system of the plant joins forces with the mycelium. The mycelium invades the host tissue of the plant and forms a mutually beneficial association. Because of their different abilities plants and fungi are able to exchange nutrients. Many Australian plants form mycorrhizal relationships with fungi.
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Fungi reproduce via tiny spores. These are formed on the surface of gills, inside tubes, in sac-like bodies, on smooth surfaces of some fungi, or in a slimy smelly mass on the outside of fruiting bodies. Most spores are distributed by wind.
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All fungi in these web pages were found at Moore Park, Indooroopilly. They represent only a small percentage of the species discovered, but are an excellent example of the wealth nature provides in a small suburban bushland remnant.
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