Herbivore dung - Have a dung day!

[CapAndBracket]

I can only say a big thank's VW, and don't underestimate yourself any
contributions are welcome.

Now, NickC has a macro lense i wonder if he can push the button fast
enough to catch some launch images, i would suggest Ascobolus furfuraceus
as you can see when the ripe asci (purple) are protruding from the
cup (yellow/green), as you press the shutter blow across the cup, the drop
in air pressure sets them off i.e. to be carried away on a breeze, isn't
nature just facinating.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

The rains woke up the old cow dung, Psilocybe coprophila.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

Noticed these today on bunny currants.


X20

At X20 it is just possible to see the ripe (dark points) asci protruding from the fruit body surface.


X1000

At X1000 the spore size, shape and surface markings indicate these are
Ascobolus albidus (Richardson + Watling).



Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

Today proved a bit of a head scratcher, as can happen i was looking in the wrong genus to start with



Lots of these on old cow dung.



Definately small.


X1000

The microscope finally lead me in the right direction, the cystidia are rather plump but then tapper markedly to the tip (blue arrow), note the general gill edge structure cells vary in size some again being rather plump (yellow arrows), using the dutch coprinus site Coprinus pellucidus.


Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

Whilst knelt down for the previous species i couldn't help but notice this.



A Mycena.sp sporting quite the crop of fungi, in this a member of the phcomycete family, Spinellus fusiger, these are considered primitive in structure having a single stem with a ball (sporangium) at the top full of spores.


X1000

On ripening the Sporangium ruptures to release the spores (this time no doubt aided by the weight of the cover slip).


X1000

For a tiny fungi it has rather large spores.


Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

Well it's looking like a plate of dung fungi, the black speckles appear
to be developing perithacia (the fruit bodies of an ascomycete), what
the rest is remains a mystery. Ho hum it's a start. Will try for id once
the ascospores start to pop.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

Difinately eye catching on a bunny currant possible Ascobolus roseopurpureus.


X20


X1000

At X1000 the spores are not ripe (assuming they are acobolus) as they will devolope a dark skin with line markings on them.


The perithicia on agar are developing black shiny tips which is where ther asci will protrude from
to eject their spores.


X20

Hopefully this image illustrates nicely the amount of hyphae/mycelia that grow out of sight
(normally) collecting nutrients with which to form the fruit body.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

Variation on a theme, it's known that fungi will grow from bits of hyphae,
so i assumed the small fruit body of a dung fungi would have hyphal strands
attached on removal from substrate, with this in mind i tried placing such a
fruit body near the edge of an agar plate (yellow arrow), sure enough growth
proceeded across the plate.
What i don't know as yet is was it the transposed fruit body hyphae or
some contaminant that may have been on it!
The curious bit is that the growth shows clear colour banding radiating from
the original fruit body, one expanation i can think of is these represent day
vs night growth, in that light is inhibiting growth rate by day as hyphae are
usually in the darkness of substrate interior.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

Originally Posted by CapAndBracket

Yesterdays deer pellets had a night in a moist chamber and back under the scope today.


X20

These not unlike onions in shape but much smaller (<0.5mm), are partly immersed in substrate with their black neck showing (some arrowed in photo).
This shape of fruit bodies are called perithecia, as these appear to have no setae they seem to be Sordaria.sp (most likely S.humana).
(any macro photogropers could get some far better images of such species)


X1000

The spores appear to have no sticky appendages further supporting the identity (Ellis + Ellis),
along with size range.


Cheers J.P.

X1000

These are the ones that have gone through thier lifecycle on agar, so mature spores collected from underside of petri dish lid, size range correct and no apparent gelatinous sheath confirms Sordaria humana.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

The Sordaria humana agar plate at the moment, rather a lot of them
and obviously around the edge of the plate which seemed curious.

Look through some literature on fungi this is a common occurance and
suprise it's known as the edge effect.

The explanation is that it is down to hyphal density, fugi spread out looking
for nutrients and when they come to the edge turn away and so cross the
path of others and it's hyphal density that sets of the fruit body formation.


Cheers J.P.

[Gerel]

Hi guys

this is not a patch on the detailed scientific investigations that have been demonstrated on this thread, in fact it's OT as this is carnivore/omnivore dung, but I noticed these growing on dog muck. Each disc is only a mm or two across, I am guessing at Cheilymenia sp. but really have no idea. BTW it was raining which hasn't helped the picture quality.



Steve

[CapAndBracket]

Originally Posted by Gerel

Hi guys

this is not a patch on the detailed scientific investigations that have been demonstrated on this thread, in fact it's OT as this is carnivore/omnivore dung, but I noticed these growing on dog muck. Each disc is only a mm or two across, I am guessing at Cheilymenia sp. but really have no idea. BTW it was raining which hasn't helped the picture quality.



Steve

Thank's very much for taking the trouble to post here (don't be to impressed with the scientific content, i'm a novice trying to get a grip on the subject).

Your photo's certainly look like an ascomycete, i don't see any setae (bristles) around the rims of the apothecia (cups) which excludes Cheilymenia.sp.

I don't know for sure what they are but my best gess would be a species of Ascobolus,A.crenulatus would be a good starting point, described (Ellis+Ellis) as having a crenulate margin and scurfy outer surface.

Cheers J.P.

[fairplay]

Ah, so this is what is causing the stink !!

You brave man Gerel, firstly, for risking getting your camera so close (and on damp ground) and secondly, braving strange looks from any passers by - whatever would they have thought !!

You would have been even braver to take said sample home to photograph.

YUK

Neil.

[CapAndBracket]

X20

Still can't get a positive ID on these pink cusions, they are suprisingly slow
developing.


X1000

There are 8 spores per asci, depending on direction of view they are oval to rather bean
shaped, maybe more time will reveal some useful decoration, the paraphyses do seem to
have slightly swollen tips.


Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

Oh the mystery of fungi, usually a few spores on an agar plate will populate
right across the plate in a few days, except this lot
The cuts in the substrate are where i used a scalple blade covered in spores
to nick the substrate as a way of introducing them into it.
The colours are all natural of what has appeared and for some reason the
hyphae seem to be staying in limited groups. gess it keeps life interesting.

Cheers J.P.

[Gerel]

Originally Posted by fairplay

Ah, so this is what is causing the stink !!

You brave man Gerel, firstly, for risking getting your camera so close (and on damp ground) and secondly, braving strange looks from any passers by - whatever would they have thought !!

You would have been even braver to take said sample home to photograph.

YUK

Neil.

Wasn't all that brave, twas old/weathered enough not to be stinky any more and I have only seen two passers by in the four years we've been here (where I live makes the back of beyond look like a built up area )

You're right about taking a sample back to the house though

Steve

[CapAndBracket]

Uncertain about id of these (have set one up for spore print), from jordons
description mybe Psilocybe coprophila, but i havn't found them with
decorated cap before.

Cheers J.P.

[NickCantle]

They look lovely J.P. Wonder if they'll last until the cap opens up.

[CapAndBracket]

Heathland, heather, moss etc low nutrient herbage, i have noticed that random patches of this turn brown (dead) and interpret this as where cows/horses pee and the amonia provides two much nitrogen which kills the plants (i may be wrong), anyway on one such patch today.



Looks like Byssonectria fusispora.

Cheers J.P.

[CapAndBracket]

These caught my eye, growing on bunny currants.



There were quite a few of them, and the cap markings (not to clear in photo)
reminded me of galerina.!


Cheers J.P.

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by CapAndBracket

X20

Still can't get a positive ID on these pink cusions, they are suprisingly slow
developing.


X1000

There are 8 spores per asci, depending on direction of view they are oval to rather bean
shaped, maybe more time will reveal some useful decoration, the paraphyses do seem to
have slightly swollen tips.


Cheers J.P.

have you considered Iodophanus carneus? this has hyaline spores, no hairs and the colour of the fruit-bodies is spot on

best

Chris

[Jim Ford]

How do you lot explain at a cocktail party, what you do in your spare time?
;^)

Jim

[CapAndBracket]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

have you considered Iodophanus carneus? this has hyaline spores, no hairs and the colour of the fruit-bodies is spot on

best

Chris

I can only say a big thakyou, these had been troubling me since mid summer
trying to feel confident about the ID, (waiting for ripe purple spores ).

Cheers J.P.