Dual Genus Decay

[Monkeyd]

An interesting observation that I would like some feedback on.

This Bracket(s) was noted (by a colleague) in between the fluting ribs on dysfunctional wood within the forming cavity of a Beech, in Hampstead, back in March 2009.

Upon inspection, including cutting a slice to help aid identification, the gut instinct was seemingly confirmed by what appears as a similar flesh & tube layer colour. For it being P. fraxinea.
(although the shot does appear to show a two-tone quality between flesh & tubes)

On to this week, where I've noted the formation of a younger fruiting layer beneath.

This to me, appears to be Rigidoporous ulmarius, based upon the white flesh, orangy, shallow tube layer & pinkish/orange pore surface.


Is this a case of two seperate Genus on top of each other (Perennioporia fraxinea & Rigidoporous ulmarius) ?

If so, is this rare to see two seperate members of Polyporales fruiting so close?

Or is the older bracket showing a later development, which I'm not too sure about.
Difficult to really get a grip on Perennioporia, it's not even listed in any of these (my) references; Jordan, Keizer, Buttin, Phillips, Schwarze, Mannion, Mattheck......

Have often noted two completely different Genus fruiting close together before, such as Meripilus/Ganodema & Fistulina/Laetiporus.

But have never read, or come across these specific Fungi associated together.

There appears to be alot of conjecture as to decay type of Perennioporia,
Lonsdale mentions intense white rot, Research for Amenity Trees 4 (JFL) mentions brown rot, where as Rigi is noted as cubical brown rot.
So would be of significance to me to get a positive Id.

First two shots are from March 2009
Last six are from this yesterday.













Welcome any comments

David


.

[watsthat]

Hi David

I would agree, there do appear to be two separate fruiting bodies here. The lower one looks like Trametes gibbosa to me but to be honest you will only find the answer, with any certainty, by microscopic examination.

Pete

[fairplay]

I don't quite follow here, when you refer to the lower bracket, are you referring to the continued growth which has filled up the notch you cut out and where you cut out a new notch in the same place ?

I think the main fruiting body is Rigidoporus ulmarius, which later grew algae on its surface leading Peter to suggest Trametes gibossa.

Above the bracket is a greyish lumpy mass which I think is just last years or the year before, old Rigidoporus.

I am totally unfamiliar with Perenniporia fraxinea, but see nothing here which I think could be that, but you may know this species better than me, so I could easily be wrong.

As for the 2 species growing side by side, I do not have enough experience of this to comment either.

Neil.

[Monkeyd]

Evening Neil,

it certainly looks like continued growth of the same bracket, but the initial slice, from last year, showed a completely different flesh & tube layer to the new slice.

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The last shots on post 1, are (i'm fairly confident) Rigidoporous, from what I know of the occurances of this fungi & it's host trees where I work at Hampstead on Horse Chestnut mainly. (No big Elms left in my part of London for Rigi to host on) I understand that the flesh and tube layer are the give away.
Ftr, we also have a number of Ash & Poplar with Perennioporia.

What is puzzling me is that I've not come across either of these genus on Beech before, although I do read that they possibly both host on Fagus.


We never took a slice from the "greyish lumpy mass" and think it's possibly too desicated to get a look at the flesh & tube layer now.


Appreciate your comments guys.


D

[fairplay]

Checking the Fungal Records Database of Britain & Ireland (FRDBI) both species have been recorded on Fagus, but I've never knowingly come across Perenniporia fraxinia before.

Neil.

[Monkeyd]

Continuing the dual decay theme, here is an instance of two seprate genus degrading the same part of a Tree (Willow) with completely different stratagies.


Laetiporus sulphureus brown rot & Ganoderma australe white rot.









Not a good combo

In the process of reducing the Tree due to targets not being movable.


D

[Monkeyd]

Having thought about it some more, the Ganos in the shots in the last post, may actually be applanatum and not australe.

I'll go back and have a closer look.



D

[fairplay]

I'm not quite sure what you are trying to demonstrate here, both species seem to be quite happy growing on the Willow and will continue to do so until it dies in a few years time.

The only sure way of knowing which Ganoderma you have is by measuring the spores.

Neil.

[Monkeyd]

Not trying to demonstrate anything Neil, just sharing my observations.
The shots hopefully show the outcome of the different decay strategies of Brown rot (affecting cellulose part of woody cell structure) & White rot (affecting Lignin part of cell structure) of the two stated fungi.

Whilst reducing down the canopy today, it was very interesting to see how far up the tree the brown rot had travelled up into the branches.

As for applanatum, I have no way of measuring the spores in the field, but tend to lean toward appla if there is evidence of galls on the pore surface plus whether you can crack the surface layer & whether the fungi appears to be saprophytically in situe on dysfunctional woody material upon the host.

This is a White Willow, and like a number of other specimens of a similar size & age, where I work at Hampstead they are all fast comming to the end of there natural lives.

They first start showing classic signs of canopy dysfunction, which appear as stag heads and within 3-5 years they've perished.

I manage them by reducing them down to standing dead wood, which become great hosts to saproxylic inverts and fungi & birds.


D

.

[fairplay]

Ah, I'm with you now, you are currently up in the canopy with your chainsaw, and in between petrol refills/sharpening, you turn on your lap top to give me a running commentary.

You have an advantage over me here, as whenever I have worked in canopy's, I've never had the time to look at the heartwood in detail.


At the BMS annual fungi foray held in Suffolk last November, we were able to confirm (as had been suspected) that the nipple gall can also occur on Ganoderma australe, so the presence of this gall is no proof of species any more.

Neil.