Interesting fruiting bodies growing from moss

NickCantle · #1 (**permalink**) 26-10-2008, 09:42 AM

What does anyone make of these? I have them in my collection box should I need to put them under the microscope.

I'm trying to work out if they are fungal or part of the moss. Some sort of reproductive body for the moss or a result of a successful bout of reproduction? They're interesting whatever they are!

Size 4mm maximum. The moss patch was in a Pinus plantation. A pointer towards what they are would be excellent.

All help, comments and suggestions much appreciated,

Nick

EDIT; Just to add, I was in a massive patch of moss for the whole day and I found just two or three pieces of moss with this on, though those were all in the same place so it probably turns out that it was all from the same piece of moss. I didn't see any other small orange bodies in moss for the rest of the day, and trust me, I was looking.

NickCantle · #2 (**permalink**) 26-10-2008, 12:34 PM

No takers yet then

Well, in pondering if this was fungal or not, I soaked a pin-size amount of the head of one of the dried fruitbodies in prep for the microscope. Eager to find out what it was, I gently squished the sample so it was flat.

Here's the results, and I'd say this was fungal. Lots of nematodes and platyhelmiths present in the slide sample.

Globose spores - all images following taken at x60 on the scope, but I think the camera multiplies it a little, so it could be anything from x60 to x100

Very interesting area to study. Hyphae structure was like nothing I've seen before.

There were a lot like that last one- seemingly latching on to splaying strands of 'something'

Seems I'm in up to my neck, but hell, it's so interesting.

Nick

cybershot · #3 (**permalink**) 26-10-2008, 06:45 PM

A good one with which to wrestle Nick, sorry I can't help, but am as anxious as you are to know more.

Cheers

David

NickCantle · #4 (**permalink**) 26-10-2008, 06:47 PM

I'm relying on a specialist I think, I've looked everywhere online today (in the midst of various mycological conflicts) for information on this, but nowhere is it to be found.

Nick

CapAndBracket · #5 (**permalink**) 26-10-2008, 10:01 PM

well young man you have possed a real head scratcher here. and i don't
have a clear answer.

First your excellent photo's show what looks like a tiny fungi (basidiomycete),
But there are some species we would never gess were Ascomycete's without
microscopy.

You talk of strange hypae, there is no mention of gills, cystidia, asci ect.

Now the spores are round and look somewhat ornamented, you used a pin
sized sample, I'm just wondering if maybe a myxomycete is an option.

You may like to try gently squashing a complete fruitbody and viewing at a
lower magnifycation, then it will be obvious if there is a collumela
protruding into the spore pack, or if the stange hypae are a network of
supporting material (capalitium) in the spore pack.

Fine if myxomycete is excluded by this means as at least we will narrow
the area of uncertainty.

Appologies if i've missinterpreted what you have put on here.

Cheers J.P.

NickCantle · #6 (**permalink**) 26-10-2008, 10:13 PM

Certainly not misinterpretation J.P, in fact I'd say you've just opened out the options. They do look like basidiomycetes (structure-wise) but due to them being quite dry, it's hard to get an accurate squash and a good slide. I managed to cut off just a cap and popped it under the scope whole, illuminating the upper surface with a high power halogen, but I still couldn't make out any detail.

It's a real poser, but I have a couple more dried specimens attached to the moss should I need to check more or send any off.

About the hyphae, I mean all I did was took a chunk off of the specimen, but of course due to it being so miniature, it was impossible to tell which part of it was going on the slide. I couldn't see gills or cystidia, just a mass of stringy threads, some 'hugging' what look like globose spores.

I'm none the wiser, but I did fear that this would happen!

It's all good stuff though