Submitted 3 months ago by TheBananaKing@lemmy.world to [deleted]
So, fungal spores are literally everywhere, and the requirements for fungus to thrive seem to be trivially low; give it a moderately humid environment and it’ll grow on a bare concrete wall ffs eating god only knows what; the dust from the air maybe?
Well, and the great outdoors is full of slightly damp places, many of them downright soggy most of the time - and absolutely rife with organic material to snack on.
Where’s the bottleneck? Why isn’t the world a choking fungal hellscape?
In addition to other reasons listed in replies, there’s a fair bit of bacteria that excrete antifungal compounds into their environment so that they can colonize it more effectively than the mold.
There are viruses that attack fungi, too.
Any environment that hasn’t been sterilized by some means is a constant microbial warzone between bacteria, fungi, algae, archea, viruses, etc. with the current winners being determined by how favorable the conditions (moisture, pH, toxin concentration, etc.) are to each species.
Springtails and certain mites also love to eat fungus. I use them to keep mold under control in my terrariums
Mold needs the proper conditions to grow.
Probably most important to your question is nutrients. Mold needs certain nutrients in order to grow, which is why it doesnt grow on everything.
Mold also need decently specific moisture in its evironment, a proper temperature range, shielding from UV rays that kill it, and if these conditions are met, mold can grow in about 24-48 hours.
Why don’t arse cheeks get moldy?
Because you wash them often enough that they don’t get moldy, hopefully.
They definitely can
it is a fungal hell scape, Valley Fever en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccidioidomycosis
Ringworm, Yeast infections
if you have a weakened immune system. It’s a nightmare you have to take so many precautions.
Aaaand then there’s slime moulds. Some of which can run a maze…
It’s not a fungal hellscape because the rest of us live at the mercy of fungus.
TIL fungi domesticated everything else on earth.
I, for one, welcome our new mushroom overlords.
remotelove@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
Spores are everywhere like you say and you only really see a tiny percentage of mycelium. Fungi kinda is everywhere already, but where it can grow well is much more limited.
Fungi can be remarkably picky about its growing conditions to thrive, otherwise, it’s growth will be remarkably slow. However, if you put a table of dirt under the microscope, there could be dozens of mycelial strands in it trying to survive. They can, to a degree, but there is another issue.
If it can find a place to settle in and grow, chances are that many other spores may be trying to take hold as well. Fungi is insanely competitive and is constantly fighting for space. Fast growing fungi is what we normally see take over food sources and it’s usually a type of trichoderma. Trichoderma will literally choke out other fungal growths simply due to its rapid development. If an existing colony is weakened for one reason or another and it gets a trich infection, it’s game over.
For commercial mycelium development, (button mushrooms, oysters, etc.) growing conditions are generally perfect and the substrate used is tailored specifically per species. (It’s mostly sanitized poo or specific types of wood.) Temperatures need to be adjusted for each growth phase as fungi can be very sensitive to that. Some strains of shiitake are rumored to require a physical shock to fruit. (Like, the substrate bag needs to be physically smacked hard. It’s an odd characteristic.)
To sum all of this up, it usually comes down to competition. Where there isn’t fungi, there is bacteria. Plants even have chemical defenses to both. Small critters and insects may eat all three of those things.
Next time you look at your garden, just remember you are looking at an actual battleground for millions of critters of all shapes and sizes.
arin@lemmy.world 3 months ago
TIL Mario smacking a brick until a mushroom pops out is based on reality.
JackGreenEarth@lemm.ee 3 months ago
And the mushroom making him bigger most certainly is not.
SkyNTP@lemmy.ml 3 months ago
Thank you for contributing to make the fediverse a more interesting place.
remotelove@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
Sure thing. I like to share stuff since I do a lot of random stuff. I also like to learn new things so I try to make it a habit to appreciate any corrections people make to what I say. Live, learn and share!
Ashiette@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I have read somewhere that shiitake, and many other mushrooms from Japan only fruit when shaken hard because it has developed in an earthquake prone country.
remotelove@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
The other theory is that mycelium starts to develop in a tree that is about to die, and when the tree falls, that is the trigger for fruiting.
(I personally have no clue where these theories originated from and can’t speak to them.)
xavier666@lemm.ee 3 months ago
I remember a House episode where people got fungal infection in California after a small earthquake/tremor.
JackGreenEarth@lemm.ee 3 months ago
Oysters are fungi? I thought they were shellfish
milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 3 months ago
Dunno if you’re joking?
Oyster mushrooms are a type of edible mushroom.
Oysters are indeed shellfish.
Also,
Oyster cards are an RFID travel card in London.
And,
What kind of noise annoys a noisy oyster?
A noisy nose annoys a noisy oyster.
Knoxvomica@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
I have read somewhere that shiitake, and many other mushrooms from Japan only fruit when shaken hard because it has developed in an earthquake prone country.