Day 17: On October 19, I posted a photo of Hericium coralloides, a species I had probably observed on many occasions, although I never took the time to investigate its substrate. Had I done so and found it growing on hardwood, I would have known that it was not Hericium abietis (shown here), a morphologically identical species which grows only on conifer wood. Many fungi are substrate-specific, genetically encoded to release particular enzymes which will allow them to break down the substrate material into the nutrients which sustain them. In turn, the fungi may then be consumed by insects whose nutritional requirements match what the fungus has absorbed and carries in its tissues. Thus, one species of fungus may grow only on one substrate and may only be consumed by one type of insect, although in actuality the range is generally wider than 1:1:1. Mushroom rarity may be influenced by a number of different factors including plant associations, substrate availability, and so on. This specificity puts a whole new dimension on the phrase, "You are what you eat." Just ask a fungus.
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