This weekend i took a course in Truffle hunting. The expectation was finding large and illusive mushrooms hidden underground. Like most people my perceptions about fungi is mostly fantasy. The truffles turned out to be small, easy to find, but difficult to identify. Throughout the course a constant set of images and facts about fungi were presented by the instructor. It was confusing and i wonder if the mycologist was also trapped in a fantasy. Here are some of the facts presented: Our knowledge of fungi is so new only a small number of people are aware of it and how it will revolutionize our thinking about nature. Most plant roots act as anchors and let the fungi do all the work. Fungi diversity and presence is probably greater than plants but it is a world hidden to us at present. Fungi hold most of the water in soils and change the soil minerals to support the plant they work with. In local forests the largest food source is fungi. Most of the small animals eat fungi all year long. The predators and insects are lost after logging because of fungi die off. Fungi go through successions just like plants. The economic value and biomass of the fungi far exceed that of the trees. So... what is fact and what is fantasy. I don't know but suspect fungi is a topic we need to explore. Current thinking says voles eat bugs and seeds, but stomach contents in forest voles indicate they eat mostly fungi. In our gardens we think about various nutriments including water and light, should we be thinking about fungi. The mycologist claims corn can not grow without a supporting fungi. ---------- Jeff Owens ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Zone 7 Underground house, solar energy, reduced consumption, no TV
