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What is the scientific name for the Ghost Fungus?
Pleurotus nidfformis
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What chemically causes the Ghost Fungus to light up?
Luciferin reacts with luciferase causing luciferin to oxidize and release light.
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What is foxfire?
The phosphorescent light emitted by decaying timber.
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Name four prominent species of fungi that emit foxfire.
- Armillaria mellea
- Mycena chloropus
- Mycena citricolor
- Panellus stipticus
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What part of the fungi can emit foxfire?
Any part, including the pileus, spores, hymenium, and mycelia threads. Just depends on the species.
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What is important to know about Mycena citricolor?
It is a tropical basidiomycete that emits foxfire. It’s also an economically important pathogen of coffee crops.
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What species of fungus is an economically important pathogen of coffee as well as a fungus that emits foxfire?
Mycena citricolor
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Are foxfire emitters edible?
No, they are poisonous.
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Where was the CD eating fungus discovered? Why was it found there?
Belize. It only survives the sultry conditions found there.
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What does the CD-eating fungus do to consume the CD?
It attacks the edges, devouring the thin aluminum reflective layer and some of the data-storing polycarbonate resin.
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What is one new species of Geotrichum known for?
Geotrichum is known as the first CD-eating fungus.
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What genus does the world’s first known CD-eating fungus belong in?
Geotrichum
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What are some unusual things that fungi can feed off of?
Pillows, the human brain, old books, CDs, camera lenses, cave wall paintings, and space station portholes.
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What is Fusarium solani best known for?
It is the species of fungus attacking cave wall paintings in France.
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What is the name of the species known to be feeding of the cave wall paintings in France?
Fusarium solani
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What genus of fungus can be a menace to orbital habitats? What do they feed off of?
- Aspergillus
- Penicillium
- Cladosporium
- The quartz used in porthole glass.
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What are the five big genus of fungi that are known to produce mycotoxins capable of causing severe health problems?
Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Stachybotrys, and Trichoderma
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What wooden-structure destroying fungi is known to cause Pulmonary Hemorrhage?
Stachybotrys chartarum
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What fungus has been shown to feed off human brains? Give its scientific and common name.
Schizophyllum commune (White Rot Fungus)
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What is onychomycosis? What new method has found to be most effective at treating it?
A fungal infection of the toenails. Doctors can use lasers to treat the infection.
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A fungal infection of the toenails is often referred to as ___________.
Onychomycosis
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What is the scientific name of the species commonly known as “ink cap” or “lawyer’s cap”?
Coprinus comatus
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What is the common name of Coprinus comatus?
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What grouping does Coprinus comatus belong in?
- Phylum: Dikaryomycota
- Subphylum: Basidiomycota
- Class: Agaricomycete
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Name some genus of fungus that can be found in your pillow?
- Aspergillus spp.
- Penicillium spp.
- Rhodotorula spp.
- Cladosporium
- Aureobasidium
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What should we know about Coprinus comatus?
Edible, but toxic symptoms similar to nitrate poisoning occur if taken with alcohol.
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What theory relates fungus to the rise of mammals?
After a meteor strike killed off most of the dinosaurs, fungus must have had a lot to do because so many forests likely burned down or died. All the extra spores in the air would have been difficult for many animals to deal with, in particular plants, fish, and insects who, unlike warm blooded animals, cannot maintain a high body temperature. Since most fungi find the mammalian and bird body too hot, natural selection selected for animals with bodies warmer than the fungus could handle.
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How can we use fungus to prevent a piece of coloured clothing from staining our whites during laundry?
Coprinus cinereus makes an enzyme that can attack only the dyes that have leached into the water.
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What is Coprinus cinereus known for?
It is a fungus that creates an enzyme that can be used to attack dyes that leach into the water during laundry to prevent the dye from staining other clothes.
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What is Metarhizium anisopliae known for?
It is a fungus that is very effective at killing locusts and grasshoppers (4-10 days after infection).
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What fungus is known as a somewhat effective biotic control of locust and grasshopper plagues?
Metarhizium anisopliae
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What is summit disease?
A fungal infection that targets neurons that force the insect to climb the tallest structure it can find in an attempt to be eaten by a passing parasite.
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What phylum is Gyromitra esculenta belong in?
Ascomycota (it’s a false morel)
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What genus of mushrooms produce rocket fuel? What is rocket fuel?
- Gyromitra
- Hydrazine is rocket fuel
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What is the genus Gyromitra known for? What is its common name?
It is a family of mushrooms that produces hydrazine, rocket fuel. False morel is the common name for Gyromitra esculenta).
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What species of fungus can produce myco-diesel?
Gliocladium roseum
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What phylum includes a species of fungus that can be harvested for myco-diesel?
Ascomycota
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What is Gliocladium roseum best known for?
It produces a myco-diesel
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What phylum does Gliocladium roseum belong in?
Ascomycete because it produces balls of conidiospores at the ends of conidiophores (and I looked it up).
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What is the Mycological Society of Toronto?
A non-profit club for amateur mycologists and others with an interest in wild mushrooms and other fungi.
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What book title is recommended to us as a good read in the field of mycology?
The Advance of the Fungi
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What are slime moulds smart?
They can find their way to food through a maze, and then cut off all but the “hyphae” that have the shortest distance to the food.
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What did Otzi the Ice Man have with him that was fungal related?
Two bracket fungi (likely used as antiseptics), and other dried out fungi used as tinder. The bracket fungus are Piptoporus betulinus.
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What significance does Piptoporus betulinus have?
It was found on Otzi the Ice Man. Likely used as an anti-septic.
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What phylum of fungi was Otzi carrying with him to use as an antiseptic?
Otzi had Piptoporus betulinus which is a dikaryomycotina (basidiomycotina).
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Name the species and what it is known for.
- Panellus stipticus
- Known for being fluorescent.
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What genus contains a newly found species that caused the damage seen above?
Geotrichum
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What is the fungus attacking in the above picture?
The camera lense!
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