mycorrhizae ?

Basically ... is mycorrrhizal fingu mycelium?

Someone was trying to debate with me that micorrhiza fungi cannot digest pollutants. I think mycelium and mycorhizal fungi(being the hyphae around the roots)  are one, and fungi such as that of oyster mushrooms can happily digest many pollutants such as hydro-carbons.

I never did biology at school, so be kind.

Thanks

http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world.html



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Yes I have seen that.

Still it does not answer the question ... is mycorrhizal fungi mycelium?

I am trying to get my terminology right. One can refer to for example oyster mushroom mycelium ; can you say ... oyster mushroom mycorrhiza fungi.  Can you see what I am getting at?

Ok, from my understanding "Mycorrhiza" is a relationship between fungus and plant roots. Thus mycelium are mycorrhizal, and so are the trees.

Ah, relationship, I think I am getting it. I found a great picture. Cheers

http://www.waldwissen.net/wald/baeume_waldpflanzen/oekologie/wsl_mykorrhiza_lebensgemeinschaft/wsl_mykorrhiza_lebensgemeinschaft_lebensgemeinschaft

Skymonkeycute wrote:
Basically ... is mycorrrhizal fingu mycelium?

Someone was trying to debate with me that micorrhiza fungi cannot digest pollutants. I think mycelium and mycorhizal fungi(being the hyphae around the roots)  are one, and fungi such as that of oyster mushrooms can happily digest many pollutants such as hydro-carbons.

I never did biology at school, so be kind.

Thanks

It's my understanding they can and do. They also limit plants from taking up heavy metals and certain pollutants, which is a good thing (for us).

Yes, the "mycorrhizal" is an adjective meaning that the mycelium is in symbiosis with plant roots.

Skymonkeycute wrote:
Someone was trying to debate with me that micorrhiza fungi cannot digest pollutants.

Yes, they can. All micro-organisms in the soil can do this to some degree. They release enzymes that break things down, and then they absorb the nutrients. These enzymes will digest a variety of pollutants. Paul Stammets is especially interested in fungal mycelium and he has educated many people about that, but that is not the only active principle in the soil.

Check out Paul Stamets' book 'Mycelium Running'.  It documents which mushrooms (mycelium) break down which pollutants. Oyster mushrooms ,pleurotus ostreatus, while not mycorrhizal, will break down many pollutants including hydrocarbons, TNT, PCBs and more. A friend and I used P. ostreatus and P. pulminarius in a mycofiltration project at a local park which had a boat ramp. The system used a series of pits that were filled with inoculated wood chips. A drain with grating was run across the boat ramp in order to divert the bilge water into the mycofilter. There was also a speed bump swale to divert runoff from the park/lawn into the system.

Thats sounds exciting project Philip.

On slightly different line of thought. Looking there quite a number of mycorrhiza products around that from talk seem to be very effective at amplifying the health and growrate of plants manyfold.

These products are not catorgarised as fertilizers as such; but they present a whole new approach gardening and farming, not to deplete the soil that chemical fertilizers and tilling do but allow the soil to self generate nutrients.

How can mycorrhiza be incorporated with myco-remediation/restoration? Are there such products?

I am still trying to make the link between mycorrhizal fungi and mycelium. My mind stubbornly is not fully grasping something 

Skymonkeycute wrote:

I am still trying to make the link between mycorrhizal fungi and mycelium. My mind stubbornly is not fully grasping something 

Mycorrhizal fungi are mycelium. 'Fungi' = 'mycelium'. 'Mycorrhizal' = the mycelium's relationship to plant roots.



I think there's a great opportunity to start making mycorrhizal products. Similar products include microbial inoculants. It makes sense that there should be fungal inoculants.

Mycorrhizal fungi are mycelium. 'Fungi' = 'mycelium'. 'Mycorrhizal' = the mycelium's relationship to plant roots.   

Ok , I am getting slightly more challenging  ... do mushroom spawn = mycorrhizal fungi innoculant (like the mycorrhiza products you get for plant roots?

Skymonkeycute wrote:


Ok , I am getting slightly more challenging  ... do mushroom spawn = mycorrhizal fungi innoculant (like the mycorrhiza products you get for plant roots?

Yes. Mycorrhizal fungi spores = what you would inoculate the plants with.

http://bio-organics.com/ Has several mycorrhizal inoculants.

Mycorrhizal fungi can and do digest a certain amount of toxins, but are more for boosting plant growth and creating a generally healthy system in your field/garden.

If you are looking for a mushroom to clean up toxins mycorrhizal fungi is not the best choice. You are going to want something like oyster mushrooms that you can colonize entire straw bales or burlap bags full of woodchips/straw. Depending on the nature of the clean-up, something along these lines is the way to go.

Definitely get P. Stametz, _Mycelium Running_.  It will set you straight on all this terminology.  It is well worth the money - which isn't much!

Quick question, are there instances where mycorrhizae of any species are also saprophytic?

Most species of morels are are considered to be saprophytes, but recent research shows they can also form mycorrhizal relationships with plants. For example, some species from the Morchella esculenta complex can form mycorrhizae on the roots of apple and cottonwood trees. Check out some of the other threads under "fungi" for more info on this topic.

In general, these are different groups of fungi
Mycorrhizal-grows in symbiosis with other plants
Saprophytic-eats dead stuff
parasitic-kills live stuff
John S
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