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Fungi, Lichens, and Conks
Fungi are organisms that lack roots, stems and leaves like that of plants. They also lack chlorophyll and therefore cannot create their own food through photosynthesis. For these reasons, they are not considered plants. They must live where they can absorb organic matter as well as minerals and water so they usually grow on the remains of plants or animals or as "parasites" on living organisms. Corn rust and grain smuts are parasitic:
Parasitic Fungi
Corn Rust
Grain Smuts
Fungi by producing spores carried about by the wind until they find a good spot where they can grow. Fungi include mildews, rusts, smuts, mushrooms, puffballs, conks (bracket fungi), yeasts and molds.
Conks are a type of fungus found attached to tree trunks. They grow from the trunks like steps or shelves and have growth rings like trees. They appear soft, like mushrooms, but are very hard and firmly attached to the trunk. They come in different kinds and colours. Lichens are composite organisms created by a relationship between fungus and algae (which is part of the plant kingdom). The fungus absorbs the water and nutrients while the algae produces the food through photosynthesis. This partnership creates the plant, lichen. Lichens grow in walls, rocks, tree bark, and other places where neither fungus nor algae could exist alone. Lichens grow very slowly and live for a long time. Some lichens in the arctic may be more than 4000 years old.
Lichens can withstand extremes of cold and heat and can go into a dormant stage if water is unavailable. There are 3 most common types of Lichen: Crustose (crusty) which grows flat or may be embedded in the bark or rock surface. The entire under surface of this type is attached.
Foliose (leaflike) which is attached in spots with margins or ridges that are often lobed and free. They curl up off of the surface from which they grow. and look like crumbled leaves. This type is attached to the surface by many rootlike threads.
Fruticose (treelike or shrubby) is like a branched plant. They grow upright or hang from the surface from which they grow and are only attached to the surface at the base.
Mushrooms, like conks are the fruiting body of the fungus. They produce the spores for reproductions. Beneath the surface of the ground or bark, is the main part of the organism the thread­like mycellium that collects the water and nutrients for growth. Mushrooms can be found in a wide range of shapes and coulours.
Mycorrhizal fungi grow on the roots of trees. It has a mutually beneficial relationship with the tree. When sugar is produced in the leaves of a tree, it is sent out to provide food for all parts of the tree, including the roots. In return, the fungi breaks down the nitrogen and phosphorous in the soil, enabling the tree to make use of it. They have an edible, blackish fruit, called truffles, which are eaten by mice. Some fungi endanger a tree's health, while others assist the tree in gathering and possessing nutrients and water. All types of fungi aid in the decomposition of plant matter,
Puffballs
Conks
Mold
Lichen
Crustose
Foliose Lichen
Truffles
Fruticose Lichen