Oct 10 2009
Fun Science Fact: Glowing Mushrooms
In a bit of a phenomenological turn-around, new biological research tells of the discover of 7 new mushroom species. But not just ordinary mushrooms. Luminescent mushrooms. No, you don’t ingest them and then perceive ordinary objects to glow. The mushrooms themselves “glow.”
Dude! That’s awesome!
I’ve heard of bioluminescent plankton; I’ve watched video footage of bioluminescent squid. And who hasn’t seen bioluminescent insects — fireflies? But glowing shrooms? Why would fungi evolve to emit photons?
Lead author of the study, Dennis Desjardin, explains it this way:
[S]ome fungi glow in order to attract nocturnal animals that aid in the dispersal of the mushroom’s spores which are similar to seeds and are capable of growing into new organisms. [article paraphrase]
Blossoms that reflect ultraviolet light, out of our sight range, to attract pollinators; mushrooms that turn on an internal night-light to attract spore-dispersing animals . . . how groovy is that?
[source]
