What is mold mycelium (+20 photos)?

Mushrooms

Fungi are organisms belonging to a separate, larger kingdom and sharing a number of characteristic features. They are abundant in all forests and are renowned for their diversity.

Although each species has a unique structure depending on the classification, all fungi (except yeasts) contain mycelium. This component of the organism plays an important role, as it provides nutrition and anchors it to the substrate. It also enables symbiosis with plants.

The concept of fungal mycelium, structure, and reproduction

Mycelium is a vegetative body composed of numerous thin white threads called hyphae. Hyphae can vary in size and branch in all directions. They perform transport, fixation, pigment production, and reproductive functions. All fungi are divided into lower and higher fungi. Lower fungi are single-celled, while higher fungi have a multicellular structure.

Mushrooms with mycelium

The most common higher fungi are cap mushrooms. They consist of a vegetative body and a fruiting body. The fruiting body, in turn, consists of a stipe and a cap, which are formed from bundles of filaments.

The cap of organisms has several layers. The top layer is uniform and covered with a skin, pigmented, while the bottom layer is often composed of gills in lamellar fungi or tubes in tubular fungi. The tubes and gills are arranged circularly, producing large numbers of spores that are then dispersed by water and wind, facilitating reproduction.

Mushrooms can be edible or poisonous. The most common edible mushrooms are porcini mushrooms, milk mushrooms, saffron milk caps, button mushrooms, and aspen mushrooms. Death caps and fly agarics, however, are poisonous and also have distinctive appearances, making life much easier for mushroom pickers.

Mushrooms without mycelium

Yeasts have become widespread in human activities. Yeast-like fungi are no larger than 10 microns in size and reproduce by budding and division.

Baker's yeast, which is further subdivided into wine, brewer's, and bread yeast, has become the most common type of yeast. It is widely used in cooking.

Main types of mushrooms and mycelium

The mycelium itself is divided into two parts: aerial and substrate. The aerial part rises above the substrate and is responsible for the formation of reproductive organs, while the substrate part ensures the fungus's attachment to the substrate and the transport of water and organic matter to the organism.

In some organisms, modifications can occur depending on the habitat conditions of a particular species. For example, stolons facilitate rapid spread and growth on the substrate, rhizoids and appressoria are responsible for anchoring the organism to the substrate, and parasitic species use haustoria to extract organic matter from plants.

In addition to the functions mentioned above, mycelium also performs asexual reproduction. In this case, reproduction occurs through fragments or exogenous spores. Exogenous spores, or conidia, are formed in conidiophores, specialized outgrowths at the ends of the mycelium. Under favorable conditions, a new mycelium develops from a spore or fragment of the parent mycelium.

Molds of the genera Penicillium, Mucor and yeast-like

The mycelium of molds consists of thin, branched hyphae that become thinner towards the periphery and consist of nuclear cells separated by a septum.

The mycelium of the genus Mucor is fluffy in appearance, due to the large number of hyphae. The vegetative body of Mucor reproduces by spores. At the ends of some filaments are sporangia, where the spores mature.

Penicillium, known for its medicinal uses, deserves special attention. The mycelium of the Penicillium genus is multicellular, divided by septa, and structurally similar to the vegetative body of cap species. A network of hyphae forms the mycelium. The filaments branch randomly and are uncolored. The ends of the filaments bear conidia, which are responsible for reproduction by spores.

The only single-celled organisms that do not have mycelium, but retain other characteristics and properties of fungi, are yeasts.

White and other cap mushrooms

A characteristic feature of the mycelium of cap mushrooms, including porcini mushrooms, is that the hyphae participate in the formation of the fruiting body – the cap and stem.

The integumentary hyphae of cap species are also responsible for the organism's pigmentation. The mycelium has a loose structure and can resemble a film.

Useful properties, application and limitations of use

Fungi are an indispensable part of the Earth's ecosystem, without which many plants cannot thrive. They are also widely used in many areas of human activity, most commonly in medicine and cooking.

Symbiosis of fungal mycelium and roots of a higher plant

The symbiosis between a plant and a fungus is called mycorrhiza. This coexistence benefits both organisms. Thanks to mycorrhiza:

the plant consumes soil resources to the maximum, and its root system experiences less stress;
Mycorrhiza improves the qualitative composition of the soil, provides its aeration and increases porosity.

Mycorrhiza is divided into ectomycorrhizas and endomycorrhiza. Ectomycorrhizas include basidiomycete or ascomycete species and trees of temperate forests. This subtype of symbiosis has a positive effect on tree growth.

Endomycorrhizae are fungal components of tree roots. Arbuscular endomycorrhizae are significant. This type of symbiosis is considered one of the most important on the planet and represents a connection between fungal arborescent filaments and the cortical cells of the tree root.

In medicine

Mushrooms have become widely used in medicine thanks to the polysaccharides they contain. Penicillium is used to produce the antibiotic penicillin, which is used to treat bacterial diseases in humans.

In medicine, it is used to prepare laxatives, anti-tuberculosis, and anti-typhoid medications. In folk medicine, extracts and decoctions are often prepared. Tinctures and extracts of red fly agaric are often used to treat rheumatism and inflammatory skin conditions.

On the other hand, the detection of certain types of fungi in a smear taken from a person's mucous membranes indicates the development of serious diseases that require immediate treatment.

In nutrition

Mushrooms are also widely used in cooking. The fruiting bodies of capped species are eaten pickled, fried, or boiled. Experts recommend carefully selecting specimens, choosing only those you are absolutely sure of.

Important!

Before cooking, it is necessary to heat-treat not only conditionally edible but also edible species.

This requires boiling for 15-20 minutes. Growing edible species at home or in a garden is considered more challenging. This requires purchasing mycelium, choosing a suitable location, and maintaining the necessary conditions.

Answers to frequently asked questions

The most common questions are about mold poisoning and the reproduction of fungi by mycelium:

Is it possible to get poisoned by mold?

Consuming mold can lead to the development of a disease called mucormycosis. Its main symptoms include dyspepsia, headache, nausea, and vomiting. The disease affects the sinuses, head, digestive, and respiratory systems. To prevent poisoning, it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the food you consume.

How to transfer mycelium in soil from one place to another?

Before relocating, water the area generously. After the soil has dried slightly, dig up the mycelium, being careful not to damage it, and then carefully transfer it to the new location.

At the new location near the tree, dig a hole about 40 cm deep. Fill it with wood chips and leaves, cover with a layer of soil, and water generously. After this, you can plant the mushrooms. Water the transplanted myceliums daily for several weeks.

How does mushroom mycelium depend on its growing location?

Depending on the growing location, the mycelium can vary in size and appearance. Under different conditions, auxiliary elements such as rhizoids, stolons, haustoria, and appressoria are formed, which facilitate rapid spread and better anchorage in the substrate.

Do molds of the genus Mucor have mycelium?

All members of the genus Mucor have mycelium. It consists of thin white threads that become smaller in diameter toward the periphery.

Do all members of the genus Mucor form mycorrhiza?

Only representatives of the Glomeromycetes class are capable of forming mycorrhiza, which is called arbuscular and belongs to the subspecies of endomycorrhiza.

Mycelium is an essential component of every mushroom, consisting of threadlike hyphae. The vegetative body performs many functions and can vary in size and appearance depending on the genus and environmental conditions.