Biologists have newly identified seven mushroom species that glow-in-the-dark. (The mushrooms may look psychedelic, but they are not in the psilocybe genus.) San Francisco State University biologist Dennis Desjardin found the glowing fungi in Belize, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia and Puerto Rico. From National Geographic:
Desjardin and colleagues scouted for mushrooms during new moons, in rain forests so dark they often couldn't see their hands in front of their faces, he said.From SF State News:
But "when you look down at the ground, it's like looking up at the sky," Desjardin said. "Every little 'star' was a little mushroom--it was just fantastic."
"GLOWING MUSHROOM PICTURES: Psychedelic New Species Seen" (National Geographic)These latest findings shed light on the evolution of luminescence, adding to the number of known lineages in the fungi family tree where luminescence has been reported. "What interests us is that within Mycena, the luminescent species come from 16 different lineages, which suggests that luminescence evolved at a single point and some species later lost the ability to glow," Desjardin said. He believes some fungi glow 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.
"New glowing mushroom species" (SF State News)
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That's really amazing. I'd be interested to see how and why luminescence evolved out of some species and not others.
If "Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater" is any indication then you can recharge your equipment batteries by eating those things.
One of the highlights of my trip to Costa Rica many moons ago was a night hike in the cloud forest. One one point, the guide had us turn off our flashlights and let our eyes adjust to the total darkness. It was spooky. After a few minutes, we could see the glowing fungi just off the trail. It was awesome.
Bioluminescence is full of swoon. This is a bad old world and full of badness but I love it anyway.
Presumably the species that lost this trait did so because you'd have to be bloody stupid to eat a GLOWING MUSHROOM.
evolution FTW!
We found a glowing moss or lichen in a crevice near Birchover, Derbyshire, UK a few years ago. Creepy. I managed a half decent hand held shot on 35mm - but it would take all night to root through my suitcase full of unsorted prints and find it.
Remember - always catalogue your photos! *sigh*
That's so totally Fallut 3.
In the Pacific Northwest, we have the common Jack O'Lantern Mushroom which lives up to it's name by glowing in the dark.
The cool part is not the discovery of glowing mushrooms, but rather: "increasing the number of known luminescent fungi species from 64 to 71".
Reminds me of the foxfire we used to see in the woods in Minnesota. It's not a mushroom, but it's a bioluminescent fungus that breaks down fallen logs. Once we found a whole stump full of the stuff. It's pretty common in hardwood forests, and worth a walk in the dark.
http://inamidst.com/lights/foxfire
Bah. By rights, a glow-in-the-dark mushroom ought to make you trip balls.
I think you need four of those plus two chilled meat and you've got yourself Infused Mushroom Meatloaf! A Dalaran cooking award winner. It's virtually delicious.
This is an extremely interesting story, except for one thing. There are glow-in-the-dark mushrooms up in Kuranda, the rainforest area above Cairns in North Queensland. I am pretty sure about it,because I have seen them. Since it has become really dry there, they have virtually died out, but I would imagine, with a good wet, they would reappear. I would sit out on a back verandah and be telling others about the phenomena, on the phone.
Jack O'Lantern mushrooms (local wild) glow in the dark too.
This is nothing new!
20 years ago while camping in Pennsylvania we had to remove a stump that was in the way of our capsite.
As it turned out the stump was rotted and completely saturated with mold and fungi. Later that evening we were
sitting around the campfire talking when the fire started to diminish. All of a sudden one of our party noticed all of this glowing material scattered around, they started to freak out conjuring up all sorts of explanations.
As it turned out, all it was were the chunks of wood and sawdust from removing the fungus laden tree stump.
We had some good campfire stories from that experience.