Bryophyte adaptations and constraints
Bryophytes are very resilient and have a unique ability to recover from long-lasting extreme environmental conditions (La Farge et al. 2013, Procter et al. 2007). Bryophytes show a high degree of phenotypic plasticity as well as a remarkable ability to photosynthesise whenever conditions are favourable. Both these traits enable them to survive in cold regions (Turetsky […]
Fungi in Svalbard
A large number of mushroom species grow in Svalbard. Most are small, some are poisonous, while others are edible and tasty. Fungi have most of their biomass under ground, invisible for man, and only produce small fruiting bodies aboveground in autumn, in order to reproduce. Their activity makes nutrients available for plant roots. Vegetation in […]
Mutualistic fungi
Mutualistic fungi live on other organisms, however in contrast to parasitism, mutualism benefits all involved organisms. The fungi get nutrition, mainly carbohydrates, from their partners, but also give something back to them. Below, different forms of mutualism found in fungi are explained with examples. Symbiotic relationships Mutualism :: Both individuals benefit Parasitism :: One individual […]
Parasitic fungi
Parasitic and pathogenic fungi obtain their nutrition from other living organisms, and have a negative effect upon the individuals – hosts – they are parasites on. As the diversity of potential hosts declines as you move further north towards the Arctic, so does the diversity of parasitic fungi. Complicated life cycles coupled with short growing […]
Saprotrophic fungi
Saprotrophic fungi degrade dead organisms or their remains, such as litter or dung. Depending on their mode of breaking down cellulose or lignin, we recognise brown rot fungi and white rot fungi. Brown rot fungi only breaks down cellulose (a carbohydrate chain polymer) and leaves lignin (a phenolic three dimension polymer) intact. The substrate becomes […]
Fungi in the Arctic Environment
Fungi are heterotrophic organisms feeding by osmotrophy. Their ecology can be divided into saprotrophs, parasites and mutualists. However, transitions exist between all these groups. Most fungi in the arctic environment also occur in alpine ecosystems at lower latitudes. Very few are restricted to the arctic areas. Fungi growing on arctic seashores, e.g. Arrhenia salina, are […]
Systematics of fungi
Modern fungal systematics is based upon genetic analysis. However, and structure of the hyphal cells are also important. Below you will find an overview of recognised phyla. You can either use the interactive presentation, where you can zoom into each phylum and find information about the phylum-characteristics and pictures of representatives, or you can find […]
What is a fungus?
The fungal kingdom (Fungi) is related to the animal kingdom. They separated approximately 1.5 billion years ago. Like animals and plants, fungi are eukaryotes, which means the cells contain cell-bound organelles and a nucleus. They are heterotrophic, like animals, but in contrast to most of them they exhibit external digestion. Like plants, they have vacuoles […]