Cole Cunningham - Nature Walk 10/5 in Houghton Gardens

Today I went for a walk in the Houghton Gardens and in the Hammond Pond Reservation. The weather was overcast, about 56F, and misting. I was surprised at first by the amount of fungi I saw when I started looking. At first I could pick out one or two, but the more I looked, the more astounded I was by all the different types of fungi I was seeing. So far in class this week we're talking about microbes, not fungi, but a similarity I found between them is their role in "hidden" biodiversity, i.e, biodiversity that is not readily visible. What I typically think of when I think of biodiversity is a visible array of different organisms, but in reality invisible microbes and innocuous fungi are equally indicative of biodiversity. Even on a single log, I could find 3 or more different types of visible mushrooms and other fungi, along with a plethora of fungi that I can't see, I'm sure, which speaks to the alpha diversity present in a very small area. Traveling through the reservation led me to think about the beta diversity between where I started my walk and where I ended. Perhaps it was just me looking more closely to the end of my walk, but I asked myself if closer to the pond there could exist different species of fungi due to the differences in ground moisture between there and slightly higher elevation as water generally flows towards this watershed. One thing I learned when trying to identify the various fungi I observed is to take pictures both as close as possible and from various angles, as the underside, stem, and cap are often vital to distinguishing between mushrooms.

Posted on October 5, 2022 11:10 PM by cunninc