Boletus edulis is a basidiomycete fungus, also commonly known as Cep, Porcino or Penny-bun Bolete. Boletus edulis are known to be the most desired species of edible mushrooms. (Nicholas P. Money, Boletus edulis 2016) Majority of them can be found in deciduous and coniferous forests where they tend to form mutualistic and symbiotic relationships with the root systems of very specific trees and shrubs, they do so by encompassing the tree roots by sheaths of fungal tissue. (Boletus edulis bull. - CEP, porcini or Penny Bun Bolete) Boletus edulis gets its name from the French botanist who first described it in 1782, Pierre Bulliard. One of the reasons why it is considered to be one of the safest edible mushrooms is due to the fact that none of its lookalikes are poisonous.
On the 6th of October 2021, we are asked to make five different observations about fungus and make five identifications about other peoples’ observations. It does come to my attention that the location where I found those fungi share something in common. No matter what the size or the type of fungus is, I found the fact that they usually grow up in a moist, lightless environment. Hence, I believe this is a self-adaption result for the environment because their hyphases are too thin to dry out easily without being in moist, lightless conditions. Fungi mainly absorb water and digest sugars and starches which they use to grow. (Microbe Magic)
Furthermore, I also noticed that a lot of fungi grow on trees and I am curious why would that happen? One reasonable explanation is some fungi act as decomposers in the ecosystem. They are still essential to the growth of forests, sharing nutrients between trees and helping to break down dead wood and release nutrients back into the soil. If a tree has already been weakened, a fungus can move in and feed off the tree's nutrients while the tree is still alive. (Why are mushrooms on trees?)
Fungus is fascinating organisms, it plays roles more than just food, medicine or decomposers. They are different from plants, animals or bacteria but they did have great importance in our life. However, some fungus can somehow be harmful to people such as the disease called athlete’s foot( even though not deadly, still a disease).
