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A blog for sharing appreciation of the width and depth of microbes and microbial activities on this planet.

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Exploration, Streptomyces-style

by Roberto | The evolutionary trajectories of bacteria are great­ly in­fluen­ced by their re­pro­duc­tive suc­cess in chan­ging en­vi­ron­ments. Of course, this is not just about how fast bac­te­ria di­vide when con­di­tions per­mit growth but also how well they sur­vive in the ab­sence of growth. In ad­di­tion, an im­port­ant de­ter­mi­nant of the over­all fit­ness of a bac­te­ri­al lineage is... Read more →

Posted on October 26, 2020 at 02:30 AM in Ecology, Fungi, Physiology & Genetics | Permalink | Comments (0)

Three to Tango

by Elio | How many symbioses that involve three partners can you think of? Surely, not many. But here is one, involving a pathogenic fungus, a bacterium, and a fungal virus. Read more →

Posted on April 20, 2020 at 04:00 AM in Ecology, Evolution, Fungi, Pathogens, Symbioses, Viruses | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fungomania III. Of a Fungus and a Crop

by Roberto | There are literal­ly thousands of fun­gal spe­cies that cause plant dis­eases and their ef­fects on agri­cul­tu­ral crops ends of cost­ing bil­lions of dol­lars eve­ry year. Many of these fun­gal plant pa­tho­gens are fas­ci­na­ting sub­jects for stu­dy. Among the many, I have a per­so­nal "fa­vo­rite." I place the word in quotes be­cause I re­cog­nize the od­di­ty of la­bel­ing a pa­tho­gen... Read more →

Posted on April 02, 2020 at 01:02 AM in Fungi, Pathogens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fungomania II. Singing Frogs

by Roberto | Like many others, I am having trouble focusing on work these days. I admit it, I've had dif­fi­cult­ies sit­ting down to write this post; the mind keeps wan­der­ing off, ima­gin­ing the like­ly sce­na­rios of the coming months. After all, we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pan­demic. In an ef­fort to over­come my an­xie­ty, I find so­lace in think­ing that... Read more →

Posted on March 30, 2020 at 01:05 AM in Ecology, Fungi, Pathogens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fungomania I. Enoki

by Elio
You most likely have eaten enoki mushrooms in a Japanese soup or a salad. You may have wondered about them, looking as they do as thin whitish noodles with a small cap at the end... Read more →

Posted on March 16, 2020 at 04:00 AM in Fungi | Permalink | Comments (0)

Discovering a Novel Algal-Fungal Symbiosis... and a Humanized Journal

by Elio
Lichens are said to occupy an astounding 6% of the surface of Earth’s land mass, so pay attention. As you are well aware, lichens arise by the symbiotic interaction of fungi and algae (or sometimes cyanobacteria). And as you know, they consist of separate individuals of the two partners, each benefiting from the interaction. Read more →

Posted on August 26, 2019 at 01:55 AM in Fungi, Odds & Ends, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)

Making Mycorrhrizae. A Snippet.

by Elio
Very high on the list of this world's vital sym­bio­ses are the my­cor­rhi­zae, the as­so­ci­a­tion of fun­gal fi­la­ments with plant root­lets. About 90% of all vas­cu­lar plants (from ferns on up) pos­sess them. They con­tri­bute great­ly to the health of the plants, being a ma­jor source of ni­tro­gen, salts, and water... Read more →

Posted on August 08, 2019 at 12:00 AM in Ecology, Fungi, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fungomania 3. Farming and Alcohol

by Elio
Alcohol and farming do not often go together, unless you think of beetles. In certain species, ethanol is used to increase the fruit of their labor, which sounds good but requires an explanation. Read more →

Posted on March 25, 2019 at 01:14 AM in Fungi, Symbioses | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fungomania 2. Hyphal Comings and Goings

by Elio
Until a few decades ago, mushrooms were thought of being some kind of plants. We now know that they belong to their own kingdom, the Mycota (or: Fungi). They typically consist of caps and stems that arise from a microscopic network residing underground or in rotting trees. Read more →

Posted on March 21, 2019 at 04:00 AM in Fungi, Physiology & Genetics | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fungomania 1. Who's The Biggest?

by Elio
Anyone can freely claim bragging rights for their favorite topic, but with caution. In this light, the assertion that a mushroom growing in either Michigan or Oregon is both the largest and oldest living thing is questionable.
Read more →

Posted on March 18, 2019 at 03:32 AM in Ecology, Evolution, Fungi | Permalink | Comments (0)

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