Snowbank fungus

Last updated February 22, 2019

A snowbank fungus is any one of a number of diverse species of fungi that occur adjacent to or within melting snow. They are most commonly found in the mountains of western North America where a deep snowpack accumulates during the winter and slowly melts through the spring and summer, often shaded by coniferous forest. They may be saprotrophic, mycorrhizal, or in the case of Caloscypha fulgens , pathogenic.^[1]

A fungus is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, fungi, which is separate from the other eukaryotic life kingdoms of plants and animals.

North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere; it is also considered by some to be a northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea.

Snowpack mass of lying snow that is compressed and hardened by its own weight.

Snowpack forms from layers of snow that accumulate in geographic regions and high altitudes where the climate includes cold weather for extended periods during the year. Snowpacks are an important water resource that feed streams and rivers as they melt. Therefore, snowpacks are both the drinking water source for many communities and a potential source of flooding. Snowpacks also contribute mass to glaciers in their accumulation zone.

History

William Bridge Cooke was the first to discuss the snowbank fungi as a distinct ecological group in 1944 when he discussed the fungal flora of Mount Shasta in California.^[2] He followed this with another publication 11 years later.^[3] In his 1975 book A Field Guide to Western Mushrooms, Alexander H. Smith discussed what he called the "snowbank flora", noting "It seems obvious to me that the species in this group are well established throughout the forest zone, and have adjusted to this fruiting pattern, possibly as a response to the habitat drying out and warming up as summer progresses."^[4]

William Bridge Cooke was an American mycologist. He specialized in fungal ecology and taxonomy, with on emphasis on the Polyporaceae. He was the author of at least 192 publications and five books. Cooke also published many fungal taxa: 3 subfamilies, 10 genera, 1 section, 144 new species, 4 subspecies and varieties, and 141 new combinations. Cooke received a Bachelor's degree in botany from the University of Cincinnati in 1932, and a Master of Science in 1939 at Oregon State University. After serving in the army during World War II, Cooke obtained a Ph.D. in 1950 from the Washington State University under the supervision of Rexford F. Daubenmire. Cooke died in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the age of 83.

Mount Shasta is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of 14,179 feet (4321.8 m), it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth-highest in the state. Mount Shasta has an estimated volume of 85 cubic miles (350 km³), which makes it the most voluminous stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. The mountain and surrounding area are part of the Shasta–Trinity National Forest.

Alexander Hanchett Smith was an American mycologist known for his extensive contributions to the taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher fungi, especially the agarics.

Species

Snowbank fungi include members of the Basidiomycota and the Ascomycota. Mycorrhizal basidiomycetes include Cortinarius ahsii , C. auchmerus , C. clandestinus , C. croceus , and some others that are provisionally named, as well as the gasteroid species Pholiota nubigena . White-spored species include the saprobes Clitocybe albirhiza , C. glacialis , Lentinellus montanus (formerly Lyophyllum ^[5]), Mycena overholtsii , and the conifer cone decomposers Strobilurus albipilatus and S. occidentalis . Also white spored, H. goetzii , H. marzuolus , and H. subalpinus are believed to be (or suspected to be) mycorrhizal with conifers. The ecological preferences of Melanoleuca angelesiana and Neohygrophorus angelesianus are unknown. Non-gilled basidiomycetes include Pycnoporellus alboluteus and Tyromyces leucospongia .^[1]

Basidiomycota is one of two large divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya within the kingdom Fungi.

Ascomycota is a division or phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, form the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The defining feature of this fungal group is the "ascus", a microscopic sexual structure in which nonmotile spores, called ascospores, are formed. However, some species of the Ascomycota are asexual, meaning that they do not have a sexual cycle and thus do not form asci or ascospores. Previously placed in the Deuteromycota along with asexual species from other fungal taxa, asexual ascomycetes are now identified and classified based on morphological or physiological similarities to ascus-bearing taxa, and by phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences.

A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant's rhizosphere, its root system. Mycorrhizae play important roles in plant nutrition, soil biology and soil chemistry.

Ascomycete snowbank fungi include the decomposers Discina perlata , Gyromitra montana , Sarcosoma latahense , and Plectania nannfeldtii . Sarcosoma mexicanum is suspected to be mycorrhizal with spruce, while Caloscypha fulgens is a seed pathoden of Picea .^[1]

Discina perlata, commonly known as Pig's Ears is a brown to tannish, wrinkled, cup- or ear-shaped fungus, sometimes with short, stout stalk. The spores of D. perlata are quite similar to those of mushrooms in the genus Gyromitra, so that some mycologists place it there. It is considered an edible however like with all mushrooms which are wild crafted must be not only properly identified, but also caution should be taken against possible accidental poisoning or allergic reactions.

Plectania nannfeldtii, commonly known as Nannfeldt's Plectania, the black felt cup, or the black snowbank cup fungus, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcosomataceae. The fruit bodies of this species resemble small, black, goblet-shaped shallow cups up to 3 cm (1.2 in) wide, with stems up to 4 cm (1.6 in) long attached to black mycelia. Fruit bodies, which may appear alone or in groups on the ground in conifer duff, are usually attached to buried woody debris, and are commonly associated with melting snow. Plectania nannfeldtii is found in western North America and in Asia, often at higher elevations. Similar black cup fungi with which P. nannfeldtii may be confused include Pseudoplectania vogesiaca, P. nigrella, and Helvella corium.

A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. Spruces are large trees, from about 20–60 m tall when mature, and have whorled branches and conical form. They can be distinguished from other members of the pine family by their needles (leaves), which are four-sided and attached singly to small persistent peg-like structures (pulvini) on the branches, and by their cones, which hang downwards after they are pollinated. The needles are shed when 4–10 years old, leaving the branches rough with the retained pegs. In other similar genera, the branches are fairly smooth.

Habitat and distribution

In North America, snowbank fungi range from northern New Mexico north to southern Canada, at elevations from 1,500 to 3,800 metres (4,900 to 12,500 ft). They are common in the Rocky Mountains, the Cascade Range, and other high-elevation areas with short, cold summers. Fruit bodies of snowbank fungi tend to be more prevalent on north-facing slopes and shaded areas. Trees typically found near snowbank fungi include Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ), and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), all of which can provide sufficient shade to prevent fast snowmelt. Several species are endemic to western North America,^[1] and the phenomenon appears to be restricted to this part of the world.^[6] They are not associated with other cold environments, such as arctic or alpine habitats, or with glaciers.^[1]

New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States of America; its capital and cultural center is Santa Fe which was founded in 1610 as capital of Nuevo México, while its largest city is Albuquerque with its accompanying metropolitan area. It is one of the Mountain States and shares the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona; its other neighboring states are Oklahoma to the northeast, Texas to the east-southeast, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua to the south and Sonora to the southwest. With a population around two million, New Mexico is the 36th state by population. With a total area of 121,590 sq mi (314,900 km²), it is the fifth-largest and sixth-least densely populated of the 50 states. Due to their geographic locations, northern and eastern New Mexico exhibit a colder, alpine climate, while western and southern New Mexico exhibit a warmer, arid climate.

The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometers (3,000 mi) from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico in the Southwestern United States. Located within the North American Cordillera, the Rockies are somewhat distinct from the Pacific Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, and the Sierra Nevada, which all lie farther to the west.

The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades. The small part of the range in British Columbia is referred to as the Canadian Cascades or, locally, as the Cascade Mountains. The latter term is also sometimes used by Washington residents to refer to the Washington section of the Cascades in addition to North Cascades, the more usual U.S. term, as in North Cascades National Park. The highest peak in the range is Mount Rainier in Washington at 14,411 feet (4,392 m).

Related Research Articles

Polypores are a group of fungi that form fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside. They are a morphological group of basidiomycetes like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi, and not all polypores are closely related to each other. Polypores are also called bracket fungi, and their woody fruiting bodies are called conks.

Picea engelmannii, with common names Engelmann spruce, white spruce, mountain spruce, or silver spruce, is a species of spruce native to western North America, from central British Columbia and southwest Alberta, southwest to northern California and southeast to Arizona and New Mexico; there are also two isolated populations in northern Mexico. It is mostly a high altitude mountain tree, growing at 900 metres (3,000 ft) – 3,650 metres (11,980 ft) altitude, rarely lower in the northwest of the range; in many areas it reaches the alpine tree line.

The Trinity Alps are a mountain range in Siskiyou County and Trinity County, in Northern California. They are a subrange of the Klamath Mountains and located to the north of Weaverville.

Rhizopogon is a genus of ectomycorrhizal Basidiomycetes in the family Rhizopogonaceae. Species form hypogeous sporocarps commonly referred to as "false truffles". The general morphological characters of Rhizopogon sporocarps are a simplex or duplex peridium surrounding a loculate gleba that lacks a columnella. Basidiospores are produced upon basidia that are borne within the fungal hymenium that coats the interior surface of gleba locules. The peridium is often adorned with thick mycelial cords, also known as rhizomorphs, that attach the sporocarp to the surrounding substrate. The scientific name Rhizopogon is Greek for 'root' (Rhiz-) 'beard' (-pogon) and this name was given in reference to the rhizomorphs found on sporocarps of many species.

Geopyxis carbonaria is a species of fungus in the genus Geopyxis, family Pyronemataceae. First described to science in 1805, and given its current name in 1889, the species is commonly known as the charcoal loving elf-cup, dwarf acorn cup, stalked bonfire cup, or pixie cup. The small, goblet-shaped fruitbodies of the fungus are reddish-brown with a whitish fringe and measure up to 2 cm (0.8 in) across. They have a short, tapered stalk. Fruitbodies are commonly found on soil where brush has recently been burned, sometimes in great numbers. The fungus is distributed throughout many temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is found in Europe, Turkey, and North America. Although it is primarily a saprotrophic species, feeding on the decomposing organic matter remaining after a fire, it also forms biotrophic associations with the roots of Norway spruce.

Caloscypha is a fungal genus in the family Caloscyphaceae. A monotypic genus, it contains the single species Caloscypha fulgens, commonly known as the spring orange peel fungus, the golden cup, or the dazzling cup. It is a cup fungus, typically up to 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in diameter, with a bright to pale orange interior and orange; specimens that are old or bruised often have an olive-green discoloration, especially around the edges. In North America, it is usually found on the ground in forest litter near conifers. Fruiting occurs in early spring following snow melt. The asexual (imperfect), or conidial stage of C. fulgens is the plant pathogenic species Geniculodendron pyriforme, known to infect dormant seeds of the Sitka spruce.

Ascocoryne sarcoides is a species of fungus in the family Helotiaceae. The species name is derived from the Greek sarkodes (fleshy). Formerly known as Coryne sarcoides, its taxonomical history has been complicated by the fact that it may adopt both sexual and asexual forms. Colloquially known as jelly drops or the purple jellydisc, this common fungus appears as a gelatinous mass of pinkish or purple-colored discs. Distributed widely in North America, Europe and Asia, A. sarcoides is a saprobic fungus and grows in clusters on the trunks and branches of a variety of dead woods. Field studies suggest that colonization by A. sarcoides of the heartwood of black spruce confers some resistance to further infection by rot-causing fungi. A. sarcoides contains the antibiotic compound ascocorynin, shown in the laboratory to inhibit the growth of several Gram-positive bacteria.

Suillus brevipes is a species of fungus in the family Suillaceae. First described by American mycologists in the late 19th century, it is commonly known as the stubby-stalk or the short-stemmed slippery Jack. The fruit bodies (mushrooms) produced by the fungus are characterized by a chocolate to reddish-brown cap covered with a sticky layer of slime, and a short whitish stipe that has neither a partial veil nor prominent, colored glandular dots. The cap can reach a diameter of about 10 cm (3.9 in), while the stipe is up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long and 2 cm (0.8 in) thick. Like other bolete mushrooms, S. brevipes produces spores in a vertically arranged layer of spongy tubes with openings that form a layer of small yellowish pores on the underside of the cap.

Mycena overholtsii, commonly known as the snowbank fairy helmet or fuzzy foot, is a species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae. The mushrooms produced by the fungus are relatively large for the genus Mycena, with convex grayish caps up to 5 cm (2.0 in) in diameter and stems up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. The gills on the underside of the cap are whitish to pale gray, and initially closely spaced before becoming well-spaced at maturity after the cap enlarges. The mushrooms are characterized by the dense covering of white "hairs" on the base of the stem. M. overholtsii is an example of a snowbank fungus, growing on well-decayed conifer logs near snowbanks, during or just after snowmelt. Formerly known only from high-elevation areas of western North America, particularly the Rocky Mountain and Cascade regions, it was reported for the first time in Japan in 2010. The edibility of the mushroom is unknown. M. overholtsii can be distinguished from other comparable species by differences in location, or spore size.

The Western Himalayan subalpine conifer forests is a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the middle and upper elevations of the western Middle Himalayas of Nepal, India, and Pakistan.

Lactarius alnicola, commonly known as the golden milkcap, is a species of fungus in the Russulaceae family. The fruit bodies produced by the fungus are characterized by a sticky, vanilla-colored cap up to 20 cm (7.9 in) wide with a mixture of yellow tones arranged in faint concentric bands. The stem is up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long and has yellow-brown spots. When it is cut or injured, the mushroom oozes a white latex, which has an intensely peppery taste. The acrid taste of the fruit bodies renders them unpalatable. The fungus is found in the western United States and Mexico, where it grows in mycorrhizal associations with various coniferous trees species, such as spruce, pine and fir, and deciduous species such as oak and alder. It has also been collected in India. Two varieties have been named: var. pitkinensis, known from Colorado, and var. pungens, from Michigan.

<i>Hygrophorus marzuolus</i> species of fungus

Hygrophorus marzuolus, commonly known as the March mushroom, is a species of fungus in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is known from Asia, Europe, and North America, where it grows on the ground in mixed forests at high elevations.

Armillaria ostoyae is a species of plant-pathogenic fungus in the Physalacriaceae family. It is the most common variant, in the western U.S., of the group of species that all used to share the name Armillaria mellea. Armillaria ostoyae is quite common on both hardwood and conifer wood in forests west of the Cascade crest. The mycelium attacks the sapwood and is able to travel great distances under the bark or between trees in the form of black rhizomorphs ("shoestrings").

Hygrophorus olivaceoalbus, commonly known as the olive wax cap, is a species of fungus in the genus Hygrophorus. The fruit bodies (mushrooms) appear from midsummer to late autumn under conifers in North American and Eurasian mountain forests. The mushrooms have olive-brown, slimy caps with dark streaks and a dark umbo; the caps measure 3 to 12 cm in diameter. Other characteristic features include a slimy stem up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long that is spotted with ragged scales up to a ring-like zone. As its name implies, the mushroom has a waxy cap and gills. It is native to North America and across the northern regions of Europe. According to a publication by the Council of Europe, the fungus is nearly extinct in France.

Soil carbon storage is an important function of terrestrial ecosystems. Soil contains more carbon than plants and the atmosphere combined. Understanding what maintains the soil carbon pool is important to understand the current distribution of carbon on Earth, and how it will respond to environmental change. While much research has been done on how plants, free-living microbial decomposers, and soil minerals affect this pool of carbon, it is recently coming to light that mycorrhizal fungi—symbiotic fungi that associate with roots of almost all living plants—may play an important role in maintaining this pool as well. Measurements of plant carbon allocation to mycorrhizal fungi have been estimated to be 5-20% of total plant carbon uptake, and in some ecosystems the biomass of mycorrhizal fungi can be comparable to the biomass of fine roots. Recent research has shown that mycorrhizal fungi hold 50 to 70 percent of the total carbon stored in leaf litter and soil on forested islands in Sweden. Turnover of mycorrhizal biomass into the soil carbon pool is thought to be rapid and has been shown in some ecosystems to be the dominant pathway by which living carbon enters the soil carbon pool.

An ectomycorrhiza is a form of symbiotic relationship that occurs between a fungal symbiont and the roots of various plant species. The mycobiont tends to be predominantly from the phyla Basidiomycota and Ascomycota, although a few are represented in the phylum Zygomycota. Ectomycorrhizas form between fungi and the roots of around 2% of plant species. These tend to be composed of woody plants, including species from the birch, dipterocarp, myrtle, beech, willow, pine and rose families.

Floccularia albolanaripes is a species of fungus in the family Agaricaceae. Mushrooms are characterized by their yellow caps with a brownish center and scales over the margin, and the conspicuous remains of a partial veil that is left on the stipe. The species grows in the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains of North America, and in India.

Lentinellus montanus is a species of agaric fungus in the family Auriscalpiaceae. It is found at high elevations in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, where it fruits singly or in clumps on decaying conifer wood.

References

1 2 3 4 5 Cripps C. (Spring 2009). "Snowbank Fungi Revisited" (PDF). Fungi. 2 (1): 47–53.
↑ Cooke WB (1944). "Notes on the ecology of the fungi of Mount Shasta". American Midland Naturalist. 31: 237–49. doi:10.2307/2421394. JSTOR 2421394.
↑ Cooke WB (1955). "Subalpine fungi and snowbanks". Ecology. 36 (1): 124–30. doi:10.2307/1931437. JSTOR 1931437.
↑ Smith AH (1975). A Field Guide to Western Mushrooms. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. pp. 16–7. ISBN 0-472-85599-9.
↑ Redhead SA, Ammirati J, Norvell L, Seidl M (2000). "Notes on western North American snowbank fungi". Mycotaxon. 76: 321–8.
↑ Moser M. (2004). "Subalpine conifer forests in the Alps, the Altai, and the Rocky Mountains: a comparison of their fungal populations". In Cripps CL. Fungi in Forest Ecosystems: Systematics, Diversity, and Ecology. Bronx: New York Botanical Garden Press. pp. 151–8. ISBN 978-0-89327-459-7.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Cripps_2009-1] 1 2 3 4 5 Cripps C. (Spring 2009). "Snowbank Fungi Revisited" (PDF). Fungi. 2 (1): 47–53.

[Cooke_1944-2] Cooke WB (1944). "Notes on the ecology of the fungi of Mount Shasta". American Midland Naturalist. 31: 237–49. doi:10.2307/2421394. JSTOR 2421394.

[Cooke_1955-3] Cooke WB (1955). "Subalpine fungi and snowbanks". Ecology. 36 (1): 124–30. doi:10.2307/1931437. JSTOR 1931437.

[Smith_1975-4] Smith AH (1975). A Field Guide to Western Mushrooms. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press. pp. 16–7. ISBN 0-472-85599-9.

[Redhead_2000-5] Redhead SA, Ammirati J, Norvell L, Seidl M (2000). "Notes on western North American snowbank fungi". Mycotaxon. 76: 321–8.

[Moser_2004-6] Moser M. (2004). "Subalpine conifer forests in the Alps, the Altai, and the Rocky Mountains: a comparison of their fungal populations". In Cripps CL. Fungi in Forest Ecosystems: Systematics, Diversity, and Ecology. Bronx: New York Botanical Garden Press. pp. 151–8. ISBN 978-0-89327-459-7.