It took the sheer beauty of something that was ‘just’ a fungus to make me stop. I took pictures of it with my DSLR, from which  I selected my ‘Silent Sunday’ shot for last week. Then I thought I would, once again, see what sort of a job the camera in my phone could do. This was the result – although it did take a few attempts. But never before have I found a fungus that looked so pretty!

So, folks, play up and pass to the wing, and all that sort of thing. Give Monday Mobile some blog love. And who knows, next time I might manage to post a bit earlier, myself, and set a better example…

]]> http://fireflyphil.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/silent-sunday-24-february-2013/ Sun, 24 Feb 2013 10:22:31 +0000 fireflyphil http://fireflyphil.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/silent-sunday-24-february-2013/

Experimentation to get to the solution has been done with Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) infected with the parasitic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis that causes the disease. See excerpts with a link to the full article below:

Scientists found that when temperatures vary unpredictably, frogs succumb faster to chytridiomycosis, which is killing amphibians around the world. The animals’ immune systems appear to lose potency during unpredictable temperature shifts. The research is published in Nature Climate Change journal.

Chytridiomycosis, caused by the parasitic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), was identified only in 1998. It affects frogs and their amphibian relatives – salamanders, and the worm-like caecilians – and has caused a number of species extinctions.

“I’m not convinced that the effect we’ve discovered could be considered responsible for declines or extinctions in the ways way that the spread of Bd can be considered responsible,” said Thomas Raffel, lead scientist on the new research. “It might be, however, that climate change has sped up the decline or extinction after the parasite arrived,” the Oakland University researcher told BBC News.

[. . .] Over the years, various teams of scientists have conducted a whole raft of experiments to find, for example, whether Bd is more active in warm or cold temperatures. Bd spores spread from the skin of amphibians. The new research looked at what happens in a more real-life situation – when chytrid fungus is actually on a vulnerable frog. And the key variable the scientists looked at was variability of temperature, rather than temperature itself.

Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) infected with Bd were kept under various conditions. [. . .] On its own, the fungus fared better in cooler conditions, and when the temperature changes were regular. But when it was already on the frogs, the pattern was reversed; the fungus grew faster under unpredictable temperature change. The explanation is that being a simpler organism, it is able to adapt faster than the frogs’ immune system. [. . .]

For full article, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19199197

Also see previous post, Frogs Rescued from Killer Fungus in Montserrat Reproduce in the UK

Read more at io9.

Make sure to view about the infected ant and other insects near the bottom of the article.

With all those dead animals reported in January, of course 2011 was a bumper year for zombie insects. Reports of mind-controlled ants and caterpillars creeped everyone out this year.

In May, in the journal BMC Ecology, researcher David Hughes from Pennsylvania State University reported that a parasitic fungus infects forest ants to fulfill its bidding. The fungus fills the ant’s head with fungal cells and changes its muscles so the ant can grab a leaf in a death grip just when and where the fungus wants it — specifically, they all bite down around noon, then all die together around sunset, like some weird fungus-addled ant cult. The fungus then bursts out of the ants’ head and spreads its spores to its next unwitting victim.

Another report in September found the genetic culprit that sends caterpillars to the treetops, where they liquefy and rain infectious death down on their peers. The virus that zombifies these gypsy moth caterpillars also makes sure they grow as large as possible so they spread infectious viruses far and wide, study researcher Kelli Hoover, of Pennsylvania State University, said. They also send the caterpillars crawling up trees in the middle of the day, when they are most vulnerable to bird attacks.

Dr. Lina T. Villacarlos

Fungi are not just about mushrooms, skin disease, and bread molds.  Like every living thing that has its own purpose in this universe, fungi form an integral part of nature’s  cycle of birth and rebirth.  They help plants by breaking food outside their bodies, releasing enzymes in order to break down dead organic matter into nutrients that plants can use for their growth.

Filipino biologist Dr. Lina T. Villacarlos has a profound appreciation for fungi’s role in nature.  In 2003, she discovered and name a new breed of parasitic fungus,  Entomorphthora l e y t e e n s I s—E n t o m o r p h t h o r a for the family it falls under (Entomorphthorales)—fungi with parasitic relationship to insects and leyteensis for the place where the breed was discovered (Leyte).  Dr. Villacarlos is also responsible for the discovery of three other kinds of fungi in the same family—the Batkoa amrascae, the Entomophaga bukidnonensis, and the Entomorphthora philippinensis.

This is considered a breakthrough, since there are only eleven known species of fungi to date.

According to the National Research Council of the Philippines (NCRP), Dr. Villacarlos’ discovery should be recognized and supported by the government because Ehtomorphthora leyteensis has great potential as a biological control.  It is capable of annihilating populations of whiteflies (Tetraleurodes acacia) that infect kakawate or madred de cacao (Glericidia sepium)  is widely used as fencing for parks, ranches, and homes.

Dr. Villacarlos is one of the many scientists who make up the scientific and technological arm of NRCP.  She is officially based at Leyte State University.

Source:

► Pinay Biologist Discovers New Parasitic Fungus.  http://www.newsflash.org/2003/05/si/si001609.htm

►A New Breed of Parasitic Fungus Discovered.  http://mis.dost.gov.ph/nrcp/Press-Release/presscontents_parasitic_fungus_discovered.htm

► Natural Perspective:  The Fungus Kingdom.  http://www.perspective.com/nature/fungi