A nest without birds
What looks like eggs are small structures with spores.
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Kew presents Cyathus striatus as a fungus whose mature reproductive structures resemble tiny nests. The small bodies inside contain spores; raindrops help expel them. The species gets nutrients from decaying matter. It is an example described by Kew, not a confirmed record in Cabeceiras.
Kew's description adds details to the comparison: the structures are funnel-shaped, pilous exterior and grooved interior walls. The small bodies transported by rain are not animal eggs. The nest appearance belongs to reproduction, while the feeding is made from decaying matter, such as vegetable remains of the forest. Form, dispersion and food are three different questions about the same organism.
What does this little nest count?
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Rain: release spores
A drop can put spores to travel →Vegetable remains: obtaining food
A fallen leaf still has way →The funnel: compare shapes
Blades, pores and other forms →
Source and context
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — In pictures: Fungi spotting season at Kew, Grace Brewer, 24/10/2019
Accessed: . Editorial summary; the date of consultation is not the date of the facts.