A fungus without a hat

Not all fungi form the mushrooms we recognize. Kew describes microfungals, including molds, which can produce spores directly in the hyphae. Therefore, searching only visible hats leaves out a part of this realm. It is an explanation of biological diversity, without identifying molds in food or plants of the municipality.

Even among fungi with larger reproductive structures, not everything appears above the ground. Kew presents truffles as an example of underground fruitification and explains the role of animals in dispersing their spores. A walk that only looks for hats on the surface shows, therefore, only a part of the diversity.

The mycelium networks also meet each other. The source distinguishes the competition between incompatible fungi from the union between compatible partners. It is another reason not to imagine the soil as a unique and undifferentiated network: there are different organisms and relationships, which a photograph of mushrooms does not reveal.