Mushroom spore
The next day, ask students to observe their mushrooms caps. Ask students to predict what will happen to the mushroom caps overnight. Leave the covered mushroom caps undisturbed for at least 24 hours. Then have the students carefully cover each of the mushroom caps with the open end of the glass bowl or cup. Make sure the students label each sheet with the name of the mushroom and where the mushroom was picked or purchased. Have the students place each cap, gill side down, on a separate piece of white paper. Ask students what they think the gills are for.
One at a time, cut off each mushroom’s stem just below the cap, exposing the circular gill (the thin radiating plates under the mushroom cap). Secure a flat surface where the activity can be left undisturbed, preferably overnight.
N.B.: If mushrooms are picked outdoors, DO NOT eat them! Some mushrooms may be poisonous! Ask students to compare and contrast each type of mushroom. Alternatively, hand out three to four different kinds of whole, fresh mushrooms to each student – including some mushrooms with their mycelia. If possible, take students out on their own fungus foray in a wooded area or local greenmarket where they can pick out different kinds of whole mushrooms–not the packages of sliced mushrooms available in supermarkets. The activity allows students to understand the work of a mycologist. Ask the students to explain what kind of work a mycologist does. Start the lesson by having the students watch the video. Mycelium (plural: mycelia) – the vegetative or non-reproductive part of a fungus made up of a collection of thread-like tubes (or hyphae). Hypha – (plural: hyphae) a thread-like tube that forms the body (or mycelium) of a fungus. Spores are extremely resistant to environmental damage and can grow into a new organism. Spore – a small, single cell responsible for reproduction by certain organisms. Instead, they dissolve and absorb their food. Fungi lack chlorophyll to make their food. Glass cups or bowls large enough to cover mushroom capsįungus – (plural: fungi) an organism from the Fungi kingdom that is separate from animals, plants, or bacteria.
Students also will learn that by comparing spore prints, they can identify different mushroom species.ģ – 4 different kinds of whole fresh mushrooms (preferably gill mushrooms) Students will learn to create spore prints of mushrooms and label and preserve their spore prints, just like a mycologist. Through observation and discussion, students will gain knowledge of the basic anatomy of mushrooms, their life cycle, and their method of reproduction through spores. In this lesson, students will be amateur mycologists–collecting and analyzing various mushrooms. All over the world, mushrooms also are cultivated for human consumption. Fungi also are responsible for the production of beneficial drugs such as penicillin, and of fermented foods such as breads, wines and cheeses. Fungi play an important role as decomposers, breaking down organic matter and recycling nutrients.
Mycology, the study of mushrooms and other fungi, has helped increase our awareness and understanding of fungi and how they affect our daily lives. Mycologist Roy Halling walks us through the wide world of mushrooms and takes us on a fungi foraging foray on the grounds of the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. From death caps to puffballs, the fruiting bodies of fungi can be grouped into about a dozen major categories.