bioluminescence ?

[watertrade]

Anyone got any bioluminescent cultures?

I'm looking for a trade

Cheers

[Ace]

Sorry champ - cant help you out in the way of spores, but I'm quite interested in seeing some pics if anyone might have some. It's such an amazing property for an organism to use. In regards to fungi, does anyone know what the use of it may be? Possibly just a chemical break down by-product, or more to attract insects or something for spore dispersal?

[hairyplant]

Yeah, the glowing... its really interesting in fungi, because often it is only the mycelium that glow (i.e. in north queensland rainforest), not the fruiting bodies, hence, what is the purpose? Obviously not for night time spore dispersal (like if it was actually on the fruiting body)... so yeah, maybe just some kind of metabolic by product... don't kow that science has come to consensus on this.

Alternatively, it may have once served a purpose on their original terrestrial body

[Ace]

I quite like the thought of a living organism having the ability to glow - its just a bizzare sort of trait to possess. A lot of deep sea organisms possess this trait - like the angler fish that uses it to lure other critters towards it where it'll gulp them down... I think that as humans we are naturally interested in these abilities because we lack them, and they are still fairly rare in nature.

Once again, if anyone has some good pickies that they'd like to share, please do

Sorry for hijacking your post watertrade - I hope that someone out there has some goodies for you in this matter!

[gerbil]

Yeah, the glowing... its really interesting in fungi, because often it is only the mycelium that glow (i.e. in north queensland rainforest), not the fruiting bodies, hence, what is the purpose? Obviously not for night time spore dispersal (like if it was actually on the fruiting body)... so yeah, maybe just some kind of metabolic by product... don't kow that science has come to consensus on this.

Alternatively, it may have once served a purpose on their original terrestrial body

Omphalotus nidiformis is a bioluminescent fruiting body

http://fungimap.rbg.vic.gov.au/fsp/sp008.html

http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/images/0002.jpg

There's also another well known australian one with decent distribution that I can't think of...

That would be perculiar in some species if their mycelium showed bioluminescence but their fruiting body didn't, since they are generally the same thing.

Do you have any pics of this hairyplant?? (i've seen luminescent myc; but is there a comparison of bioluminescent myc and non-bioluminescent fruit body?)

Watertrade; some friends and I have been meaning to camp out and explore a relatively nearby national park for the past few years; there has been good sightings of the O. nidiformis there; might not happen, but if i get out there next year i'll keep you in mind for a culture.

Edited December 6, 2006 by gerbil

[Ace]

Thanks for the links Gerbil - thats much brighter than what I'd have expected. It appears that they are located around the ACT region too, so I might have to get out there and find some!

Has anyone ever had luck growing these at home or in a lab? I'm sure it would have been tried a few times before, but does anyone have a tek suited to these sorts? Or would you maybe be able to use a regular tek employed in the growing of the psilocybe species?

If by chance I stumble across these one day, i'll be sure to share

[gerbil]

More-so treat them like oyster mushrooms, that's the fruitbody they most resemble; but then again it's all the same lol

so yeah if you do find specimens (from memory they are generally at the base of Eucalypts, looking dead on like Pleurotus spp.) cloning to agar or taking spore print then streaking on agar would be the way to go IMO; stay on top of the clone/spore and clean up the cultures/subculture ASAP when needed.

lmao I loved Bruce Fuhrers story about his first encounter with them, scared the hell out of him, what a cool guy

[Ace]

Thanks for the tip Gerbil - though I'm still very new to the world of fungi and havent had the chance to try any teks due to a lack of supplies, though I have been on a few short hunting expeditions around my local areas (not really looking for anything in perticular). I'll be sure to keep an eye out for these stunning fungi, and if by chance I can get a culture started I'd love to share (but I am doubting my ability at this stage of the game )

[NonSlipSole]

I was at a doof once, near stockton dunes near Newcastle, which was a fair way from the carpark. A firend and I were walking between the party and the car and a dude emerges from the bushes promising us something amazing if we folow him.

We head about 2m into the bushes and he shows us a ghost fungus (unsure of species name) growing on a dead log, about 30cm in diameter (they are irregular, sort of semicircular) glowing blue.

Really made my night special.

On the glowing front- went to the glow worm tunnel in the wollemi national park on the weekend. Boy that is awesome too... ain't nature great?

[Ace]

Hey Watertrade,

Looks like sporeworks has a strain:

http://sporeworks.com/store/catalog/Panell...us-p-16144.html

Could be worth looking into

[MORG]

On the glowing front- went to the glow worm tunnel in the wollemi national park on the weekend. Boy that is awesome too... ain't nature great?

Does one have to be there at night to enjoy it?

[hairyplant]

Do you have any pics of this hairyplant?? (i've seen luminescent myc; but is there a comparison of bioluminescent myc and non-bioluminescent fruit body?)

Don't have any pics, but woud love to try to capture something on film!

The only glowing fungi I have seen first hand has been the leaf litter lighting up like a very faint white light. This may have also been including tiny fruiting bodies.

And yeah nature is great! What I love is putting flowers under UV light... seeing the world through the eyes of an insect is amazing!

[watertrade]

Thanks for the exciting replies guys. If anyone does come across any wild specimins please let me know!

I came across bioluminescent fungi when while walking around protester falls late one night. the ones I found were tiny 1 cm across capped mushrooms. It was pretty amazing finding them scattered around the place. it was all fun and games until I came across a naked couple huddeled in a ball trying not to be seen.

[Ace]

Thanks for the exciting replies guys. If anyone does come across any wild specimins please let me know!

I came across bioluminescent fungi when while walking around protester falls late one night. the ones I found were tiny 1 cm across capped mushrooms. It was pretty amazing finding them scattered around the place. it was all fun and games until I came across a naked couple huddeled in a ball trying not to be seen.

HAHA!! Gotta love catching people out in all their glory though it could be a little embarrasing for all parties involved

I have just found a map of Nightcap N.P. (in which Protester Falls is found) which looks like a really nice N.P. Was there any other nice areas up there? I'd like to trek thru a really nice forest looking for fungi (and possible glow-in-the-dark mushies) and other oddities of nature. Might have to have a look one day. Would you recommend this N.P. Watertrade?

Map: http://www.nimbinweb.com.au/maps/natparks.htm

[NonSlipSole]

Does one have to be there at night to enjoy it?

Not at all. It's about 4km walk from the road, uphill, though the walk itself is very nice passing some lovely sandstone cliffs and overhangs, and you find the tunnell. Take a torch (though don't shine it directly on the worms 'cause they don't like it) and you can walk hundreds of metres into the tunnell itself which bends providing total darkness to appreciate these amazing little critters.

[MORG]

Well I'll have to get out there some time Glow worms!

Ace: Nightcap is beautiful and many here will attest to that. Stand at the bottom of Minyon Falls if you're there. They are are supremely beautiful and humbling.

Edited December 6, 2006 by MORG

[Ace]

Thanks for the tip Morg - might be worth a look over the chrissy break if my mrs is keen, though it could be a little difficult carting our 4 month old bub around too Maybe next year sometime

[watertrade]

I have just found a map of Nightcap N.P. (in which Protester Falls is found) which looks like a really nice N.P. Was there any other nice areas up there? I'd like to trek thru a really nice forest looking for fungi (and possible glow-in-the-dark mushies) and other oddities of nature. Might have to have a look one day. Would you recommend this N.P. Watertrade?

Nightcap NP was great, I was there for about 3 days a few years back. I didn't really do much while I was there but there is heaps of stuff to see. When I was there it was in early January. So if you go this summer you could find the same type as me.

watch out for the local hippys rolling around naked on the rainforest floor. !

[Anodyne]

the ones I found were tiny 1 cm across capped mushrooms.

I've also seen little guys like this - I think they turned out to be some sort of Mycena (?). We were camping in NNSW when we saw them - we'd pitched our tent almost on top of them, so we used them as a beacon to find the tent again after we went out at night.

Also cool are the luminescent seas/tides. I've only seen it twice, but it's amazing. Found a website here

that sells glowing dinoflagellates. I'm just wishing I had a pond or fishtank or something - I'm not a big fan of goldfish, but I wouldn't mind some Pyrocystis fusiformis - I'll just have to put the Pfiesteria in a separate tank.

[spiders]

If it actually rains this autumn and rains hard enough that there is a significant mushroom spurt, i can grab you a culture of a local victorian glower. Ive found a couple of species that glow. Neither as significantly as other species are reputed to, but its still kinda cool. DOesnt glow in culture though these guys, only fruit body.

[watertrade]

Thanks bluemeanie,

that would be good of you.

[AndyAmine.]

There are colonies of bioluminescent mushrooms where we do the camping trips, so depending on rainfall we can grab some then?

I cant remeber who spoted then, dodie maybe? was a nice big patch too.

[PD.]

If we get good seasons for fungi we get them alot, but it has to be a good season with lots of early rain.

I havent spied one for a few years now but they are easy to find when they are about. The glowing from one fruit body is bright enough to read a book by.

here are a couple of pics from a few years back (1998), sorry bout the quality but i had to scan some old photos i have, thats how long its been since we have had a real good autumn downpour for the fungi

we missed the photo op first nite we saw it and she wasnt glowing as bright the second nite we came bak for pics. I was amazed when i was first shown these mushrooms, the pics here just dont do them justice.

[Ace]

Damn they're perty! If anyone is able to cultivate any specimens, could they please post some pics - that would be great to see!

[Anodyne]

Wow, that pic is amazing! Are the colours accurate? I've never heard of orange ones - what species is it?