British Wildlife Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Mass of fungal Hyphae, making up the vegetative parts of a fungus. A single fungal spore will germinate into an asexual, monokaryotic mycelium. When two compatible myceliums come into contact with one another they may form a dykariotic mycelium, which is capable of reproduction and can produce the fruiting bodies of the fungus like mushrooms. A Mycellium can range in size from microscopic to several thosand acres, but as they are often submerged within the soil or their substrate it can be impossible to know when one is present.

It is through the Mycellium that the fungus gains its nutrition from the enviroment. The hyphae excrete a variety of potent enzymes that have been shown to break down plastic, solid rock and biological matter into usuable nutrients for the fungi or for exchange with another organism connected into its Mycorhizal network. Mycellium are a vital part of their ecosystems as one of the main decomposers of organic matter, their part in the carbon cycle, and their mutualistic associations with plants.

Advertisement