GordoTEK

How do mushroom spores travel so far?

Added 2021-08-12 19:21:53 +0000 UTC

Until recently most people assumed wind alone was responsible for disbursing mushroom spores after they are catapulted from the mushroom, we now know there is more to the story. Mushrooms actively generate their own air currents as they evaporate water (partially explaining why mushrooms need so much water)! These air currents created by the mushroom can carry the spores far enough away from the mushroom to then be caught in a cross wind and moved much greater distances. This process is exquisitely documented in the above short video "Dance of the Spores" while the scientific research "Mushrooms use convectively created airflows to disperse their spores" was published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences :

"Mushroom spore dispersal is usually described as a two-phase process: active ejection of spores clear of the gill surface by surface tension catapults, followed by a passive phase in which the spores are carried by whatever winds are present beneath the mushroom cap. Here, we show that control extends into the second phase of dispersal: water vapor loss creates slow airflows that carry spores out from under the mushroom cap and potentially tens of centimeters into the air. In addition to clarifying why mushrooms have such high water needs, and providing a mechanism by which spore dispersal can occur even in a low-wind environment, our work shows that the physics of apparently passive dispersal may be under organismal control."