Nematophagous Fungus

(en.wikipedia.org)

46 points | by lordgilman 7 days ago ago

10 comments

  • chasil 3 days ago ago

    Oyster mushrooms are known predators of nematodes. They are not mentioned in the above wiki, but their own confirms that they exploit toxins to capture and feed.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleurotus

    • corygarms 3 days ago ago

      This is part of the issue with the invasive Golden Oyster in North America, their mycelium paralyze and kill nematodes very efficiently which (directly or indirectly) leads to outcompetition of native fungii. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47536102

    • yostrovs 3 days ago ago

      They're commonly foraged, and naturally present a curious question of whether they're a vegan food since they're carnivorous.

      • lostlogin 2 days ago ago

        I thought about this and looked for a definition. It’s all about animal products, presumably making this fungus vegan?

        There is an ISO definition of vegan (23662:2021) but it seems to cost $88 and then I emerged from the rabbit hole.

  • CGMthrowaway 2 days ago ago

    Nematodes are critical to the nitrogen fixing process of plants https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhlZxsnn1NU

  • mhb 3 days ago ago

    I wonder if nematophagous fungi have been considered to treat Beech Leaf Disease.

    • corygarms 3 days ago ago

      It's an interesting idea, the biggest issue is that the BLD pathogen lives in leaf tissue and most nematophagous fungi dwell in soil or woody stems. If an endophytic fungi were found to have an adverse effect on nematodes, that might be the key to making this work. See 'phyllosphere microbiome' research for real attempts at doing this sort of thing.

  • iosovi 3 days ago ago

    Fungi don't play