Fungi Culture Observation - From Shiitake to Pilobolus by the Dream Team

Fungal Culture Observation Post by the Dream Team

Group members: Matthew Heinekin, Nhy Tran, Ivanna de Anda

       Mushroom Log Observation:

Shiitake Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Fungi

Division: Basidiomycota 

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

Family: Marasmiaceae

Genus: Lentinula

Species: L. edodes

Figure 1. Shiitake mushroom log on day 1

Our group chose a Shiitake mushroom log to grow and expected to see a lot of mushroom would grow. To create a humid environment for the mushroom, we covered the log with a plastic bag and often sprayed water to keep it moist (Figure 1)

Figure 2. Shiitake mushroom log on the final day

Several weeks passed, we didn't see any signs of mushrooms on our log, but we could only see the mushroom log just got browner and browner. Our group's members think that there weren't any mushroom grew because the log was overwatered, and we could see that the surface of the log looked extremely moist and soggy (Figure 2). Or maybe, it didn't want to grow any mushrooms because they don't want to be eaten, who knows!!!

Figure 3. Oyster mushroom gills under microscope (400X)

Since our mushroom log didn't grow any mushrooms, we asked other groups for the mushroom gills and made a wet mount of it (Figure 3). The mushroom that we did was oyster mushroom 

      Pilobolus Observation:

Pilobolus Scientific Classification: 

Domain: Eukaryote

Kingdom: Fungi

Division: Zygomycota

Class: Mucoromycotina

Order: Mucorales

Family: Pilobolaceae 

Genus: Pilobolus 

Figure 4. The growth of Pilobolus after one week

The Pilobolus fungi culture was grown on a fecal petri dish inside a small cup, and it was covered with aluminum foil that had a hole in the center for the light source. This fungi shot its sporangia toward the light (a hole on aluminum foil) and made the cup filled with black dots, which are the spores. 

Figure 5. A close up look of Pilobolus 

     Similarities and differences between Shiitake mushroom and Pilobolus fungi:

- Shiitake is in the division Basidiomycota, which form specialized club-like cells called basidia; but Pilobolus is in the division Zygomycota, which the haploid hyphae from two different individuals met and fuse to form a spore-producing structure called a zygosporangium 

- The mushroom is a lot bigger than the Pilobolus fungi

- Shiitake grows on the log, but Pilobolus grows on the dung (fecal petri dish used in the experiment)

- Shiitake had to be taken care of more than Pilobolus

- Pilobolus discharges its sporangia towards the light source, Shiitake mushroom doesn't do that