Diario del proyecto BIO 111 - Wed - Will's Group

Turkey tails are mushrooms found virtually anywhere in the world as they grow on dead trees, logs, or stumps. Turkey tails have many human uses, most notably being in medicine. The medical use of the turkey tail has been around for centuries and in Japan, it symbolizes spiritual strength and a sense of longevity. They have shown to have an impressive number of antioxidants including, phenol which promotes immune system health and do so by stimulating the release of protective compounds and reducing inflammation. (Kubala, 2018). Interestingly a “test-tube study found that PSK, the polysaccharopeptide found in turkey tail mushrooms, inhibited the growth and spread of human colon cancer cells” (Kubala, 2018)

Cerioporus squamosus (Dryad’s Saddle) is a saprotrophic fungi native to several continents across the globe. Dryad’s Saddle plays an important role in woodland ecosystems; not only does it decompose organic matter, but it also serves as an edible and nutritious food source for several organisms, including humans. Dryad’s Saddle is high in protein; vitamins B, C, and D; and several essential minerals (Sánchez, 2017). Coupled with being low in sodium, fat, and cholesterol, Dryad’s Saddle is a very healthy fungi to consume (Sánchez, 2017). It is also high in antioxidants, including β-Carotene and α-tocopherol, which allows it to neutralize free radicals in the body and prevent cell damage that would likely otherwise occur from these reactive oxygen species (Sánchez, 2017).

Reference available in Lab 5 Report.

Note: I was unable to italicize the genus/species names on iNaturalist.

Hairy bracket, or trametes hirsuta, is a mushroom that produces laccase (Ma et al., 2015), which is quite common and indicates that the fungi is able to decompose lignin, meaning it is likely a saprophyte as it causes wood rot (Arregui et al., 2019). Trametes hirsuta was tested for its chemical composition and properties to determine and expand upon its medicinal value. When tested on mice, it was found that trametes hirsuta had the potential to improve immune function. (Ma et al., 2015)

The Crepidotus crocophyllus (AKA the saffron crep) gets the name "crocophyllus" from its saffron-coloured gills, which are quite prominent especially when the mushroom is young (Volk & Palmer, 2007). This fungus usually grows on old, rotten logs that dry out easily (Volk & Palmer, 2007). This means that despite their small, delicate mushrooms, they must have strong mycelia to be able to withstand these dry conditions. Humans don't have many uses for the Crepidotus crocophyllus - it isn't edible (although it isn't poisonous either) and has no other significant uses (Volk & Palmer, 2007). However, its bright colour does make it one of the prettier fungi to look at.

Trametes Versicolor or commonly known as Turkey-tail is a tree rot that can be found throughout the world and have been used by humans for centuries for their medicinal properties, with cancer-fighting properties being claimed and studied. Through my research I learnt that this species of fungus degrades lignin and other aromatic pollutants. The specific research paper I found focused on how copper and nitrogen limit the amount of laccase that is produced which is now being recognized to play a significant role in the degradation of the previously mentioned compounds. Another source showed that Trametes Versicolor may have aflatoxin inhibition abilities, which is a toxin produced from a mold that can grow on pet food and potentially cause illness and death when ingested.