Fungus not an ugly sight for professor
By Shreya Bhakta
Daily Forty-Niner
The sight of fungus is something most people
find disgusting.
For Cal State Long Beach professor Semaían
Salem, it is a part of nature he shares with his students and colleagues.
Salem, a faculty member from the physics
and astronomy department, recently brought in a unique type of fungus from
his back yard to show his class.
"It has a rainbow color," Salem said, as
he described the fungus. "It has white, orange and yellow in the middle,
and pink and red on the outside."
He first noticed the fungus growing on
a 25-year-old plum tree in his back yard. It was the size of a penny.
Over the next few days, it got bigger and
grew to three inches. In about ten days, it was almost two feet high, he
said.
Salem cut the fungus into pieces and gave
it to students who wanted to study it. He soon brought the whole fungi
to class.
Salem said he has seen fungus on other
trees, but nothing compares to this one.
"I've seen fungus on an olive tree, which
was nothing compared to this one. It was just a lousy little fungus," Salem
said.
Salem said he wants the biology department
to examine it in order to determine what type of fungus it is.
Ann Staskewicz, a fungi specialist in the
biology department, said the fungus, classified as a ìbracket typeî of
fungus, is actually in the trunk of the tree.
The specimen that Salem brought to class
is a flower the fungus produced, according to Staskewicz. She also said
that the fungus is the largest she has seen. This type of fungus does not
usually grow to be that size.
Fungus is described as a group of simple
plants that do not contain the chemical substance called chlorophyll, which
is used for photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is the process by which
plants use the sunís energy to make food and grow. Fungus lacks basic plant
structures such as roots, stems and leaves.
Unlike plants, the fungi are unable to
manufacture food out of the raw materials around them because of their
lack of chlorophyll.
Therefore, they must get their nutrition
from other plants and animals.
Fungi are called parasites when they feed
on other plants and animals. When the fungi get food from dead plants and
animals, they are called saprophytes.
Staskewicz said that Salemís fungus is
harmless and should not affect the fruit on the Salem's plum tree.
She also had some bad news for Salem. His
plum tree may die soon since the actual fungus is inside the tree.
Salem disagrees.
"It's an old but healthy, strong tree."
he said. "I donít think it will die." |
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