Decode luminescent characteristics of mushrooms

Bioluminescence can help fungi attract prey and spread spores in the natural environment.

>> Virtual green light of luminescent mushrooms

Decoding the biological development characteristics of mushrooms

Mushrooms glow green in the dark to attract prey.(Photo: Michele P. Verderane)

According to scientists, light emitted from the insecticidal mushroom like beetles, flies and ants, the species that spread spores effectively.

"This study answers the question 'Why do fungi produce light' of Aristotle 2,000 years ago? The answer is that fungi produce light, so they get insects, which help spread spores and create new living environments, attention to ", Reuters quoted Cassius Stevani, Sao Paul University, as saying.

The team created fake mushrooms and lit them from the inside with blue LEDs, then put them in place with real mushrooms. They found that the luminescent fungus attracted more insects.

Neonothopanus gardneri is one of the largest and brightest bioluminescent fungi ever discovered . They live in coconut forests in Brazil. The glowing ability of this species is controlled by heat compensation mechanism, which helps them save energy. Previously, the expert used to think that this was a byproduct of metabolic processes and in most cases, mushrooms produced continuous light.

Many organisms can produce light, but mushrooms are the rarest and least known species. Only 71 out of 10,000 described fungal species can emit blue light from biochemical processes that require oxygen and energy.