A world first! How come mushrooms grow on this frog?

Last summer, in the mountains of western India, river and wetland expert Lohit YT and his companions went on a field observation trip. They walked on a small mountain path in the drizzle, and the ponds on the roadside were home to dozens of small frogs unique to India.

Among the frogs, a frog on a branch caught their attention. After a closer look, they found a small mushroom sprouting from the frog's waist !

Image credit: Lohit YT

Some researchers initially thought the mushroom was simply stuck to the frog, but after looking closely at the photos, they were convinced - the mushroom was indeed embedded in its skin .

"As far as we know, there has never been a record of mushrooms growing from the side of the abdomen of a living frog," they wrote in a report. Some mycologists were also surprised when they saw it. Although they knew that fungi would grow in all kinds of strange places, this was the first time they had seen mushrooms growing on living animal tissue.

Pokémon fans: Deja vu. Image credit: Lohit YT, Pokémon

What's going on?

Some scientists speculate that the frog may have been injured, leaving a depressed area where the fungus can attach , or that there may be organic matter embedded in its body, such as a small piece of wood residue under the frog's skin, which provides "soil" for the fungus to grow into mushrooms.

Image credit: Lohit YT

The mushroom did not seem to be a pathogenic fungus, as the frog seemed to be alive and well. When it was found, it was moving around and looked very active. In addition, it did not show any signs of wanting to bite people, as in some movies and TV shows.

"If mushrooms caused the skin disease, we might see discoloration of the frog's skin or fluffy white filaments from the fungus. But in this discovery, nothing like that was observed. It could be that the fungus just found a small foothold and grew a mushroom, just as fungi can grow on rocks," said mycologists.

What mushrooms?

As for the origin of this little mushroom, some mycologists currently speculate that it may belong to the genus Mycena.

This is a common small mushroom, generally 1 to 5 cm in diameter, which usually grows on decaying wood and thrives on the nutrients of dead or decaying organic matter. They play an important ecological role in nature, helping to decompose dead plants and promote the recycling and reuse of nutrients .

Previous studies have also found that these small mushrooms not only exist in dead plants, but also appear on the roots of living plants. Researchers speculate that they may be tired of waiting for the death of trees, so they began to interact with living hosts in various ways. This shows that these mushrooms are very adaptable and are in the process of evolution . They can invade living plants under favorable conditions, but the bodies of living frogs are definitely not ordinary living soil.

There are more than 500 species in the genus Agaricus, and mycologists need more information to determine what kind of mushroom the frog is. However, since Lohit and his partners did not bring the frog and mushroom back, it is currently impossible to determine what kind of mushroom it is.

Whether the frog will continue to live with the mushroom will always remain a mystery. We cannot be sure whether the mushroom will make the frog sick or die. Some researchers believe that the frog may be able to withstand local infection, but if the mushroom continues to grow inside its skin, it may cause harm to it.

How do fungi grow into mushrooms?

All mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi grow into mushrooms.
For a mushroom to grow, the fungal spores must "take root" on a surface and produce mycelium, which are cells similar to plant roots that absorb nutrients. Many fungi produce mycelium, but to grow into a full mushroom, they need to grow deep and get enough nutrients.

The mycelium extends outward in a web-like pattern as it searches for and absorbs nutrients. All fungi use enzymes produced by the mycelium to digest food in the environment. When environmental conditions are right, the mycelium forms a mushroom.

Image source: smallfarms.cornell.edu

The main function of mushrooms in their life cycle is to produce spores. When the mushroom cap matures, the sporangium will split open and release spores. Each sporangium usually contains dozens to thousands of spores. Spores are similar to seeds of plants. They are spread through channels such as wind, insects, soil and rain.

In fact, we inhale mushroom spores every time we breathe. Although there are many spores, only a few can successfully take root and germinate and form new mycelium. Humans don't have to worry about mushrooms growing on their bodies for the time being, because human body temperature is not suitable for them to survive.

The human body is too hot for fungi, which need a cooler environment to survive. The body temperature of frogs is generally between 15 and 30 degrees Celsius. Image credit: Lohit YT

The warm and humid climate in the area where this frog lives is very suitable for mushroom growth. Combined with the moist skin that may be damaged and sunken on the frog, it may form the conditions required for mushrooms to grow from it. If this is a mature mushroom, as the frog jumps around, the mushroom's spores will spread and start the next life cycle.

References

[1] Maliye, CC, & Lohit Y., T. (2024). Mushroom Sprouting out of a Living Frog. Reptiles & Amphibians, Vol. 31 No. 1 (2024)(31: e20966 2024). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377805302_Mushroom_Sprouting_out_of_a_Living_Frog

[2] Coleman, J. (2024). A Mushroom Grew in a Strange Place: The Side of a Frog. NY Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/science/mushroom-frog-growth.html

[3] Poore, E., & Osborne, H. (2024). Why is a mushroom growing on a frog? Scientists don't know, but it sure looks weird. Livescience. Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/animals/frogs/why-is-a-mushroom-growing-on-a-frog-scientists-dont-know-but-it-sure-looks-weird

[4] Starr, M. (2024). Wild Discovery Reveals Frog And Mushroom Joined at The Hip. ScienceAlert. Retrieved from https://www.sciencealert.com/wild-discovery-reveals-frog-and-mushroom-joined-at-the-hip

[5]https://www.forbes.com/sites/amandakooser/2024/02/08/mushroom-growing-on-live-frog-surprises-researchers/?sh=29a82cf969c7

[6] Mycology 101 - Cornell Small Farms. (2023, August 15). Retrieved from https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/projects/mushrooms/mycology-101

[7] Nine things you never knew about mushrooms (or should we call them fungi? Or moulds?). (2024, March 14). Retrieved from https://www.durfdenken.be/en/research-and-society/nine-things-you-never-knew-about-mushrooms-or-should-we-call-them-fungi-or

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Source: Bring Science Home (ID: steamforkids)

Author: Cloud

Editor: Yinuo

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