Activity: Fabulous Fungi – Studying Mushrooms

Goals:

  1. To view a cross-section of a mushroom and observe its spores and gills.
  2. To draw a “study” of a variety of mushrooms.
  3. To identify the main parts of a typical mushroom.
  4. To observe a spore print.

Background Information: On top of a mushroom’s stalk is its cap. The spores, which are the mushroom’s reproductive cells, are produced on the underside of a cap on a series of sheets of tissues called gills. The gills extend from the stalk to the outer edge of the cap.

Spores must find their way into the moving air layer just above the ground in order to be transported to an area where they might grow. Fungi grow some amazing devices for launching spores from its gill walls. (From The Reasons forthe Seasons by Linda Allison.)

Materials: prepared slide of a cross-section of a mushroom cap (Caprinus), a variety of fresh mushrooms, hand lenses, mushroom field guides, spore prints, and a PowerPoint slideshow on Fungi

Procedure:

  1. Rotate through the various stations listed below and complete the indicated activity described at each station.
  2. Bes sure to record all your responses in complete sentences.
  3. Use your text book, the handouts at your stations, and the hyperlinks provided as resources.

Station 1: Caprinus Mushroom Slide

1.Observe a prepared slide of a cross-section (slice) of a mushroom.

2.Draw what you see and label the cap, a gill, and a spore.

3.Write a caption for your observation. Be specific and use your textbook to help you if necessary.

4.Hyperlink: Caprinus Mushroom Cross- section

a. Drawing/Labels

Station 2: Edible Mushrooms

  1. Examine a fresh mushroom. A mushroom is the fruiting body of a fungus.
  2. Draw two views of one type of mushroom at your station. Be sure to show and label a stem, gills, cap, and ring (if present).
  3. Write a caption for your drawing that explains what you observed or learned at this station.
  1. Drawings/Labels:

View 1View 2

b. Caption:

Station 3: Spore Prints

Hyperlink:Spore Prints

  1. Observe the spore prints made by the spores falling from the mushroom gills.
  2. Draw and label an illustration of a print.
  3. Caption your drawing by explaining what a spore is and why it has to be lightweight.

a. Drawing/Labels

b. Caption:

Station 4: Mushroom Facts

Hyperlink: Mushroom Facts

Peruse (read carefully) the field guides on mushrooms.

  1. Find three interesting facts you learned about fungi from these books and write them on the space below.

a.

b.

c.

Station 5: Fungi Slideshow

  1. Use a student computer and open PowerPoint>go to homeshare>all students> Part 2: Fungi (How Fungi Affect Other Organisms)
  2. View the fungi slideshow and complete the statements below.
  1. ______and ______are two fungal disease that affect trees.
  1. Some fungi that infect plants produce ______that can injure or even kill humans and animals.
  1. Farmers spend millions of dollars on fungus-killing substances called ______.
  1. The powerful cancer producing toxin, ______can be produced by some fungi that grow on stored grains.
  1. It is important for farmers to completely dry grains before storing because toxin-producing fungi require ______.
  1. The fungus that replaces grains of rye with hard spiky poisonous growths is known as ______.
  1. Because of the unusual symptoms displayed by someone affected by ergot poisoning, some historians suggested that the ______of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts might have been due to ergot poisoning, rather than witchcraft.
  1. Plant-eating pests such as ______, mites, and aphids can be killed by deliberately infecting them with fungi.
  1. Using fungal ______is more effective and safer to the environment than using chemicals.
  1. Some fungi are helpful to plants against some diseases. They coat the roots of about 80% of all the world’s plants. This fungus-root association is called ______.
  1. These fungus –root associations spread their ______throughout the soil and help their host absorb ten or more times the nutrients they need.
  1. The fungus –root associations protect plants against ______, cold, acid rain, and ______caused by other fungi