Mushrooms: amazing organisms

In October we visited Lagunita Creek for the third time during the Documentation of Livingston, Izabal Project. This time the atmosphere was more humid than the last times we have visited it. Therefore, we find various mushrooms on the trails that we want to show you.

We invite you to visit Lagunita Creek in Río Sarstún, Izabal to conduct research on flowers and fungi, and you can also do ecotourism.

Fungi have different mutualistic relationships, such as mycorrhizae, which refers to the relationship that exists between fungi and plant roots. On the one side, the roots secrete sugars, amino acids, fatty acids and other organic substances that benefit fungi and, on the other hand, fungi convert the soil minerals and decomposing matter into forms assimilable by the roots of the plant.

There are also endophytic fungi that establish a relationship with the plants where they live within them without causing symptoms. In this case, the fungus is capable of producing bioactive metabolites, as well as modifying the defense mechanisms of its host, allowing and increasing the survival of both organisms.

Fungi classification

Chytridiomycota	Predominant aquatic fungi, these have flagella and are the most ancestral fungi.
Glomeromycota	Fungi that make symbiotic relationships with other organisms such as mycorrhizae.
Basidiomycota	They are the most common fungi that we know as mushrooms, they help fix nutrients and degrade organic material in forests.
Zygomycota	They inhabit terrestrial foods, a large part of the molds that attack vegetables.
Ascomycota	They form lichens, these are associated between fungi with algae, cyanobacteria, yeasts.