Bumper crop

April 9, 2007 7:25 AM

Climate change fruitful for fungi: more than one third of the species recorded have started to fruit twice per year.
posted by prostyle (15 comments total)

Look on the bright side of global warming: The sea levels could rise, there could be increases in extreme weather events, and many other environmental catastrophes, but hey, at least we'll have twice as much fungus.
posted by Gamblor at 8:10 AM on April 9, 2007

So now we'll have even more chances to fail to recognise particular species of mushrooms.
posted by Pope Guilty at 8:14 AM on April 9, 2007

I think that I would like to find out about the story of Edward Gange. The man has been observing fungi in his local area for 50 years and managed to get his son interested in it too. Fungi was a just a hobby for him! That's some kind of dedication.
posted by gomichild at 8:15 AM on April 9, 2007

Will we become little green people?
posted by Mur at 8:20 AM on April 9, 2007

I'm not lichen this.
posted by jimmythefish at 8:59 AM on April 9, 2007 [3 favorites]

The earth may be getting hotter, but hey—the slime-mold beetles are thriving. Good news, everyone!
posted by interrobang at 9:06 AM on April 9, 2007

There'll be twice as much fungus among us!
posted by spicynuts at 9:20 AM on April 9, 2007

I, for one, welcome our new Fungii overlords. When the seas rise, and humanity is reduced to a dusting of souls across the Earth, I'm sure they'll bring about a new age.
posted by humblepigeon at 9:29 AM on April 9, 2007

Don't you know that fungus is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people?
posted by Western Infidels at 9:42 AM on April 9, 2007

Climate change has a well-known fungal bias.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:13 AM on April 9, 2007

My broker just called and advised me to "go long on Tinactin".
posted by Gamblor at 11:23 AM on April 9, 2007 [1 favorite]

I wonder where I stumbled across the article about a Vancouver Island fungus that appears to have come from Australia, and tends to kill those who inhale its spores?

It was alarming, because in Australia this fungus is almost benign, while on the island it's proving to be quiet dangerous.

Fungus are not always our friends.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:57 PM on April 9, 2007

The coolest part about this story is how the father, a stonemason by trade and mycologist by hobby, now has his name on a paper published in Science. I wonder how many lay-scientists can boast that?
posted by [expletive deleted] at 2:40 PM on April 9, 2007

Do We Need Mankind? A Fungal Perspective.
posted by homunculus at 3:15 PM on April 9, 2007

Those mycologists seem like pretty fun guys
posted by BrnP84 at 9:52 PM on April 9, 2007