It's not *Really* a Nest, and Those *Aren't* Eggs... - Observation of the Week, 4/19/22

Our Observation of the Week is this bird’s nest fungus (potentially Woolly Bird's Nest Fungus (Nidula niveotomentosa)), seen in Chile by @eduardomunozfotografia!

Last July, Eduardo Muñoz traveled to Chile’s Nahuelbuta National Park with friends Vicente Valdés (@vicentevaldesguzman) and Dalila Parraguez (@dalaila).

We walked the trails of the park in search of fungal life, where we found a great variety of beautiful species of fungi of different sizes, shapes, and colors, one of them was [this Nidula], which captivated me the first moment I saw it. Its shape and similarity to a bird's nest is impressive and I couldn't pass up a fungus with that different aspect.

I photograhed its two stages: immaturity and maturity. When it is mature, it lacks an epiphragm and reveals its interior, where the spores are contained.

Bird's Nest Fungi (Family Nidulariaceae) can be found in much of the world. They are saprobes, meaning they use decaying matter for their nutrients, and you can findt their tiny fruiting bodies on rotting logs and soil. As Eduardo noted, the fruiting bodies are covered by an epiphragm (or membrane), which comes off when they’re mature, exposing the egg-like periodoles, or spore-containing structures. When water drops hit the “nest” at the proper angle, the periodoles are forced out. Check out this fantastic paper (which includes slow motion video!) for more information about spore dispersal. Note that the species studied in that paper are in a different genus, Cyathus.

Now twenty-three years of age, Eduardo (above) credits his father for his interest in nature as he “took me to the hills to watch birds and look for the insects that live there.” He’s studied ecotourism and tells me

I dedicate myself to educating others about the environment with my photographs through social networks. My mission is to photograph all the possible biodiversity of Chile and thus generate awareness for the care of the environment and its species. As well as contributing to science, thanks to my records and observations.

Speaking of which, Eduardo joined iNat about three years ago and says 

I currently use INaturalist to recognize species that I observe and photograph, search for information, help identify species, and contribute with my observations in citizen science.

The use of iNaturalist has undoubtedly greatly improved my vision of the natural world, since the contribution and great content on the page is impressive, and it also helps me day by day to learn about new species that surround me.


- You can find more of Eduardo’s photos on Instagram.

- Why not take a look at the over 24k bird’s nest fungus observations on iNat?

Posted on April 19, 2022 08:43 PM by tiwane tiwane

Comments

Neat! I remember the delight I felt when I found some of the bird's nest fungi in my yard. I had heard about them but never seen them in person before.

Posted by botanicaltreasures almost 2 years ago

wow! amazing.

Posted by origamilevi almost 2 years ago

Wonderful! I've photographed related species many times but not with the clarity and beautiful lighting as you've done here. Congratulations!

Posted by abiggs2 almost 2 years ago

Thousand dollar close-up right there!

Posted by frontyardscientist almost 2 years ago

Impresionante, muy bopnita especie y muy bonita foto.

Posted by jmmaes almost 2 years ago

Muchas felicidades @eduardomunozfotografia! Que sean muchos años de esta enorme labor!
Que siga creciendo la comunidad en toda América Latina!

Posted by aztekium almost 2 years ago

viva Chile!!!!

Posted by diegoalmendras almost 2 years ago

So cool! I believe gemmae of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha have a similar dispersal mechanism

Posted by w4v almost 2 years ago

Nicely done. I love Bird's Nest Fungi, but I haven't taken shots nearly as good as these.

Posted by kyle_eaton_photog... almost 2 years ago

muy buen registro y foto, son increibles esos hongos!

Posted by njvelasc almost 2 years ago

Absolutely fantastic shots

Posted by codyhough almost 2 years ago

Beautiful!

Posted by hilmcacs almost 2 years ago

Super photos! Well done! Birds Nest Fungi are really great little things.

Posted by susanhewitt almost 2 years ago

I am very moved by all your comments and I am glad that you were interested in my observation and the photographs of the bird's nest fungus, a hug to all and thank you very much for being part of this.

Posted by eduardomunozfotog... almost 2 years ago

A spectacular photo! And I love your mission and can't wait to see more photos. Good luck @eduardomunozfotografia !

Posted by lisa_bennett almost 2 years ago

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