Luminescence has been observed in many species, but it is still poorly understood in many ways. While emitting a lovely glow makes some mushroom species beautiful, the processes and reasons behind their luminescence tell an even more interesting story.
What is Luminescence
Luminescence, sometimes called bioluminescence, is a biological process that creates light. This phenomena has been found in bacteria, fishes, fireflies, squid and many other living things, including a wide variety of mushroom species. The light from bioluminescent organisms is emitted by a chemical reaction that can differ by species but is usually powered by ATP.
Glowing Mushrooms Across the Globe
Luminescent mushrooms can be found across the globe, with species located in Belize, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia and Puerto Rico. A majority of luminescent fungi species belong to the genus Mycena, which is made up of mushrooms that live off decomposing wood and other organic matter.
Seven new glowing mushroom species were recently discovered by San Francisco State University Professor Dennis Desjardin and colleagues, according to a Science Daily press release. The discoveries were published in the journal Mycologia's October 5, 2009 online edition. These new glow-in-the-dark mushrooms bring the total of known luminescent mushroom species up to 71.
How Mushrooms Glow
Glowing mushrooms emit their eerie and beautiful yellow-green light 24 hours a day, but they are best viewed at night. Their characteristic glow comes from an enzyme called luciferese interacting with the compound luciferin. In the presence of water and oxygen, these two components react chemically and release energy in the form of light, causing a visible glow.
Most bioluminescent mushrooms don't glow uniformly. Some species concentrate their glow in the stem or caps, while others only grow during the life stage when they are mycelium, the fine filaments that will later develop into mushrooms during the reproductive cycle.
The most populous group of luminescent mushrooms descend from 16 distinct lines, indicating to scientists that the ability to glow developed early on in mushroom evolution and that some species have lost the ability to shine.
Why Mushrooms Glow
According to a June 11, 2008 article in the Japan Times written by Winifred Bird, Kunihiko Otsuki, formerly a researcher at the Wakayama Forestry Research Center, thinks these mushrooms glow in order to attract insects such as crickets and daddy-longlegs crane flies. Otsuki has observed insects such as these eating the glowing fungi and believes that this enables the mushrooms' spores to travel further and establish colonies far from their parent. He reported his findings at the meeting of the Mycological Societies of Japan and America in Hawaii in 2005.
Another proposed reason for the luminescence is that the mushrooms are attracting predators that eat creatures detrimental to their health. By drawing these larger predators close, they become less likely to be nibbled on themselves.
Whatever the reason for these mushrooms glow, there is no denying their loveliness. Even if it turns out that attracting would-be spore dispersers or predators isn't the true reason for their bioluminescence, glowing mushrooms will certainly continue to attract scientists to learn more about them.
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