Scotland's rare tooth fungi: - Plantlife

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BACK FROM THE BRINK MANAGEMENT SERIESHydnellum aurantiacum. © Liz HoldenDistribution in ScotlandThe core concentrations of Scottish tooth fungiappear to be in the Caledonian pine forests ofthe Central and Eastern Highlands, withscattered records from elsewhere. Certainspecies, including Orange Tooth (Hydnellumaurantiacum) and Greenfoot Tooth (Sarcodonglaucopus) are rarely recorded even within thecore areas.2Tooth fungi characteristics● Rather than gills or tubes, the undersides ofthe caps have little tooth-like structures tosupport the developing spores.● The four genera of conservation concern inScotland have stalks, known as ‘stipes’ andhence known as ‘stipitate’.● These fungi produce relatively long-livedfruit bodies (several weeks in some cases)between early August and October.● Up to ten species, representing all fourgenera, have been found fruiting in closeproximity to each other in ‘hot spot’ clusters.● It appears that these genera do not readilycolonise new sites. Once established at asite their main mode of dispersal is throughvegetative growth with the myceliummoving from tree root to tree root.Wood hedgehogs (Hydnum species) have teethand stipes but are widespread in Scotland and notof conservation concern © Mark Gurney, RSPB
BACK FROM THE BRINK MANAGEMENT SERIESTooth fungi habitat● Tooth fungi are woodland organisms thataccess nutrients in a partnership withliving trees. In Scotland the host trees arethought to be mainly pine, birch and oak.● Their fruit bodies appear in soil and arenot on dead wood.● There is evidence to suggest that thelarger the area of woodland, the higher thenumber of species (Newton et al, 2002).● As a group they seem to share apreference for fruiting in poor sandy soils,often on banks, tracksides, old quarries orborrow pits where there is a poorlydeveloped humus layer and very littlevascular plant cover.●●●Soils supporting tooth fungi are usuallywell drained although humidity levels areoften relatively high. Humidity might bemaintained for, example, by proximity towater or overhanging branches.The fruiting success of these fungi appearsto be linked to low nitrogen levels in thesoil as well as climatic variables.Fruiting is not limited to old growthforests and fruit bodies do sometimesoccur with young trees or in plantationwoodland on suitable ground.There ishowever, usually a link to old growthforest either through proximity to thathabitat or through scattered old growthforest trees.Ideal tooth fungi habitat © Stewart Taylor3
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Scotland's rare tooth fungi: - Plantlife

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