BACK FROM THE BRINK MANAGEMENT SERIES BACK FROM THE BRINK MANAGEMENT SERIES Scotland’s rare tooth fungi: an introduction to their identification, ecology and management capsules on an alder log Stewart Taylor, RSPB Design: rjpdesign.co.uk Print: crownlitho.co.uk Buxbaumia viridis 3 Front cover image: BACK FROM THE BRINK MANAGEMENT SERIES Left: Tooth fungi habitat on Deeside © Liz Holden Front cover: main image, Hydnellum peckii © Mark Gurney, RSPB Inset top: Phellodon tomentosus © Liz Holden Inset below: Bankera fuligineoalba © Mark Gurney, RSPB Plantlife is the UK’s leading charity working to protect wild plants and their habitats. The charity has 10,500 members and owns 23 nature reserves. In 2008, Plantlife is 'Lead Partner' for 77 species under the UK Government's Biodiversity Action Plan. Conservation of these species is delivered through the charity’s Back from the Brink species recovery programme, which is jointly funded by Countryside Council for Wales, Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, charitable trusts, companies and individuals. It involves its members as volunteers (Flora Guardians) in delivering many aspects of this work. Plantlife’s head office is in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and the charity has national offices in Wales and Scotland. Plantlife Scotland Balallan House Allan Park Stirling FK8 2QG Tel.01786 478509 www.plantlife.org.uk [email protected] BACK FROM THE BRINK MANAGEMENT SERIES Hydnellum requiring further taxonomic investigation to define exact species © Mark Gurney, RSPB Scotland’s rare tooth fungi: an relationship wherein both partners gain introduction to their identification, nutrients. ecology and management What are tooth fungi? Not quite animals and certainly not plants, ‘tooth fungi’ are a diverse group of fungi that these fascinating organisms are members of utilise tooth like structures to produce their one of the largest kingdoms on the planet, the spores. Only four of the many genera (groups fungi, essential to the health of all ecological of species) that share this character are of systems and without which around 90% of our conservation concern in Scotland and higher plants and trees would not survive. considered here: Bankera, Hydnellum, Phellodon and Sarcodon. The parts of a fungus that we see above ground are the spore producing structures, Two other stipitate (stalked) genera could (the ‘fruit bodies’) of a much larger organism cause confusion as they have similar that is mostly hidden from sight and macroscopic structures, but these are composed of a branching network of widespread: the Wood Hedgehogs (Hydnum) filamentous cells.This underground network, and Earpick Fungus (Auriscalpium). Other tooth the ‘mycelium’, enables tooth fungi to forage fungi are not stipitate and where they are of for nutrients and to link up with the roots of conservation concern, have not yet been living trees in a symbiotic ‘ectomycorrhizal’ found fruiting in Scotland. 1 BACK FROM THE BRINK MANAGEMENT SERIES Hydnellum aurantiacum. © Liz Holden Distribution in Scotland Tooth fungi characteristics The core concentrations of Scottish tooth fungi ● Rather than gills or tubes, the undersides of appear to be in the Caledonian pine forests of the caps have little tooth-like structures to the Central and Eastern Highlands, with support the developing spores. scattered records from elsewhere. Certain ● The four genera of conservation concern in species, including Orange Tooth (Hydnellum Scotland have stalks, known as ‘stipes’ and aurantiacum) and Greenfoot Tooth (Sarcodon hence known as ‘stipitate’. glaucopus) are rarely recorded even within the ● These fungi produce relatively long-lived core areas. fruit bodies (several weeks in some cases) between early August and October. ● Up to ten species, representing all four genera, have been found fruiting in close proximity to each other in ‘hot spot’ clusters. ● It appears that these genera do not readily colonise new sites. Once established at a site their main mode of dispersal is through vegetative growth with the mycelium moving from tree root to tree root. Wood hedgehogs (Hydnum species) have teeth and stipes but are widespread in Scotland and not 2 of conservation concern © Mark Gurney, RSPB BACK FROM THE BRINK MANAGEMENT SERIES Tooth fungi habitat ● Soils supporting tooth fungi are usually ● Tooth fungi are woodland organisms that well drained although humidity levels are access nutrients in a partnership with often relatively high. Humidity might be living trees. In Scotland the host trees are maintained for, example, by proximity to thought to be mainly pine, birch and oak. water or overhanging branches. ● Their fruit bodies appear in soil and are ● The fruiting success of these fungi appears not on dead wood. to be linked to low nitrogen levels in the ● There is evidence to suggest that the soil as well as climatic variables. larger the area of woodland, the higher the ● Fruiting is not limited to old growth number of species (Newton et al, 2002). forests and fruit bodies do sometimes ● As a group they seem to share a occur with young trees or in plantation preference for fruiting in poor sandy soils, woodland on suitable ground.There is often on banks, tracksides, old quarries or however, usually a link to old growth borrow pits where there is a poorly forest either through proximity to that developed humus layer and very little habitat or through scattered old growth vascular plant cover. forest trees. Ideal tooth fungi habitat © Stewart Taylor 3 BACK FROM THE BRINK MANAGEMENT SERIES Bankera fuligineoalba © Liz Holden The tooth fungi genera Bankera species The flesh can be quite easily broken and generally the caps do not fuse together.The fruit bodies have white to buff teeth and white spores.The cap is fleshy and often has debris sticking to it. It is white at first becoming tinged brown with age. Dried material usually smells strongly of fenugreek or curry powder. Sarcodon species The flesh can be quite easily broken and generally the caps do not fuse together. Fruit bodies have greyish teeth and brown spores. The cap is fleshy, a brown colour and covered in distinct scales.There is no strong spicy smell when dried. Sarcodon squamosus © Liz Holden 4 BACK FROM THE BRINK MANAGEMENT SERIES Sarcodon glaucopus © Liz Holden Bankera fuligineoalba © Mark Gurney 5 BACK FROM THE BRINK MANAGEMENT SERIES Hydnellum species The flesh is tough and the caps often fuse together incorporating surrounding vegetation and debris; there are multiple stipes beneath. Caps have brownish teeth and brown spores. The cap can be thick or thin and whilst starting very pale, becomes some shade of brown, with blue, orange or pink tints in some species.The caps of thin-fleshed species are often concentrically zoned.The cut flesh itself Hydnellum peckii © Liz Holden is often zoned and in some species contains bright blue or orange colours. In damp weather fresh fruit bodies of some species produce blood red droplets (guttules).There is no strong spicy smell when dried. ᮢ Hydnellum requiring further taxonomic investigation to define exact species © Liz Holden ᮡ Hydnellum caeruleum © Liz Holden 6 BACK FROM THE BRINK MANAGEMENT SERIES ᮡ Hydnellum peckii © David Genney ᮢ Hydnellum ferrugineum © Mark Gurney RSPB 7 Phellodon tomentosus © Liz Holden Phellodon melaleucus © Mark Gurney RSPB Phellodon species Look alike non-target species The flesh is tough and the caps often fuse The Earpick Fungus (Auriscalpium) – is a small, together incorporating surrounding vegetation dark brown fungus that grows throughout the and debris; there are multiple stipes beneath. year on old pinecones.The relatively long, thin, Caps have white teeth and white spores. Caps hairy stipe is often set to one side of the cap. are often concentrically zoned and colours vary from brown to blue black. Dried material usually The Wood Hedgehogs (Hydnum) – have teeth smells strongly of fenugreek or curry powder. more or less the same colour as the uniformly coloured cap ie pale cinnamon to buff or Phellodon niger © Liz Holden terracotta.The spores are whitish.The cap is fleshy and easily broken. Tiger’s Eye (Coltricia perennis) – is common in similar habitats, has a stipe, tough flesh and the top of the cap has concentric brown zones like several of the tooth fungi. Look carefully to find pores rather than teeth below the cap. Why are tooth fungi of conservation concern? Reports produced during the 1980s and 1990s in parts of western and central Europe indicated that fruiting of these fungi was in significant decline and in 1999, concern about their status in the UK led to a grouped Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) being established.The revised 2007 BAP list includes one additional species bringing the total number of species in the plan to 15, of which 13 occur in Scotland. 8 Perceived threats ● Habitat loss at both macro and micro scales e.g. clear felling, alteration of site conditions by invasive plants such as bracken or rhododendron or loss of suitable, sandy soil microhabitats ● Eutrophication of soils through airborne pollution or agricultural run-off ● The application of fungicides or substances containing nitrogen and / or phosphate A survey plot for tooth fungi © Liz Holden ● Liming alters the soil pH dramatically.Work in Sweden and Germany has found that liming was detrimental to established tough or bitter to be edible although some ectomycorrhizal species (Taylor & Finlay, are collected for dying craft materials. 2003) ● Check whether their presence is already ● Compaction or disturbance of soil by recorded at the site using your own land trampling or machine management records, by checking the ● Lack of awareness of the habitat Fungal Records Database of Britain and requirements of tooth fungi amongst land Ireland through the British Mycological managers Society website or by contacting Plantlife ● Lack of understanding of the ecology and Scotland (contact details on back page). If taxonomy of the group they are already well recorded then there is no need to disturb them further; if not then What you can do if you find tooth fungi advice can be given on how to proceed.