Mushrooms are very interesting organisms. Biologically speaking, they are more closely related to animals than they are to plants. Similarly to animals, they get their nutrients by digesting and absorbing food. They 'breathe' oxygen in and CO2 out. 

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Their food is the substrate that they are growing in. This is commonly wood, manure, or soil. The mycelium (the 'body' or 'roots' of the mushroom) grows through this substrate and excretes enzymes to convert it into an absorbable form. 

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There are four basic stages to the life cycle of a mushroom: Spore germination, colonisation, fruiting, and sporulation. The process is easy to understand if you look at it one step at a time.

 

 

SPORE GERMINATION​

 

Like a plant seed, a mushroom spore germinates (sprouts) when the environmental conditions are right. Usually, this involves high humidity, plus a favourable temperature for that particular species.

 

When the spore germinates, a strand of mycelium emerges from it. The strands of mycelium spreads through a substrate, gathering water and nutrients, to be able to produce fruiting bodies (mushrooms).

 

 

COLONISATION​

 

This process of mycelium spreading through a substrate is called colonisation.

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Mycelium slowly spreads through its substrate, trying to colonise as much area as possible. The more substrate that a single body of mycelium has colonised, the greater its access to nutrients, and therefore the greater its capacity to produce lots and lots of fruiting bodies (mushrooms) to continue to produce spores and procreate.

 

 

FRUITING​

 

Once the body of mycelium has gained access to enough nutrients, certain environmental conditions will trigger the formation of fruiting bodies, better known as mushrooms.

These environmental conditions vary from species to species, but commonly involve high humidity and a slight drop in temperature, which is one reason why mushrooms are the most abundant in autumn.

The first stage of a mushroom fruit body is called a hyphal knot. This is when the individual strands of hyphae bundle together and prepare to grow a mushroom.

 

From there, a small cluster of visible bumps form on the surface of the mycelium. As they grow, they begin to look like miniature mushrooms just a few millimetres in size, known as primordia. These are commonly called ‘pins’ in the cultivation world.

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From this point, provided humidity and temperatures remain favourable, the pins continue to grow into full size mushrooms. Depending on temperatures, and the individual species, this process of a pin growing into a full size mushroom can take anywhere between two days to a week or longer.

 

 

SPORULATION​

 

As the mushroom fruit body matures, gills (or pores in some cases) begin to become visible on the underside of the mushroom. Some mushrooms have a ‘veil’ or a ring around the stem protecting the gills during early growth. But eventually as the cap of the mushroom grows, the gills become exposed and begin to release spores.

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Sometimes spores can be released in such vast quantities that they appear as wisps of smoke wafting from the mushrooms gills. It is also common for spore deposits to be visible on the ground (or log) around the mushroom.

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Spores are so small that they are easily carried away in air currents, and once airborne they are capable of travelling vast distances including thousands of kilometres across oceans and continents, just waiting to land in a favourable place to germinate and continue through the life cycle once again.

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Which is better: The Fruiting Body or the Mycelium?
Generally, a mushroom extract would contain either the fruiting body, the mycelium of the mushroom, or a combination of the two in varying amounts or potency. But, what’s actually the difference between the two?

Mycelium - The “hair-like” part of the mushroom
The mycelium is a mass of tangled threads that form the vegetative part of a fungus. It’s similar to a plant’s roots in how it grows beneath the mushroom's surface.

Here are a few facts about it: 

 

1. The mycelium can grow and develop for years, competing in a hostile environment of bacteria, viruses, and other fungi ready to consume it. It creates and produces compounds that directly harm its predators to protect itself. One example of a common predator of mushrooms is larvae. Suppose a larva injures the mycelium. In that case, specific compounds are secreted by the fungus that would inhibit pupation, essentially preventing the larva from growing into its second phase and rendering it a larva forever. When larvae are unable to reach their final stage, they’re unable to reproduce and lay eggs that would harm fungi. 

 

2. The mycelia have thin cell walls that enable enzymes to go in and out and absorb nutrients. This makes the mycelia easier for human consumption. 

 

3. Some mycelia contain beneficial nutrient compounds not found in their fruiting bodies. This is because most of a mushroom’s immune and digestive processes occur in the mycelium. Of note, mushrooms fight harmful microorganisms by secreting chemicals that have antimicrobial properties, explaining why mushrooms have these properties innately. 

 

4. The mycelial biomass is composed of the mycelium and its supporting substrate that contains extracellular compounds. These compounds are your enzymes, polysaccharides, and protective secondary metabolites that may provide therapeutic benefits.

 

3.Fruiting Body - The one above the ground
The fruiting body is the most recognizable part of the mushroom, as it’s often the one used in food recipes and the kind sold in supermarkets. Contrasting mycelium, the fruiting body is the part that rises above ground or on tree trunks; this would be the mushroom's stalk, cap, and gills. 

(1) They are referred to as fruiting bodies because they only appear when the mushroom releases spores, making them visible for reproductive purposes. 

(2) Fruiting bodies contain vital nutrients (protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals) as well as bioactive compounds (polysaccharides, indoles, polyphenols, and carotenoids) that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. 

(3) The fruiting body is more nutritious than the mycelium because it’s where the mycelium sends the food it absorbs to form spores. It’s especially rich in beta-glucans, about 10x more than the mycelium. Beta-glucans are a type of soluble fibre known to exert heart-healthy properties.