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Formidable Fungus is World's Largest Organism
Mega mushroom expands in Oregon forest
This article was posted on December 7, 2000.
(AP Photo/Oregon State University) |
What is probably the largest living organism on earth
has been discovered in the Malheur National Forest in eastern Oregon.
A fungus living three feet
underground is estimated to cover 2,200 acres. After testing samples from various locations,
scientists say it is all one organism.
One Thousand Football Fields
Officially known as Armillaria ostoyae, or the honey mushroom,
the fungus is 3.5 miles across
and takes up 1,665 football fields. The small mushrooms visible above ground are
only the tip of the iceberg.
Experts estimate that the giant mushroom is at least 2,400 years old, but could be
7,200 years old.
Previously, the world's largest organism was another
Armillaria ostoyae, which covers a mere 1,500 acres near Mt. Adams in Washington state.
A Web of Tentacles
Scientists became interested in that section of forest when trees began
to die. The honey mushroom uses tentacles,
called rhizomorphs, to take water and nutrients from roots, killing trees.
The process benefits the ecosystem by creating
clearings where new plants grow. Animals,
such as woodpeckers, live in the dead tree trunks. Mushrooms also recycle nutrients
Dry Climate Helps
The dry climate of
eastern Oregon discourages competition from new growth, leaving space
for mushrooms already established.
Genetically Closer to People
In other research, scientists have determined that fungi are more closely related
to human beings and animals than to other plants.
Moreover, while humans and most species are divided into only two sexes,
mushrooms contain over 36,000 sexes.
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