Poplar Bracket
Rigidoporus populinus, commonly known as Poplar Bracket, are typically found at the dead trees, and growing off the side of tree bark, located around the world but spotted most frequently in Eastern North America on iNaturalist. Poplar Brackets are recognized by their unique structure of the fruiting bodies: a hard top shell (almost as hard as wood), their lightweight nature, and pores on the bottom of fungi. Due to their open-porous network of hyphae which allow the fungi to quickly absorb and release water through valves which are sensitive to water applied pressure, the fungi is lightweight (Müller 2021). It does not hold much water within, however, has abilities to obtain water quickly as required through their distinctive hyphae network. Similarly, the chitin in the cell wall is hyphae is what makes the front surface of the Poplar Bracket so strong (Müller 2021). Although there are many factors that can contribute to the evolution of the Poplar Bracket, for example, reproduction methods and it’s symbiotic relationships, the structure may have impacted the process to a great extent. The lightweight structure due to the hyphae network of the fungi is well suited for environmental stresses such as gravity, availability of water, and weather changes. Despite the fact the Poplar Brackets are able to adapt to a wide range of environments, the fungi is decreasing in number due to logging and mass deforestation (Müller 2021). This is a huge concern because Brackets are one of the top decomposers out of all fungi since they can efficiently break down of cellulose and lignin which are released into the soil as essential nutrients that primary producers (eg. plants) needs in order to survive.
Works cited:
Müller, C., Klemm, S. & Fleck, C. Bracket fungi, natural lightweight construction materials: hierarchical microstructure and compressive behavior of Fomes fomentarius fruit bodies. Appl. Phys. A 127, 178 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-020-04270-2.
