Canadas Boreal Forest and Gloeophyllum Sepiarium Essay

Canadas Boreal Forest and Gloeophyllum Sepiarium - Essay Example sepiarium wood rots. This organic matter is then returned to the soil it is an important contributors to the break down of wood in the forest and the recycling of nutrients as well as soil improvement. G. sepiarium and other fungi do not produce carbon as they do not have the ability of photosynthesis so they obtain their energy from breaking down organism that have carbon based molecules which are then absorbed as nutrients into to fungal cells (Farrar, 1985). Whilst this fungus is highly toxic if ingested it has been used in research against cancer has showed positively to date to have potential medicinal purposes for the fight against the disease (Sasata, 2008). The G. sepiarium is asexual an reproduces through vegetative spores in late summer and early autumn however fruiting bodies are seen all year round. .The spores are released by a strong ejection from the reproductive structure ensuring a wide dispersal range. BIBLIOGRAPHY Farrar JF (1985). "Carbohydrate metabolism in biotrophic plant pathogens". Microbial Sci. 2: 314-317 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez (accessed on 27th November 2008) Sasata, 2008 Healing-Mushrooms.net, http://healing-mushrooms.net/archives/gloeophyllum-sepiarium.html (accessed on 27th