WAR  of  the  MICROWORLDS  

How do I kill Thee?   Let me count the Ways!   (# 24)  click here for full list

Lepista nuda:  In forest soils nitrogen is a major limiting factor to sucessful exploitation of the massive amounts of carbohydrates available in the form of woody debris.   Many of the forest fungi belonging to the Basidiomycota have  a remarkable biological capability to seek out and destroy ( lyse) soil bacteria, including nitrogen fixing bacteria, as a major nutrient source.  Litter fungi have the ability to attack  and destroy a large number of other soil microorganisms as nutrient sources in nutrient limiting habitats. BASIDIOMYCOTA.

Lepista nuda (left)  goes under the common name of 'Blewit'.   Micrograph (right) shows microcolonies of bacteria under attack by hyphae of  Lepista.    Signal chemicals from the bacteria stimulate the production of very fine directional hyphae that zero in on the location of the colony, penetrate the bacterial mass, and produce large diameter feeding hyphae that lyse the bacteria and absob the nutrients released.

Bacterial colonies under attack by fungal hyphae

Bacteria completely absorbed - end of game.