Bird’s nest fungi from the genera Nidularia are smaller, less robust species that don’t have funicular cords. These species are less coprophilous, preferring a woody substrate. Much of the time, you will find these species in beds of woodchips. Unlike the species of Crucibulum and Cyathus, Nidularia species have less defined peridiums, and the most effective peridiole dispersal results from direct, center strikes of water droplets. Another study carried out by Hassett and her team the following year looked into this mechanism as well. They found that the launch speed of Nidularia species was one third the velocity recorded from Crucibulum laeve and Cyathus striatus from the previous study. For Nidularia species, fitness is not enhanced by structures that maximize peridiole distance. Instead of investing energy to the production of other structures, Nidularia species allocate their resources to the formation of peridioles. Each one of these tiny fruiting bodies contain up to 100 peridioles, compared to 15 in other Crucibulum species. These wood chip loving fungi are most likely inhabiting an area with plentiful substrate, so traits that maximize distance of dispersal have not been selected for.

An important thing to note is that the fungal spores in all bird’s nest fungi are not just confined to their peridioles. Remember, millions and millions of spores are in here that can be taken away by wind once the peridiole dries and ruptures. In fact, the peridioles of the funicular cord producing species that attach to elevated vegetation that aren’t consumed by an herbivore, still have an edge because over time, the peridiole will rupture. Its spores will have a better chance of wind dispersal with its increased distance from the forest floors still boundary layer.

These species have an elegant evolutionary design that I finally understand. Bird’s nest fungi utilize just a fraction of the kinetic energy provided by raindrops. Some structures including enhanced ‘nest’ structures called peridiums and funicular cords highlight the species coprophilous lifestyle, while smaller, less robust species with huge quantities of peridioles reveal their saprobic ecology. We always are finding that species maximize their fitness by selecting traits that provide their potential offspring with the best chance to grow and reproduce. In a way, these bird’s nest fungi kind of have dual dispersal-peridiole expulsion to selectively disperse to a nearby substrate, or wind dispersal once the peridiole ages after its not eaten, or falls outside of the mulch pile.

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