Habitat & Geography
WHERE DOES THIS FUNGUS LIVE?
Ganoderma applanatum lives on hardwood, deciduous trees in clusters or individually. One can find Ganoderma applanatum growing on logs, stumps, or wounds of living/dead trees. Great! Now I know where to look for them, but in what specific locations should I be searching? Fortunately, this is a very common fungus. G. applanatum is distributed throughout the world, mostly being found in temperate and tropical zones. This fungus, however, is NOT found in deserts and prairies. As I was searching for this fungus in different locations in Wisconsin, I noticed I found more fruiting bodies near swamps than any other location.
HOW IS THIS FUNGUS DISTRIBUTED?
Because this fungus is immotile, Ganoderma applanatum relies on wind, insects, and animals for distributing spores. Wind dissemination is the number one way of dispersing the spores, but insects and animals also have a part. The spores can catch a ride on them to move to a different location.
WHAT OTHER ORGANISMS LIVE WITH THIS FUNGUS?
Depending on the location G. applanatum is found, the
diversity in other organisms will vary. Since this fungus lives and feeds
on trees, living or dead, one will find this fungus where one would FIND
deciduous, hardwood trees. Also, other organisms that live with this fungus
include various numbers of insect species, from spiders to mites. One in
particular that I encountered while researching was the forked fungus
beetle, Bolitotherus cornutus. This insect feeds on Ganoderma applanatum.
This beetle also lays one to two eggs on both the upper and lower surfaces
per day, which adds up to eight to twelve eggs in total. To see what a forked
fungus beetle looks like, check out
this
website!
If large enough, there could be a whole different ecosystem or habitat on or
within ONE
fruiting body.
There are specific insects that only live on specific
brackets. Some of these insects are so small that they live INSIDE the
pores, so you can only IMAGINE what organisms depend on Ganoderma
applanatum for food, shelter, and reproduction purposes. Generally, the
organisms found vary DRAMATICALLY depending on the habitat the fungus is
found;
regardless of the location, you can bet your bottom dollar that there
is a WHOLE OTHER WORLD inhabiting Ganoderma applanatum.
WHAT IS THE ECOLOGICAL NICHE?
Ganoderma applanatum is mostly, if not always, found on trees. This fungus is found in many different locations in the world, but specifically, they reside on hardwood trees, which is their specific niche. In order for survival, they use the trees as a source of nutrition. They can be saproboic feeders or parasitic feeders. If you want to know more about their ways of acquiring nutrients, check out the interaction page for more information.
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