6 ms·

Worth checking out the main source of that article for more details and pictures: https://boris.unibe.ch/75002/1/bg-12-4261-2015.pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/7500

by Luc 8y ago

Worth checking out the main source of that article for more details and pictures: https://boris.unibe.ch/75002/1/bg-12-4261-2015.pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/75002/1/bg-12-4261-2015.pdf

abecedarius 8y ago
I skimmed the paper wondering if there could be some fitness benefit for the fungus. Unless I missed it, they don't suggest any. Anyone have a guess?
- novaleaf 8y ago
  maybe the hairs promote the spread of the fungus. When the hairs are disturbed by the environment/animals the fungus is transported away from the initial site.
- djsumdog 8y ago
  I could also be fitness for en environment the fungus is no longer in, or it provides/provided something for neighboring plant of insect life. It could also just be a random trait; something that's not beneficial or harmful and just happens to survive.
- pierrec 8y ago
  That's a very good question. A couple of wild ideas: - They state there is a "significant ammonium concentration" in hair ice. Ammonium is a frequent byproduct of metabolism, that becomes potentially harmful if concentrations become too high. Maybe hair ice allows the fungus to get rid of ammonium. (I'm extrapolating this from my knowledge of animal cell metabolism, where getting rid of ammonium is a recurring theme. I might be wrong on how well it applies to fungi.) - Hair ice also seems like it has the perfect shape to prevent the formation of solid sheet ice on top of the deadwood. No sheet ice -> better ventilation. - I also like sibling's theory of using it a means of dispersal, but the paper makes no mention of hair ice containing any fungus/spores at all.
- larkeith 8y ago
  I wonder if the ice might help protect against extreme low temperatures? Fur on animals traps air, acting as an insulator, so it might be similar here. As the fungus (presumably) provides negligible heat output, it would probably only protect against temporary cold flashes, rather than sustained lows - perhaps unusually cold nights?
  - sslayer 8y ago
    Bigger picture thought here - how many unique survival mechanisms exist in floura/fawna/fungi in species that survived from the ice age(s) to today that are only exhibited in extreme temperatures/unique atmospheric conditions. And particularly,how many have we not yet observed/studied due to those conditions not existing currently.
degenerate 8y ago
Since that server is very slow in USA, here's a mirror: https://www.docdroid.net/i1zITmK/evidence-for-biological-shaping-of-hair-ice-bg-12-4261-2015.pdf https://www.docdroid.net/i1zITmK/evidence-for-biological-sha...

by Luc 8y ago

Worth checking out the main source of that article for more details and pictures: https://boris.unibe.ch/75002/1/bg-12-4261-2015.pdf https://boris.unibe.ch/75002/1/bg-12-4261-2015.pdf

abecedarius 8y ago

I skimmed the paper wondering if there could be some fitness benefit for the fungus. Unless I missed it, they don't suggest any. Anyone have a guess?

novaleaf 8y ago
maybe the hairs promote the spread of the fungus. When the hairs are disturbed by the environment/animals the fungus is transported away from the initial site.
djsumdog 8y ago
I could also be fitness for en environment the fungus is no longer in, or it provides/provided something for neighboring plant of insect life. It could also just be a random trait; something that's not beneficial or harmful and just happens to survive.
pierrec 8y ago
That's a very good question. A couple of wild ideas: - They state there is a "significant ammonium concentration" in hair ice. Ammonium is a frequent byproduct of metabolism, that becomes potentially harmful if concentrations become too high. Maybe hair ice allows the fungus to get rid of ammonium. (I'm extrapolating this from my knowledge of animal cell metabolism, where getting rid of ammonium is a recurring theme. I might be wrong on how well it applies to fungi.) - Hair ice also seems like it has the perfect shape to prevent the formation of solid sheet ice on top of the deadwood. No sheet ice -> better ventilation. - I also like sibling's theory of using it a means of dispersal, but the paper makes no mention of hair ice containing any fungus/spores at all.
larkeith 8y ago
I wonder if the ice might help protect against extreme low temperatures? Fur on animals traps air, acting as an insulator, so it might be similar here. As the fungus (presumably) provides negligible heat output, it would probably only protect against temporary cold flashes, rather than sustained lows - perhaps unusually cold nights?
- sslayer 8y ago
  Bigger picture thought here - how many unique survival mechanisms exist in floura/fawna/fungi in species that survived from the ice age(s) to today that are only exhibited in extreme temperatures/unique atmospheric conditions. And particularly,how many have we not yet observed/studied due to those conditions not existing currently.

degenerate 8y ago

Since that server is very slow in USA, here's a mirror: https://www.docdroid.net/i1zITmK/evidence-for-biological-shaping-of-hair-ice-bg-12-4261-2015.pdf https://www.docdroid.net/i1zITmK/evidence-for-biological-sha...