It is known that mushrooms grow well after rain. As it turned out, the mushrooms themselves have a direct impact on the frequency and abundance of precipitation: this is the conclusion of biologists from the University of Miami.
Reproduction by means of spores is characteristic of many types of fungi. In the higher, as well as in some of the lower fungi, exogenous spores are formed, called conidia (from the ancient Greek word κονία - dust). These monoploid cells are formed on the tops or on the side of special hyphae - conidiophores (in tubular and lamellar fungi - on the walls of the plates and tubes). They are covered with a dense shell, so they are quite stable. After the spores have matured, the mushrooms "shoot" them, and animals, birds and air currents carry them over considerable distances.
As part of their research, American scientists traced the mechanism of spore formation, recording, among other things, the process of accumulation of moisture in them. It is necessary to maintain cell viability. By the time the spores are fully formed, they are, in fact, filled with liquid. However, at the time of sowing, they contain significantly less moisture: it evaporates during the journey.
We are talking about billions of cells that regularly saturate the atmosphere with moisture - that is, a significant volume. This liquid becomes the basis of rain clouds, then returning to the earth in the form of precipitation. Thus, the full cycle of the cycle in nature was described: forests grow well in areas where there are heavy rains (scientists cite the Amazon as an example), but it is they who are the source of the downpours that allow forests and their flora to continue to exist.
The first mushrooms appeared on our planet more than 500 million years ago and, obviously, contributed to the formation of its climate.
Anastasia Barinova