Cribularia slime mold trio
Barry Webb/IGPOTY
Proving that stunning, otherworldly nature is never far away, these images have been selected as finalists in this year’s International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) competition.
Above is a composite shot of the trio by Barry Webb. Cribularia Slime mold was found next to a rotting pine log in a forest in Buckinghamshire, England, after weeks of searching. Webb’s initial motivation to simply photograph slime molds evolved into a “relentless quest” to document as many slime molds as possible, “always creating images that captured the otherworldly beauty of slime molds.” “I try to do that,” he says.
Measuring only a few millimeters, these organisms were once classified as multicellular fungi, but are now considered to be a unique type of unicellular protozoa in their own right. They became known as slime molds when they fused together while hunting together for food, sometimes forming slimy clumps and sometimes pinhead-like clumps. will be done.
These “heads” are CribulariaThe fruiting bodies of slime molds, which resemble small watermelons, are formed when food is scarce, and spores are released from them to begin the life cycle again.
Mycena mushroom
Jay Birmingham/IGPOTY
a Misena The photo above, taken by Jay Birmingham in Dorset, UK, shows a mushroom sprouting from a pine cone. This type of fungus is found throughout the UK and is characterized by its bell-like cap. Both images were selected as finalists in the contest’s “The World of Fungi” category.of IGPOTY exhibition will be shown at Kew Gardens in London until March 10th.
For more information about fungi, see Can mysterious marine fungi save us from antibiotic resistance?
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Source: www.newscientist.com
