Figure 6. A cluster of Crucibulum laeve showing various stages of BNF development. Renée Lebeuf photo. nests on the ground below (Brodie, 1975).
Geographical
Distribution Bird’s nest fungi are cosmopolitan
and grow on all continents except Antarctica. Teir distribution is limited to specific climatic and biological zones and habitats where environmental characteristics such as sufficient water and light are optimal. Some species are believed to be endemic, which means they have evolved in isolation and occur nowhere else in the world. Of the species featured here, Crucibulum laeve, C. striatus, and C. olla are circumpolar and abundant in temperate zones but rare in the tropics. Cyathus stercoreus has a cosmopolitan distribution and is common in North America, but rare in similar habitats in Europe where, in several countries, it is considered an endangered species (Brodie, 1975; Patel, 2018; Kraisitudomsook et al., 2021).
Toxicity and Edibility While BNF contain bioactive
secondary metabolites that might be poisonous to some insects, they are harmless to living plants, animals, or humans, so controls on their growth are unnecessary. Tey are helpful in gardens where they can control bacteria and fungal pathogens and contribute to
decomposition and nutrient cycling in the soil. Given their miniature size and tough walls, BNF are not edible although there are reports of them being used in indigenous ceremonies (Elkhateeb and Daba, 2021) .
Evolution of BNF Studying the origins and diversifi-
cation of fungi is often difficult due to morphological simplicity and a scanty fungal fossil record (Hibbett et al., 1997).
Our current understanding of BNF evolution is based on Cenozoic aged Dominican and Baltic amber fossils dating back at least 30–45 million years (Poinar, 2014). Recent DNA sequencing suggests
that bird’s nest fungi evolution involved a “high degree of developmental integration and a large number of differentiated tissues” that likely evolved “by elaboration from simpler Gasteromycetes morphologies” that
Figure 7. A cluster of Cyathus striatus showing distinctive striate inner wall. Stephen Mudge photo.
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