A. Why is a mushroom a Heterotroph?

For many people, the first thought when they see mushrooms in the grass is how to get rid of them.

They don't know that mushrooms are a sign of healthy soil and are beneficial to the home garden.

The function that these garden helpers fulfill is just as important.

Plants can feed off decomposing organic matter, such as dead leaves, rotting logs and wood chips.

Without mushrooms, complex organic materials wouldn't break down and re-fertilize our soil.The Earth would have become a wasteland without mushrooms.

Secondary decomposers, such as insects, can finish the job of breaking down dead or decaying organisms, but mushrooms and other fungi help to break them down.

The fruiting body of the mushroom is a small part of a larger underground network of mycelium.

The hyphae stretch into the soil to break down and make it easier for plants to get the nutrition they need.

Read on to find out how mushrooms can benefit our garden.

After a few days of rain, you step outside to enjoy the sunshine, only to find your yard filled with mushrooms.

The fruiting bodies of a fungi mycelium that has been present for the entire time are what you are actually seeing.

The mycelium stays hidden underground most of the time, working to break down any organic matter it can get its hands on.

The mycelium will release its fruiting bodies into the surface world when the conditions are right.

In order to colonize, break down decaying organic matter and repeat the process, these spores have to go up hundreds of feet into the air and ride the wind for thousands of miles.

A combination of shade, cloudy weather, and high levels of organic matter in the soil is needed for mushrooms to grow.

When all three conditions are present, you can experience a backyard mushroom explosion and find out how many different types of mushrooms are in your soil.

In order to find decaying organic matter, fungi spread their hyphae when they land in an area.

hyphae can penetrate into deeper layers of harder materials like wood, unlike other decomposers who only break down the surface layer of a material.

The process of decomposition begins when the fungi break down organic materials into their compounds.

Lignin, the super-tough substance that protects the cell wall of trees, is broken down by certain species of mushrooms.

Without these fungi, dead trees and other tough materials would never break down and would instead litter the surface of our planet.

Mushrooms perform another function that is not well-known.In mycorrhiza, the mycelium of the fungi is intertwined with the roots of nearby plants.

By colonizing the plants tissue, a fungus gains access to the sugars that plants produce, which helps to fuel its growth.

Plants gain easier access to the mycelium of the mycorrhizal fungus in exchange for this.

Over 85% of plant species engage in some kind ofycorrhizal relationship and some are even dependent on it for their survival.

When some people think of Heterotrophs, they only consider humans and animals as part of this category, forgetting that even when consumption isn't visible, it's still happening.

Heterotrophs include organisms that can't produce their own food and must consume plant or animal matter to get the nutrition they need.

Heterotrophs include organisms as well as plants.Mushrooms absorb vitamins from the organic matter they break down as they are incapable of producing their own food.

Mushroom and other fungi need to absorb their nutrition from their host or from theycorrhizal relationship they have with other organisms.

They are consuming decaying matter and making it available for other organisms to use, but they are not producing compounds.Heterotrophs are people who consume but do not produce.

Don't despair if you have mushrooms in your garden.The presence of mushrooms is a sign of a healthy garden.It is a good sign that you have fertile soil to work with if you see them.

If you want to have a productive harvest, your plants will need rich, fertile soil.

The presence of strong and healthy mycelium in your soil is hard to break down and give to your plants.

Whatever you plant will become part of the mycorrhizal network and benefit from the constant exchange of mycelium around it.

If you see a mushroom in your garden, remember to be grateful.While the fungi that have colonized your soil may not be producers, they work just as hard as any plant to earn their keep on your land.

They spend a lot of time decomposing the dead and dying, returning the organic matter to the Earth and forming relationships that help to feed and nurture the growth of your plants.

It isn't just the tomato or corn plant that you have to thank when you bite into it.Mushrooms were used to make sure that you got to enjoy a home-grown meal.