Mushrooms as Decomposers

The video contains several images of fungi that were found in an Iowa woodland. Fungi are an important part of ecosystems as they often serve as decomposers, breaking down materials.

• Where do mushrooms grow? Where do they not grow?

• How do mushrooms get food?
• What happens to plants and animals when they die?
• How is the way mushrooms obtain energy the same or different from plants and animals?

Students could:

• Generate a list of locations where they have found mushrooms or where they think they would find mushrooms and a list of places that they think mushrooms won’t grow. Make a class list and start to think about the ecosystems where mushrooms are found and what they have in common.
• Investigate the food web and ecosystem interactions in terms of plants and animals and then use this phenomenon to introduce fungi. (Beware of misconceptions from students that fungi are plants)

• Utah State University | Fun with Fungi: This website has many resources for teachers and students. It can be used by teachers to brush up on fungi knowledge and get ideas, and there are some games for students as well.
• North American Mycological Association | Mushroom Dissection Lab: Instructions for a mushroom dissection. It could be used as a fun extension activity.
• Teach Engineering | Composting Activity: This activity could be done at the end of the unit or as an extension. It focuses on composting, which fungi can be an important part of.
• Teach Engineering | Cleaning up with Decomposers: Lessons focused on decomposers with an engineering focus.
• Beetles Project | Fungi Exploration: Good introductory lesson on fungi. This would be a great resource after presenting the anchoring phenomena.
• BBC Earth | Attack of the Killer Fungi: This could be used in conjunction with the anchoring phenomenon or as a lesson-specific phenomena. This is a good way to link fungi to animals.