Encounters with any of the parasitic fungi are usually less
pleasant for the other party! Several fungi are parasites, living
on and drawing sustenance from a host—who gets nothing
in return but misery. They cause common problems for humankind
like athlete's foot and other forms of ringworm (as well as
more serious ailments), and a wide variety of serious diseases
in plants. Some fungal parasites of plants spend part of their
life cycle on other—unrelated—hosts. Black stalk rust
of grain crops, for example, spends part of its life on the
European Barberry.
Some shelf fungi are parasitic, but mushroom-producing fungi
seldom are. The Honey Mushroom is an exception. Sometimes it
is found as a parasite on deciduous trees, but in different
conditions it lives as a saprobe. |
