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Article: Recycling nature. (saprophytic fungi)
- Article from:
- The World and I
- Article date:
- November 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In their quiet, inconspicuous ways, saprophytic fungi break down the remains of dead plants and animals, replenishing the earth with nutrients for subsequent generations of living things.
As winter approaches, the natural landscape becomes increasingly barren and Ill, less. Animals migrate southward or go into hibernation. Trees and shrubs shed their leaves, while grasses and wildflowers convert to leafless stalks tilting earthward. Yet this is the beginning of the most active time of year for nature's recyclers: the fungi and bacteria. During the fall and winter months, they work to decompose the huge masses of discarded remains of plants and animals. In the ...