An Examination of the Exudate and Juice of Certain Fungi Found in Their Native Environment

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Abstract
The exudates from 3 spp. of fleshy fungi (Polyporus dryadeus, P. sulphureus and Fistulina hepatica, the first being most used) growing in their natural environment were collected and examined. The total solids varied from 1.7 to 2.72%. The pH value of each was low, being for P. dryadeus 2.6. The water contained bacteria, actinomycetes, reducing substances, a material giving the formaldehyde reaction and certain inorganic constituents. About 500 p.p.m of K and about 1 p.p.m. of P were present. The exudate was highly buffered and contained a gelatinous material that was not studied. The fungi start exuding in the morning when the temp. is rising and stop near midday, in contrast to the exudation phenomena in vascular plants which continue while the temp. of the air is falling. Translocation of sugars and root-elongation are at a high rate at this time. Exuding by fungi is accelerated by rising temp. and thus increased metabolic activity should parallel this increase. Because the metabolic activities are parallel in both types of organisms[long dash]one bearing roots, the other bearing none[long dash]the part that root-pressure performs in this phenomenon can be questioned. This leads to the suggestion that the exuding of water by certain autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms is correlated with high metabolic activity.

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