Gomphus clavatus, The Pig's Ear

Gomphus clavatus

Kingdom: Fungi

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Phallales

Family: Gomphaceae

Genus: Gomphus

Species: clavatus

            Gomphus clavatus also known as The Pig’s Ear is an edible mushroom in the Kingdom of Fungi. It averages about 5 to 15 cm in height and about 2.5 to 10 cm wide. The pigment of G. clavatus can range from violet or purple, brown and grey to beige with light to dark brown spores. Generally, G. clavatus has a sturdy, fleshy, vase-shaped appearance with a wrinkled outer surface. It usually grows in woods and on the ground, it can commonly be found under Douglas fir trees. However, G. clavatus is not limited to the fir tree as it forms a mycorrhizal relationship with coniferous trees such as fir, spruce and beech trees. The hyphae of the fungus are closely connected with the roots of the tree and both the fungus and the tree gain from the relationship. It has been found that G. clavatus can be used for medicinal food.

Garibay-Orijel, R., Caballero, J., Estrada-Torres, A., & Cifuentes, J. (2007). Understanding cultural significance, the edible mushrooms case. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, I, 2-5.

Word Count: 194

Staphylococcus aureus

 

Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococci (staph) are a gram-positive, spherical bacterium that is versatile and dangerous to humans. Staphylococcus comes from the Greek word staphyle meaning “a bunch of grapes” which is what it appears to look like under a microscope. Staphylococcus aureus (yellow) is in the family of Staphylococcaceae, which includes three genera, Gamella, Macrococcus and Salinicoccus. The most known of its nearby phylogenetic relatives are the members of the genus Bacillus in the family Bacillaceae, which is on the same level as the family Staphylococcaceae. The bacteria can cause damage to the skin or other injury may occur leading to overcoming of the natural skin barrier turning into infection. Skin infections are the most common disease by S. aureus. It is contagious and can be transmitted from person to person through direct contact. It is unnecessary to have lab tests to diagnose the infection as it can be determined by its appearance. I chose this specific bacterium because I have known people who have had a staph infection before and I was curious to do more research on it. 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2631711/pdf/11294701.pdf