Russian photographer Vadim Trunov created a fantastic photo series glowing mushrooms. While mystical images are spreading across the Internet at the speed of light, Vadim told our magazine how he does it.

- The mushroom consists of protein structures, and they are less dense on the cap, so bright sunlight is able to shine through it, and if you look from the other side, it seems that it glows. This glowing effect can be created and enhanced with a fairly powerful LED flashlight. It works best on small young mushrooms growing or just grown. Toadstools, russula, morels are very well translucent. But there are mushrooms that have a denser protein- they are poorly illuminated. In this case, I pierce or cut the cap and stem of the mushroom.

Flashlights with a maximum output of 700 lumens and above are best suited for lighting. Its spectrum should be yellowish (4500-3000 K), like sunlight, otherwise the illuminated object will stand out from the background and look unnatural. I made a mini-stand with mounts for a flashlight myself.

Also, the light from the flashlight needs to be further focused so that you can illuminatean objectlocally or completely illuminate a very small object without affecting the surrounding space. I also made a nozzle for focusing light on my own. And, if you use several flashlights with nozzles, you get a studio light in miniature. That is, you can locally illuminate objects in macro photography. Flashes of such illumination and close it is impossible to achieve.

For lighting, I use three flashlights of the Bright Beam G15 model.

about the author

Photographer Vadim Trunov, 28 years old.

glowing mushrooms

Glow-in-the-dark mushrooms discovered

Glow-in-the-dark mushrooms illuminate forests around the world, hanging like tiny lanterns from tree trunks and branches. And now scientists have discovered several more species of such "radiant" mushrooms.

O unusual finds The journal Mycology reported today. Quantity known species of luminous mushrooms increases from 64 to 71, shedding light on the evolution of luminescence in nature.

Newly discovered mushroom species emit bright yellow-green light 24 hours a day. They have been found in Belize, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia and Puerto Rico. Four species new to science have been discovered, and luminescence has been detected in three known species.

"If the daylight is not very bright, you can see the glow in the daytime, although the greenish-yellow light does not stand out against the background of daylight, so it is difficult to notice it," lead researcher Dennis Desjardins from the University of San Francisco told LiveScience. "But put them in a dark room at any time of the day, and wait for your eyes to adjust to the dark and you'll see them glow very well."

Here are some of these mushrooms:

Mycena luxaeterna. Found on knots in the Atlantic forests. The size is very small, each cap measures 0.3 inches (8 mm) in diameter, with a jelly-like stem. (The species name means "eternal light" and was inspired by Mozart's Requiem.)

A psychedelic looking mushroom called Mycena silvaelucens, was found on the bark of a tree at the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Borneo, Malaysia. The cap measures just over half an inch (18 mm) in diameter.

So-called Mycena luxarboricola was collected from the bark of a living tree in the old-growth coastal Atlantic forests in Paraná, Brazil. Each hat is less than 0.2 inches (5 mm) in diameter. (The species name, meaning "light living on a tree," also inspired Mozart's Requiem.)

Three-quarters of the luminous fungi, including newly identified species, belong to the genus Mycena, a group of fungi that feed and decompose organic matter.

"We were interested in what Mycena The luminescent species come from 16 different lineages, suggesting that luminescence evolved from a single point, and some species later lost their ability to glow,” Desjardins noted.

He and other scientists still have many questions about these glow-in-the-dark mushrooms, including how and why they begin to glow. They know that the luminescent process is similar to that which occurs in glowing bacteria and other luminescent organisms. For example, luminescence is caused by a luciferin-mediated luciferase reaction in the presence of water and oxygen. But they are unsure of the exact chemical compounds involved in the reaction.

Desjardins says some mushrooms glow to attract nocturnal animals, which help in the spread of fungal seed-like spores that lead to the development of new organisms. Fungi, along with plants, animals and protozoa, make up the group of eukaryotes, which means "true nucleus" due to the packaging of the genome in a compartmental membrane called the nucleus. ( simple bacteria and archeobacteria, which do not have a cell nucleus, are classified as prokaryotes.)

To date, Desjardins has discovered more than 200 new mushroom species, including the phallic mushroom.

This study was supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society.

Translation: A. Alyakrinsky

The emission of light by living organisms is a frequent phenomenon and mushroom kingdom there is also something to illuminate the darkness of the forest. Glowing mushrooms inhabit not only tropical thickets, but are also found in middle lane. The mechanisms of this glow (bioluminescence) and its biological feasibility are under study.

Variety of luminous species

The world already knows 71 species of luminous mushrooms. Light can come from both the fruiting body of the fungus and from its mycelium. AT temperate latitudes only the mycelium of some species glows - for example, honey agaric Armillaria mellea. Threads of mycelium, penetrating the dead wood of stumps and deadwood, in the dark emit an even white, slightly greenish light. Sometimes old fruiting bodies of milk mushrooms and russula can flicker - in the event that small mushrooms of the Collybia genus (Collybia) with a luminous mycelium settle on them.

In broad-leaved beech forests, the mycelium of the club-shaped branched marsupial fungi Xylaria emits a yellow-green light, and further south, at the foot of old olive trees, the bioluminescent fungus Pleurotus (Agaricus) olearius radiates. While he is alive, not only the bottom of his hat glows, but also its top and even the stem.

In the tropics, there are more mushroom "bulbs" and their glow is brighter. Thus, the tinder fungus Polyporus noctilucens growing in Angola is visible in the dark at a distance of 20 meters, and in its light you can read. The Brazilian luminous mushroom Neonothopanus gardneri does not lag behind in terms of radiation intensity, which locals called "flor de coco" ("palm blossom"), and the kids use it for exciting evening games with bright green mushroom "lanterns". Small tropical species of Mycena also emit an intense greenish-yellow glow: the species Poromycena manipularis is visible in the dark from a distance of more than 30 meters.

How to explain the glow effect

The exact chemical mechanism for the luminescence of mushrooms has not yet been established. It is quite reasonable to assume that this process is close to that which occurs in the bodies of fireflies: the enzyme luciferase helps the interaction of luciferin, oxygen and water, as a result of which a quantum of light is released. However, scientists are still not exactly sure which chemical compounds are involved in the reaction.

To the question "Why do mushrooms need light?" There is also no clear answer. The most common opinion is that the glow attracts insects that spread fungal spores and thereby help glowing mushrooms to develop new territories.

To test this hypothesis, in a night palm forest inhabited by Neonothopanus gardneri, Brazilian researchers set up a rubber mock mushroom with green LED lights. A record number of insects attracted by this dummy was recorded, and among them were wasps, and ants, and beetles, and flies that are really capable of being carriers of spores.

In addition, many glowing mushrooms in the tropics they have a clear daily rhythm - during the day, when against the background sunlight it will not be possible to lure insects, the glow noticeably weakens, and at night, in the dark, it flares up.

Mysteriously flickering rotten mushrooms populated with mycelium, mushroom “lamps” in the olive groves of the Mediterranean, bright green tropical “light bulb mushrooms” have been sending their rays into the darkness of the night for centuries, and the complex chemistry and secret biology of this phenomenon are still waiting for their discoverers.

It's hard to imagine that such a wonder of nature can be completely lost sight of, but some of the brightest glow-in-the-dark mushrooms have been rediscovered after more than 170 years of absence.

Bioluminescent mushrooms have become something of a legend in Brazil. They were first discovered in 1840 by an English botanist named George Gardner. He was struck by a strange luminous object with which children played in the street of Vila de Natividad, a settlement in the state of Goiás in Central Brazil. After that, there were no reports of brightly glowing mushrooms.

The strange fungus was almost completely forgotten until 2002, when Brazilian chemist Cassius Stevani stumbled upon Gardner's previously documented reports. Then, in 2005, a scientific discovery happened. Primatologists Patricia Isar of the University of São Paulo in Brazil and Dorothy Fragasi of the University of Georgia in Athens were studying a shoal of monkeys far inland in Brazil when they saw something mysteriously glowing at the root of a palm tree.

Izar and Fragazy collected mushroom samples and gave them to Stevani, who later confirmed that the mushrooms they found were in fact the long-lost Gardner plant. It was this discovery that became the basis for an article in the next issue of the Mycology journal.

The irony of the situation is added by the fact that immediately after the rediscovery of mushrooms, scientists found out that the local population was very familiar with them. In fact, the mushrooms even had a name, flor-de-coco, or coconut blossom, as they are most often found on the rotting side of chamerops palms. As is often the case in such cases, scientists never questioned why it was there.

Bioluminescence - simply put, the ability of organisms to emit light - is a widespread phenomenon. Jellyfish and fireflies are probably the best-known bioluminescent creatures, but creatures from bacteria and fungi to insects and fish produce light through a variety of chemical processes.

bioluminescent mushrooms known for centuries, from the orange-red talker to the phenomenon known as "phosphorescent light" when absorbent nutrients real honey agaric fibers give a faint but eerie glow in rotten trees. Glowing mushrooms have captured the imagination of cultures around the world. Most often, people are afraid of them, calling them "ghost mushrooms."

Although luminous mushrooms are not new to science - 71 species of mushrooms have been found with such properties - it is this species (it is named Neonothopanus gardneri in honor of the discoverer) that is distinguished by its size and extraordinary glow intensity.

"It glows brighter than almost all other fluorescent mushrooms," explains Dennis Desjardin, mushroom specialist. State University San Francisco. “If you put such a mushroom in a dark room on a newspaper, you can read the words.”

Desjardin also noted that these mushrooms grow up to 8 centimeters in diameter, which is simply gigantic compared to other bioluminescent mushrooms.

Stevani is currently working on finding the chemical compounds that give these mushrooms the ability to emit light. This natural system is still a mystery to science. The researchers believe that the mechanism of light production in fungi is the same as in fireflies, with the help of a chemical mixture of luciferin and luciferase. Last thing Chemical substance is an enzyme that helps the interaction of luciferin, oxygen and water to produce a new compound that emits light. At the same time, scientists still have not found luciferin and luciferase in mushrooms.

Glowing mushrooms - quite common a natural phenomenon. To date, about 70 species of mushrooms are known to emit radiant light in the dark. They are found in Brazil and Belize, Puerto Rico and Jamaica. Photos of these mushrooms are very popular and resemble a fabulous landscape, stunning in its splendor.

The origin of the nature of fungal bioluminescence has not yet been established. The first mentions of this phenomenon are found in the writings of Pliny and Aristotle. Let's try and understand this intriguing phenomenon. But first, consider the most common varieties of fungi capable of light emission.

Luminous mushrooms are clearly visible only in the dark. In daylight, they are quite difficult to see. Careful searches and research of scientists every year open more and more new varieties of bioluminescent mushrooms. The most famous of them should be attributed.

1. Mycena luxaeterna (Eternal light). The distribution area of ​​this fungus is the Atlantic forests. It is characterized by its small size and jelly-like leg.
2. Mycena silvaelucens. It is found in Malaysia, in particular, it is widely distributed on the island of Borneo. The cap diameter of this mushroom is about 2 cm.
3. Mycena luxarboricola (Light on the tree). Their first samples were brought from Brazil. Most often, these mushrooms are found in Parna. The cap is half a centimeter in diameter.
4. Poromycena manipularis. A mushroom that spreads a fairly bright glow in the dark. You can see it, being at a distance of more than 30 meters from it.

Tricks of chemistry or science is to blame

Focusing on the scientific component and trying to protect yourself from miracles, you can explain the effect of the glow of mushrooms, so mysterious in the photo, banal chemical reaction. It involves the participation in the process of only two components: the pigment luciferin and oxygen.

Oxidation of the biological pigment just causes the bioluminescence of the fungus, the manifestation of greenish light in the dark in these eukaryotes.

But this is far from the only version of the glow. You should not discard the option of depending on the color of mushrooms on natural conditions and their distribution area.

Defensive reaction or desire to survive

According to the authoritative opinions of some scientists, luminous mushrooms owe their color to the natural conditions in which they grow. There are two main and at the same time radically opposite versions explaining luminescence.

Reproduction. The glow of mushrooms has become the main means to attract animals to them. Getting on the wool of a night guest, fungal spores are carried throughout the forest. This is how they reproduce.

Repelling. So attractive in the photo, mushrooms that emit light in the dark warn animals of danger, clearly indicate the toxicity of the fungus. This forces the representatives of the fauna to stay away from them.

man-made miracle

Interested in the phenomenon of luminous mushrooms and planning to take some wonderful photos, Martin Pfister, a popular contemporary photographer, approached this issue in an unconventional way. He himself created the illusion of glow.

To do this, behind ordinary mushrooms were placed LED lamp. Thanks to them the world saw unique photos, which have no analogues.