Growth Location Altitude Preference of the Turkey Tail Fungus Trametes versicolor

• Henry J. Doherty

  Juniata College

  Author

The ecological niche is a well-documented phenomenon that describes the distribution of species based on the preferences and necessities for their survival. Species will be found most often where all of their requirements for survival are met. This study looked to explore the idea that fungi, specifically Trametes versicolor, show a preference toward the height at which they grow. There were 97 samples that were measured in the experiment to see if the fungi would show a statistically significant preference for their growth height. The results of the study were statistically significant. They suggested that the fungi preferred to grow lower to the ground, and near the tops of the pieces of wood, they were attached to. Further research with more samples can be done to further investigate this relationship and help determine what other factors determine where the fungi grow and why. This is important because knowing more about certain species can help determine how different ecosystems will function when the species is involved.

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