Gaute Eiterjord

Researchers sampling forest communities

Gullenhaugen Nature Reserve in Norway, where the research in Fungal Ecology was conducted

Four components of functional diversity of dead wood

What characteristics of dead wood promote fungal species richness in forests? And how can we use this information to manage fungal biodiversity?

New research on the functional diversity of dead wood in Norwegian forests provides some answers.
doi.org/10.1016/j.fu...

📷 @jenninorden.bsky.social

Normandina pulchella (NO muslinglav) on a beech tree in Stavanger, SW Norway. In Danish it is called smuk konfettilav

Another ash-dependent species: Sinodendron cylindricum (NO valsehjort). It lives in decayed wood of deciduous trees. Old trees with hollows and decayed parts are important for insect diversity.

Overlevende forteller: – Vår tids største massakre Har regimet i Iran drept flere titalls tusen mennesker, på noen få dager? Tre som overlevde deler det de så med VG.

Det anslås 30.000 drepte i Iran - over en tidsperiode så kort at det er vanskelig å forstå. Det er en forbrytelse mot menneskeheten så stor at det knapt er til å fatte det også. Regimet i Iran forsøker å drepe alt håp. Hva kan man gjøre? www.vg.no/nyheter/i/7p...

Gyalecta ulmi (NO almelav), is an endangered lichen in Norway. Old, big trunks of elm and ash are important habitats. This lichen grew on an old ash tree outside Sogndal that had previously been pollarded.

The stem of an old pollarded ash tree is an exciting place to look for lichens and bryophytes, but sometimes bugs get in the way. Craniophora ligustri (NO askekveldfly) has skullmarks on its wings, its larvae feed on ash and privet. Bolstad, western Norway

The little pteridophyte Diphasiastrum complanatum (NO skogjamne) is often hiding among bilberries. When you find it (usually by accident) it is suddenly everywhere under your feet. It is near threatened in Norway, mainly due to loss of old forests. Here from Øytjernet, near Gjøvik.

Lichen of the day: Menegazzia terebrata (NO skoddelav). It looks like a Hypogymnia (NO kvistlavslekta), but has several small holes across its surface. It is also much less common, often found in moist north- or east-facing slopes. This one is from a temperate rainforest in Sandnes, SW Norway.

This one is also found on old fence posts of untreated pine.

Old summer farms can be an important habitat for such species when the old trees are no longer as abundant as they used to be. This storymap by Dokkadeltaet has several examples (in Norwegian): storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ce64...

Another lichen on kelo trees: Calicium tigillare (NO gjerdesotbeger).

Perhaps the most iconic lichen of the kelo trees is Letharia vulpina (NO ulvelav). Here from Skjåk, where it is really abundant on dead branches of pine trees.

It takes centuries to make such trees, and they are a rarity in the modern forest landscape. You can read more about them in this text by @annesvth.bsky.social (in Norwegian) www.nmbu.no/fakulteter/f...

An old grey giant in Skotjernfjellet nature reserve. We measured the circumference to 210 centimeters. These kind of silver (kelo) pines are an important habitat for endangered fungi and lichens.

Photo of a small fungus that consists of a short, stout stalk that branches at the top into two cups. The fungus is a blue-green colour. It is growing on a dead tree branch.

Green elf cup #fungus. NWT, Canada.
#fungi #fungifriends. About 1cm high.

Or the ones that have seen better days

I have a special place in my heart for the ones that are sleepy

In the other end of the making much of itself-scale: Cypripedium calceolus (NO marisko). It grows in calcareous forests.

Pollinating insects are attracted by its sweet smell, but fall down into the big bowl and have to crawl out the back, receiving some pollen on the way out.

Here from Snåsa:

Goodyera repens (NO knerot) is an old-growth forest-associated orchid. It does not make much of itself (compared to some other orchids), and is one you often encounter by stumbling across it. The seeds are really tiny, some of the smallest in the world. Here from field work in Våler.

Artomyces pyxidatus (NO Begerfingersopp) is always fun to find! It is found on decayed aspen logs. We encountered this one in Østmarka. Dead trees and logs of aspen are important for a number of other species, especially insects.

I will admit that the one we found had seen better days. In its prime it is eay more colorful. Photo here by Tom Hellik Hofton, artsdatabanken.no/arter/takson...

Pycnoporellus alboluteus (NO storpora flammekjuke) is a very rare polypore in Norway. Here from Hurdal last fall, in a location it had not been found before. It showed up in an environmental DNA dataset, and we went out to have a look the next time we were out on field work. And there it was!

The blue-grey cousin: Lobaria scrobiculata (NO Skrubbenever), with red apothecia. From Overhalla.

Phellinus nigrolimitatus makes small pockets of white rot inside the logs they decompose. They therefore tend to make a very satisfying crunch when you step on them:

Old, big spruce logs are important habitats for a variety of fungal species. One of the most abundant one in old growth forests is Phellinus nigrolimitatus (NO svartsonekjuke). Here are two big lads from Ringsakerfjellet:

Old growth forest species of the day: Amylocystis lapponica (NO lappkjuke). It grows on spruce logs that often are grey and without bark, in forests with a high degree of naturalness. We were very thrilled to find it in a new location in Østmarka last fall!

Speaking of boreal rainforest lichens, another very charismatic indicator species is Pseudocyphellaria citrina (NO gullprikklav). It is vulnerable on the Norwegian red list and recognizable by its golden spots and lines on and otherwise brown surface. Here from Grong, in the middle of Norway.

Along the Norwegian coast, Lobaria pulmonaria is a characteristic member of the boreal rainforest lichens. Lots of Lobaria species growing on spruce branches and twigs indicate such environments, where the air moisture is high and stable. Here from Overhalla:

Lobaria pulmonaria sounds like a wizard's spell, but it is actually a really nice, big lichen found in old, humid forets. The Norwegian name is lungenever. Here is field worker buddy Martin posing with a nice find in Ringsakerfjellet last September:

A northern pintail duck standing on ice. This makes it look extra cute. I didn't include the #birdbutt hashtag because it's really the whole body that's the center piece of this shot, but I included in the alt text so it should show up on the search

Not enough people have been posting ducks on ice.

We can't fix all the problems in the world in 2026, but we can fix this. 🪶

Fant ny art på naturens eget juleglitter Helene var på et rutineoppdrag da hun oppdaget noe uvanlig på den sjeldne huldrestryen.

Last year, Helene from @biofokus.bsky.social found a fungi growing on the lichen that had not been seen in Norway before: www.nrk.no/buskerud/fan...