Nature's Decomposers--MAGGOTS

Trigger Warning! If you are sensitive to images depicting maggots, or death please turn back now!

DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU! 

Maggots----Unsavory, disgusting, nauseating? Yes, perhaps.

Necessary? Absolutely!

Maggots are the larval stage of many types of fly species. Think, house flies, blow flies, flesh flies, etc....

 

The legless, soft-bodied larvae hatch from eggs laid in or around organic matter such as feces, carrion, garbage, and other vile material. Witnessing maggots in all their glory as they worm their way through garbage you forgot to put out for the trash, will turn anybody’s stomach. However, their lifecycle is important for environmental health.

Maggots have no visible head and do not eat by chewing, instead, they liquefy their food outside their bodies. They use a specialized mouth that allows them to scrape tissue and secrete powerful digestive enzymes onto it. Once the food dissolves into a nutrient-rich "liquid," they simply lap it up.

These decomposers work efficiently and quickly to break down organic matter into useful material that benefits soil health and plant growth. Not to mention they help to remove the stinky stuff none of us want to smell. Along with the removal of the stench, their feeding habits greatly reduce the spread of disease. Although we could argue that several species of adult flies spread their fair share of diseases.

In about 5-10 days they will complete their lifecycle from egg, maggot to adult. Once they reach the adult stage, they quickly look for more nutrient rich organic matter, and the cycle starts all over. Because of their predictable lifecycles they are critical in the field of forensic science. Time of death of a corpse is often determined by which fly (or other insect) species are present at the time the body is found. Knowing when a body died helps aid law enforcement in apprehending the people responsible.

Maggots are also useful in the medical world. Sterilized medical grade maggots are sometimes utilized for cleaning up necrotic tissue as they only feed on dead or dying flesh, leaving healthy tissue alone. This is especially true if the wound in question is not responding to antibiotics. While this sounds off-putting to have a handful of wiggling maggots packed into a wound, the alternative is often much worse…. the loss of a limb.

 As we swat the nuisance flies away from our picnic, let’s take a moment to appreciate the lowly maggot that is keeping our world a little cleaner and safer.

 

The Many-Headed Slime Mold

 

THE BLOB....a 1950's classic horror film depicting a gelatinous blob from outer space that consumes everything in its path could have been inspired by a real living blob-like substance. After heavy rainfall, in a forest near you, this alien-like creature will eat its way through the woodlands leaving nothing in its wake. 

A few days ago I noticed a bright yellow growth near a dead ash tree in our yard. When I first spotted it, I thought it was dog vomit slime or something similar. After posting pictures to a Facebook page dedicated to slime molds, I had a positive ID in short order (Thank you Jan Thornbill)

Badhamia polycephala (formerly Physarum polycephalum), or Many-Headed Slime Mold is found throughout North America, South America, Europe and other places around the World. It is most common in the Eastern portion of NA. 

It is unclear how long slime molds have been present on planet Earth, some scientists estimate 600 million years and others say as long as one to two billion years, either way a REALLY REALLY LONG TIME!  Because of the nature of slime molds, there are very few fossil records that exist. However, they have had plenty of time to perfect their strategies and my guess is, very little has changed in their MO. 

There are thirty or so types of Badhamia slime molds and most are found in temperate or tropical environments. The genus name Badhamia is derived from Charles David Badham, a physician, naturalist and mushroom aficionado, who was well known for his studies on fungi. 

Like most slime molds they prefer habitats with moist, rich substrate and plenty of dead or decaying organic matter. Using special enzymes, called lytic enzymes they are able to break down the cellular structure of fungi, wood, and leaf litter, turning it into nutrient rich organic matter that benefits the soil, trees and plants growing in these ecosystems. 

Human activity all too often creates challenges for organisms, many of which have a lasting impact on the survival of some species. In the case of this particular protist (an organism with a cell that is not an animal, plant or fungus), human disturbances have assisted in its continued spread. Logging creates an abundance of fresh decaying wood which provides the perfect conditions for growth and fruiting. After heavy rains the spores become active and are visible, in what is called the plasmodia stage. During the plasmodial stage, or feeding stage, the bright yellow slime will appear vein-like in its structure as it seemingly reaches for anything nutritious in its path. 

These shape-shifting amoeba-like plasmodia travel at one millimeter per second (roughly ten feet an hour) in a rhythmic fashion, changing direction every minute and a half. They consume everything in their path. One of their favorites seems to be oyster mushrooms. Easily one of the most studied of the slime molds and reproduces well in petri dishes in laboratory settings. It was even suggested to me to retain a bit of the specimen pictured here and keep it as a pet and feed it oyster mushrooms. While I considered the idea, I ended up deciding against it. 

With all the names associated with this oddity, such as blob, plasmodia, shape-shifting, many-headed, just to name a few.  All I could think of was a sequel to Ghostbusters or some equally creative sci-fi film featuring my office and an experiment gone woefully wrong.  

There seems to be some indication that these protists are even capable of solving problems, without a brain I might add. In scientific studies it has been shown they will always choose the shortest distance to a food source, no matter the obstacles put in their path. Work smarter, not harder, seems to be their motto. 

Top Picture---Fresh Oyster Mushroom

Middle Picture---Slime Mold attacking the Oyster Mushroom

Botom Right---After the Slime Mold is done feeding 

Once the plasmodial stage has exhausted its food supply and the damp conditions begin to dry out, they will enter into the next stage of development, the reproductive stage.  During this fruiting stage tiny spores will develop that appear to have two heads, which is where the common name many-headed comes from. These spores will be spread by wind or via insects, mites and earthworms. 

Fruiting body--spores

Fruiting body--spores

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once carried to new locations, they sit dormant, waiting for the right rainy conditions, to mysteriously appear, and undulate their way through the forest, consuming everything it their path. 

                                                              Beware the Slime Mold!