Photo credit: Daniel Lindner
The golden oyster mushroom, with bright yellow pillowy caps, are a popular buy that are sold in grow-your-own kits as well as standard grocery stores, farmer and gourmet markets. A University of Florida researcher warns it is quietly invading forests and is now spotted in the markets of the Sunshine State.
Michelle Jusino, assistant professor of forest pathology at the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatic Sciences (FFGS) at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) cautions that the popular mushroom prized by culinary enthusiasts and connoisseurs comes with great responsibility when growing.
“The golden oyster mushroom may look harmless on a log, but it appears to be a strong competitor in the forest,” she said. “It is associated with changes in the fungal community, reducing biodiversity and potentially affecting processes like wood decomposition and carbon cycling.”
The warning follows a recent field study in Wisconsin co-designed by Jusino during her time at the U.S. Forest Service. The study, recently published, reveals how human activities, such as buying, cultivating and transporting mushrooms, can unintentionally introduce invasive species that disrupt ecosystems.
Click here to find out more about this pivotal research on the golden oyster mushrooms spread.
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By Lourdes Mederos, rodriguezl@ufl.edu
ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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