Deadliest Mushroom is Spreading World Wide

Connor Cates
8 March, 2013
Period 1

Summary
The incredibly deadly mushroom has spread to every continent except Antarctica as an invasive species originally from Europe. The Death Cap mushroom often grown near safe and edible mushrooms, and looks like a good candidate to cook in a meal, but is very toxic. According to Adams, the spores spread "like glitter at a kid's glitter party." In the United states, the mushroom has adapted to live on oak and native pine trees. It has spread along both the East and West coasts and has been indicating that it is spreading south towards Mexico. But the good news is an ongoing clinical trial may have found an antidote to the deadly mushroom. The drug made in the Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz has treated over 60 patients. The drug is derived from milk thistle, and those who have started on the drug within 96 hours of ingesting the mushroom have all survived as long as they did not have a previous kidney problem

Connection
This connects to what we've been learning in evolution and adaptations, along with ecology and invasive species. The Death Cap mushroom has evolved to look like and live around edible mushrooms to blend in, but with the toxin that prevents animals from eating them, and surviving. It also has adapted recently to live on native tree species as it has invaded ecosystems around the world.

Author: Sheila M. Eldred
Published: Feb 10, 2014
URL: http://news.discovery.com/earth/plants/deadliest-mushroom-in-the-world-is-spreading-140210.htm