Pilobolus

Observe the dispersion of a spore-filled sporangium from Pilobolus kleiniiSee all videos for this article

Pilobolus, also called hat-thrower fungus, a cosmopolitan genus of at least five species of fungi in the family Pilobolaceae (order Mucorales) that are known for their explosive spore dispersal. Pilobolus species feed saprobically on the feces of grazing animals. These fungi are diminutive, usually less than 10 mm (0.4 inch) in height, and are characterized by a sparse mycelium (fungal body) that produces unbranched sporangiophores (fruiting bodies) capped with black sporangia (spore clusters).

dung cannon fungus

Discover how hat-thrower fungi species fling sporangia to be consumed by grazing cows and horsesSee all videos for this article

Pilobolus must pass through the digestive tracts of grazing animals as part of their life cycle. Because the animals avoid foraging near their excrement, the fungi use a phototropic (light-following) squirt-gun mechanism to disperse their sporangia up to 3 metres (10 feet) away from the parent fungus and onto uncontaminated vegetation. The ballistic discharge, thought to reach speeds of up to 90 km (56 miles) per hour, is accomplished by the release of highly pressurized fluids from the sporangiophore stalk following the rupture of the conspicuous subsporangial vesicle. The sporangia are equipped with a sticky mucilaginous ring that adheres to vegetation when wetted by the propelling fluids. Once eaten, the spores pass through the digestive tract unharmed and are deposited into a fresh substrate of dung, thus perpetuating the asexual life cycle.

Though Pilobolus fungi are themselves harmless, they play an important role in the transmission of infective lungworm larvae (Dictyocaulus viviparus, a species of nematode), which are responsible for parasitic bronchitis in cattle and some other ruminants. Similar to Pilobolus, the lungworm larvae are voided by infected cattle and must move away from the excrement if they are to be eaten by a new host. The larvae accomplish this by attaching themselves to the Pilobolus sporangia, where they too are ejected from the fungi onto fresh vegetation. Upon their consumption by a suitable host, the larvae move from the digestive system to infect the respiratory tract of the animal, where they mature, reproduce, and perpetuate their parasitic life cycle. While this commensal relationship is advantageous for the lungworms, it neither harms nor benefits the fungi.