Shield Shroom
Shield shrooms are a species of underwater fungi that grow close to the Brine River and in the Great Lakes. They get their name from the shield shape they form when growing in clumps, and the strength of their caps.
Basic Information
Anatomy
These mushrooms grow to a few centimetres tall, their caps reaching 4-6cm in diameter. These caps are a bright purple, deterring predators of their toxicity. Their stems are very frilly, underneath each flap are spores that get released, flowing down the brine rivers to new areas where they will eventually grow or get eaten. The stems are a lighter pink colour. The cap illuminates in the dark, so where they grow it is constant.
Genetics and Reproduction
Shield shrooms release up to 3 million spores during the one time they release them. These spores go unnoticeable and are only eaten by filter feeders that swim along the surface of the brine river. The spores grow in between the gills and slowly funnel through the stem to underneath, where they will be released as the shroom vibrates, a tactic used not only to reproduce but to scare predators. Spores are released only once in a shroom's lifetime, and the releasing kills them.
Ecology and Habitats
Shield shrooms grow in the brine river, where the salinity does not affect them. Because of this, they have grown in abundance with all the space for themselves. They grow in large clusters which form shield shapes; it is unclear and unknown why they grow in this shape. They grow right next to the river, never have they been seen to grow more than a few metres away from the green liquid. They are completely unable to grow on land, and any attempt to do so has been unsuccessful.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Many people across the world plant these fungi in long planters that surround their houses. Not only are they beneficial as a light source, they also deter predators as they are poisonous. They are very common with Qellamons.
Geographic Distribution
One small thing I noticed is that you say that Shield Shrooms only release spores once before they die, yet the first sentence of the paragraph says "3 million spores a day". Or is that only if caught in the gills? Alongside that, what is the ideal place for them to grow? In the ground of the riverbed, the gills of sealife, or with the planters near houses it implies they can also survive above water? (if the population isn't aquatic that is, not that accustomed to your world.) It is a little unclear for me. I do love the concept and idea of a shield-like cluster of shrooms, great article regardless!
I completely missed that mistake xD I'll fix it right away. They grow on the ground along the river, and the planters and people are also underwater; they cannot survive on land. Sorry for making it unclear!