Next time you look at a mushroom, consider it to be the tiny fruit of an extensive fungal network that lies hidden beneath the forest floor. Much of the forest floor in Olympic is threaded with the hyphae of different species of fungi. Only when they fruit can you peek in on the reproductive stage of the lifecycle of a fungi.
Fungi feed on various plant-based foods.
Like animals, fungi consume carbohydrates to fulfill their energy needs. Without mycorrhizal exchanges many of Olympic's plants and trees could not draw enough water and nutrients to survive. Most fungi that have symbiotic relationships with a photosynthetic partner are called lichens . Saprophytic - Some fungi consume dead organic material. Without fungi's ability to decompose dead wood, Olympic's forest floor would have heaps of fallen of trees.