What we are looking at: A dead tree that has evidence of termite infestation and is covered in mushrooms. It’s unknown whether the death of the tree was caused by termites or if the termites took over the tree after it was already dead, although I would assume it was probably after the fact. Some parts of the wood on the tree are broken off and dry and the inside of the tree is exposed.

How did it get there: Because the tree is dead and decaying and mushrooms have grown there and are breaking down the dead parts of the tree. As a fungus it is a mushrooms job to break down organic material. Also the termites have borrowed into the tree and caused air from the outside to make its way to the inside of the tree through the canals that it have made. This exposes the inside of the tree to air causing it to dry up and break more easily, thus, speeding up the process of decomposition.

Location: Valley Water Mill Park

Source: Schaetzl, Randall J., and Sharon Anderson. Soils: Genesis and Geomorphology. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2005. Print.

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