Have you ever seen a bird nest this tiny?

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This must be one of the cutest fungi I have ever seen! It really looks like a miniature bird's nest with eggs.
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The egg’s nest is the fruiting body of the fungus. Remember, the fruiting body is the part of fungi that we normally see. The part of the fungus that we usually don’t see (because it is microscopic) forms a network of cell filaments (hyphae) that in this case extends in the wood (the hyphae network is called mycelium). When environmental conditions are optimal, the fungus produces the fruiting body. The purpose of the fruiting body is to produce spores for reproduction. The fruiting body is also formed by the mycelium, which is much more densely packed in this structure.
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In the case of the bird’s nest fungus, the fruiting bodies look like cute tiny bird nests. Inside these “nests” are fungal structures that look like “eggs” (called peridioles). As you can see in the video, the inside of these “eggs” is filled with lots of spores.
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The amazing shape of the bird’s nest fungus is an incredible evolutionary adaptation for spore dispersal: it uses raindrops! When raindrops hit the nest, the water force pushes the “eggs” out of the nest, allowing the fungus spores to spread to new locations. Once an “egg” lands into a suitable environment, the spores inside can germinate and develop into new fungal mycelia.
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Fungi are just amazing!!
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By the way, did you know that fungi are evolutionarily closer to humans than to plants?
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For this video, I used a Leica ZOOM 200 stereoscope and an Olympus BX41 microscope at up to 400X magnification.

dr.bioforever