The golden oyster mushroom craze unleashed an invasive species – and a worrying new study shows it’s harming native fungi
The golden oyster mushroom craze unleashed an invasive species – and a worrying new study shows it’s harming native fungi
The golden oyster mushroom craze unleashed an invasive species – and a worrying new study shows it’s harming native fungi
Kits that help people grow their own golden oyster mushrooms at home may be one reason this nonnative species is now spreading in the wild.
Golden oyster mushrooms, with their sunny yellow caps and nutty flavor, have become wildly popular for being healthy, delicious and easy to grow at home from mushroom kits.
But this food craze has also unleashed an invasive species into the wild, and new research shows it’s pushing out native fungi.
In a study we believe is the first of its kind, fellow mycologists and I demonstrate that an invasive fungus can cause environmental harm, just as invasive plants and animals can when they take over ecosystems.