There is a myth that immediately after heavy rains in forest, mushrooms appear tn large number
and make a very large ring or circle, which may be several metres in diameter. These are called ‘fairy rings’. Can you explain the myth of fairy rings in biological terms?
The fairy rings form as the mycelium of the mushroom fungus spreads in the soil from a central point. It grows peripherally, so that the younger hyphae will appear almost in a circle. The forest cover contains sufficient organic matter and favourable conditions that cause young fungal hyphae to form compact masses that grow into mushrooms. This is the reason, the mushrooms appear growing in a circle or ring.