Ever observed the looks of mysterious and jelly-like inexperienced blobs or mats in your garden or driveway after a wet day? No, it’s not aliens, nor has somebody achieved a really massive sneeze close to your own home – it would simply be Nostoc.
What is Nostoc?
Also often called troll’s butter or star jelly, Nostoc is a genus of cyanobacteria that may typically type massive, gelatinous colonies. Such colonies may be present in a variety of habitats, together with in water and on land, with some species identified to type symbiotic relationships with crops in these locations.
Conquering each the land and sea is spectacular sufficient as it’s, however Nostoc species are additionally masters of survival. They can photosynthesize, repair nitrogen, stand up to being frozen and thawed a number of occasions, and soak up UV radiation – all of which helps them to outlive in even essentially the most excessive of habitats, from the tropics to the poles.
Nostoc also can persist in acutely dry circumstances for months and even years; this is named desiccation. In the case of the widespread Nostoc commune, colonies shrivel up and switch darkish brown or black, that means they simply mix in with the locations they usually inhabit, like parking tons or soil.
You’d be forgiven for pondering it was just a few leaf litter, which is maybe why Nostoc appears to pop up out of nowhere as soon as it’s been rehydrated.
Is Nostoc dangerous?
Some species of cyanobacteria produce toxins, Nostoc included. However, as Joe Boggs, an assistant professor at Ohio State University’s Department of Extension, defined in a weblog put up, “Nostoc commune and different mat-forming members of this genus usually are not poisonous; they trigger no hurt to crops or animals.”
That consists of people, who’ve been making use of the weird blobs for tons of of years. Nostoc commune, for instance, has lengthy been used as a foodstuff in a number of nations, together with China, Indonesia, and Peru, the place it’s eaten by itself or in dishes like stews. Similarly, Nostoc flagelliforme, often known as fats choy, is taken into account to be a delicacy in Chinese delicacies, and is usually consumed in the course of the Lunar New Year.
The hair-like stuff on this dish is Nostoc flagelliforme.
Image credit score: bonchan/Shutterstock.com
Due to its nature as an extremophile, rising Nostoc species has additionally been proposed as an answer to a number of the challenges of settling house; proponents have steered the cyanobacteria might be used as a supply of each oxygen and meals.
All that being mentioned, there’s one specific circumstance the place Nostoc can simply grow to be a well being hazard. If you’ve got some in your garden or pavement, it’s in all probability a good suggestion to dodge it, as a result of it’s tremendous slippery when moist.
Then once more, in the event you do fall on it, no less than you’ll have a pleasant, slimy snack inside attain.
