This article comes from the magazine Sciences et Avenir- La Recherche n ° 893/894 dated July-August 2021.
“As children, we used to go with my father very early in the morning to the Causse Comtal (Aveyron) to pick mushrooms. I have memories at 6 years old, the sun rising and me tampering with everywhere: what interested me, c “was the crickets. My fascination with animal societies comes from there. But these insects only shine by their cannibalism, so I went to see the ants. I liked to observe them in the forest of Clairvaux (Aveyron). Became years later myrmecologist [spécialiste des fourmis], I picked up the black ant from the gardens (Lasius niger) in front of my lab in Toulouse.
The “Nature Trail” is a charming wood between Paul-Sabatier University and the Canal du Midi; problem, the place is not always well attended! Impossible to work there without the escort of a technician of the team… By studying the “traffic jams” of ants, I then became interested in another species with larger colonies, Linepithema humile. We dug the ground in search of it in the hinterland of Leucate (Aude). In this region close to the Cathar castles, walkers thought we were on a treasure hunt! Unfortunately, I have no more time for the ants, too busy with the blob. I would like to work on other species than Physarum polycepha-lum : I now “hunt” the blob in the forest of Buzet (Haute-Garonne). Here’s a technique: pick up a piece of wood from the ground and put it in a plastic box with wet paper towels. The humidity wakes up the microscopic blob spores hidden in the stick. It eats available bacteria, grows and becomes visible. But it takes time. And patience. ”
Audrey Dussutour is a biologist at the CNRS in Toulouse and a recognized specialist in the blob, “Physarum polycephalum”. Credit: DAVID VILLA / SCIENCEIMAGE, CBI / CRCA / CNES / CNRS PHOTO LIBRARY
THE CAUSSE COMTAL
Aveyron “The vegetation is very dry there, it is an environment of stones and shrubs”, details Audrey Dussutour speaking of the causse located near her birthplace, Rodez. The place is rich in “babissous”, as some oyster mushrooms are nicknamed in Aveyron.
sciav.fr/893Causse
THE FOREST OF CLAIRVAUX
Aveyron. The chestnut forest is popular with mushroom enthusiasts for harvesting porcini mushrooms. “But the good places remain secret, even within families, we do not pass tips” , s’amuse Audrey Dussutour.
sciav.fr/893Clairvaux
BUZET FOREST
Haute-Garonne. Located north of Toulouse, it is rich in deciduous trees, not too dry, very shaded … A good ecosystem for harvesting the blob, an organism that the non-expert eye can easily confuse with fungi or lichens.
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