Psilocybe cubensis, What is it?
The Psilocybe cubensis is a part of the fungi kingdom. A first look at it would distinguish it as a normal mushroom or commonly referred to as gold tops or magic mushrooms. This species was first found in Cuba by Franklin Summer Earle he had first called it Stropharia cubensis. Psilocybe cubensis normally grows to a size of 2-8 cm.
Background
The fungi has been found to have come from another life form about 1500 million years ago. Since then the fungi has diverged into many different types of species. It is believed that the fungi colonized into the land in the Cambrian age about 500 million years ago this was believed to be long before plants had colonised land. It was not until late Devonian age that fossil records became uncontroversial enough for scientists to believe they were actually of fungi (400 million years ago). There are three claims of early fungi but none have yet been proven fully by scientists and fossil records however earliest fossils possessing features of the fungi date to the Proterozoic era.
Introduction To Fungus
Adaptations : Grilled Bottom
It is unknown when this adaptation happened within the Psilocybe cubensis but it is clear that having grilled bottoms was a mutations the gene for grilled bottoms was created and immediately got naturally selected because grilled bottoms increased the surface area within Psilocybe cubensis exponentially and this has direct impact on how many basidiospores can be created and fit within the bottoms. The Psilocybe cubensis with grilled bottoms could produce millions of basidiospores at a time. While the flat Psilocybe cubensis could only produce a limited amount of basidiospores they had limited chances of having a large amounts of offspring's that carried its genetic information. While the Psilocybe cubensis with grilled bottoms could produce exponentially many more offspring's that carried its genetic information because they produced exponentially more seeds then the Psilocybe cubensis with flat bottoms. The reason this adaptation happened might have been due to predators, or just for the reason of making more and more offspring's that carried its genetic information forward.
Evolution (4-points of Natural Selection)
Variations
The variations in Psilocybe cubensis were weather the Psilocybe cubensis had grilled bottoms or not.
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Struggle
The struggle between the Psilocybe cubensis was who produced more basidiospores (sexually produced fungal pores) and which Psilocybe cubensis had a better chance to get more offspring's then the other.
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Environmental Selection
Many basidiospores were produced from a single Psilocybe cubensis but only a few would survive and germinate and only those that germinate were able to carry on the genetic information of their parents. The environment selected the Psilocybe cubensis which would produce more basidiospores and it was the Psilocybe cubensis with the grilled bottom that would do so this increased the chance for more basidiospores to germinate and carry on their parents genetics.
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Reproduction And Inheritance
While more seeds were produced in Psilocybe cubensis with grilled bottoms it can be said that it automatically increased the chances of more offspring's which could carry their genetic information and as this happened more offspring's inherited the grilled bottoms then the flat bottoms.
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Note - For more information on grilled bottom vs flat refer to the adaptation section.
Morphological Adaptation
The adaptations that can be seen in Psilocybe cubensis having grilled bottoms can be said to be morphological adaptation because they are physical.