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Description
Description - [link]

Order: Pezizales (Pezizales)
Family: Morels (Morchellaceae)

Habitat: steppes of Three-Rivers-Land, Southern Ural, steppes of Southern Siberia.
Mushrooms are very important component of ecosystems. These organisms occupy prevailing position among saprotrophs, and due to their vital activity processes of decomposition of dead organic substances proceeds much faster.
In steppes of Three-Rivers-Land each summer grass plentifully grows on. Herds of herbivorous mammals feed on it, but they succeed to eat not all growth of graminoids. When winter begins, rains and small layer of snow force the withered grass to the ground, and it starts to decompose. In early spring on slopes of hills warmed up by sun among yellowish-brown last year's grass mushrooms of white color appear. It is a species of mushrooms which plays a determining role in process of decomposition of vegetative rests in steppes of Eurasia with seasonal climate and cold winter. For the cold endurance and time of active growth it is named as spring ice mushroom.
This ascomycete has rather low competitiveness, and can be considered as original analogue of ephemeral plants among mushrooms. Its fruit bodies cannot be met in summer when in steppe other species of mushrooms grow. Their mycelium strongly suppresses growth of mycelium of spring ice mushroom, and this species as if vanishes from steppe to the most part of year. Within several months, since late spring up to middle of an autumn, spring ice mushroom is kept only as resting spores in ground.
When autumn and winter colds begin, the majority of mushrooms stop growing, and their mycelium develops much slower. Colds serve as stimulus for sprouting of spores of spring ice mushroom – its spores develop, when the day time temperature falls up to +5°С, and there are frosts at night. From late autumn till early spring the mycelium of this species develops on rests of last year's grass. In some places the mycelium of spring ice mushroom forms extended textures under layer of rotten grass. When the top layer of ground freezes through, growth of mycelium stops, but after the first days of thawing weather it renews.
In the beginning of spring, when the sun warms up the top layer of ground enough, spring ice mushroom for a short time turns to sun-worshipper. From under layer of last year's grass its fruit bodies appear plentifully. They may be so numerous, that some slopes from apart seem strewn with snow. The fruit body of spring ice mushroom is separated to small wrinkled pileus similar to dried up apple about 2 – 3 cm in diameter, and thin stem up to 15 cm high. These mushrooms grow very quickly, and the fruit body develops completely during approximately 3 – 4 days. Despite of fragile appearance, this mushroom has excellent vitality. It endures frosts and a snowfall which frequently come back in spring.
Spores of spring ice mushroom develop on the surface of its pileus, in thin layer of slime. The main carriers of spores of spring ice mushroom are steppe herbivorous mammals – porcippulas, harelopes and other animals. After winter food shortage herbivores willingly bite off pileuses of this mushroom, despite of its bitterish taste, and carry spores of mushroom with their manure. The cover of spores of spring ice mushroom is rather strong, and it is not damaging staying in gastroenteric path neither of mammals, nor of grubs of dung beetles.

Description
Description - [link]

Order: Pezizales (Pezizales)
Family: Morels (Morchellaceae)

Habitat: steppes of Three-Rivers-Land, Southern Ural, steppes of Southern Siberia.
Mushrooms are very important component of ecosystems. These organisms occupy prevailing position among saprotrophs, and due to their vital activity processes of decomposition of dead organic substances proceeds much faster.
In steppes of Three-Rivers-Land each summer grass plentifully grows on. Herds of herbivorous mammals feed on it, but they succeed to eat not all growth of graminoids. When winter begins, rains and small layer of snow force the withered grass to the ground, and it starts to decompose. In early spring on slopes of hills warmed up by sun among yellowish-brown last year's grass mushrooms of white color appear. It is a species of mushrooms which plays a determining role in process of decomposition of vegetative rests in steppes of Eurasia with seasonal climate and cold winter. For the cold endurance and time of active growth it is named as spring ice mushroom.
This ascomycete has rather low competitiveness, and can be considered as original analogue of ephemeral plants among mushrooms. Its fruit bodies cannot be met in summer when in steppe other species of mushrooms grow. Their mycelium strongly suppresses growth of mycelium of spring ice mushroom, and this species as if vanishes from steppe to the most part of year. Within several months, since late spring up to middle of an autumn, spring ice mushroom is kept only as resting spores in ground.
When autumn and winter colds begin, the majority of mushrooms stop growing, and their mycelium develops much slower. Colds serve as stimulus for sprouting of spores of spring ice mushroom – its spores develop, when the day time temperature falls up to +5°С, and there are frosts at night. From late autumn till early spring the mycelium of this species develops on rests of last year's grass. In some places the mycelium of spring ice mushroom forms extended textures under layer of rotten grass. When the top layer of ground freezes through, growth of mycelium stops, but after the first days of thawing weather it renews.
In the beginning of spring, when the sun warms up the top layer of ground enough, spring ice mushroom for a short time turns to sun-worshipper. From under layer of last year's grass its fruit bodies appear plentifully. They may be so numerous, that some slopes from apart seem strewn with snow. The fruit body of spring ice mushroom is separated to small wrinkled pileus similar to dried up apple about 2 – 3 cm in diameter, and thin stem up to 15 cm high. These mushrooms grow very quickly, and the fruit body develops completely during approximately 3 – 4 days. Despite of fragile appearance, this mushroom has excellent vitality. It endures frosts and a snowfall which frequently come back in spring.
Spores of spring ice mushroom develop on the surface of its pileus, in thin layer of slime. The main carriers of spores of spring ice mushroom are steppe herbivorous mammals – porcippulas, harelopes and other animals. After winter food shortage herbivores willingly bite off pileuses of this mushroom, despite of its bitterish taste, and carry spores of mushroom with their manure. The cover of spores of spring ice mushroom is rather strong, and it is not damaging staying in gastroenteric path neither of mammals, nor of grubs of dung beetles.