Question

Many poisonous mushrooms are extremely colorful. One hypothesis is that the colors serve as a warning to prevent animals from eating the mushrooms, much like the bright yellow and black stripes on wasps help to deter potential predators. Why do mushrooms need to deter predators when the majority of a mushroom consists of the underground mycelium?

Answer 1

Answer:

Many poisonous mushrooms have bright colors that serve as the warning signal to animals that the mushroom is poisonous and by eating it they can die.  

Mushroom is a fungus and most of its part is consists of underground mycelium. The part of the mushroom which is above the ground is the fruiting body of mushroom and is umbrella-like. It is called cap in which gills underside of the cap. These gills contain spores that are disperse and produce more mushrooms.

Therefore as the cap is fruiting body and contains spore so to protect the spores mushroom need to deter predators.

Answer 2

Answer: To protect the spores that is inside the upper part of the mushroom.

Explanation:

Many poisonous mushrooms appear in bright colors and they serve as the indicator of the poison in it.

This is done in spite the mycelium part of the mushroom is underground because the upper part of the mushroom is responsible for carrying spores.

These spores disperse with wind which is responsible for the growth of new mushrooms so the upper part of the mushroom is equally important as like that of lower one.

So it needs to be colorful so that the predators do not eat them.