Section of a false truffle (Rhizopogon) with a ...

The image shows an ultraviolet (UV) photograph of a sectioned false truffle (Rhizopogon) with a parasitic fungus Hypomyces chrysospermus.

The false truffle is roughly egg-shaped and has been cut down the middle, revealing its interior. The top half is white or light yellow, while the bottom half is dark brown. The fungal infection appears as an irregularly shaped dark area at the center of the lower section.

In UV illumination, some parts of the mushroom glow a bright yellow color. This phenomenon occurs when certain molecules in the organism absorb blue and ultraviolet light from the surrounding environment and emit it back as yellow or greenish-yellow light.

The background is black, suggesting that the image was taken under controlled laboratory conditions with an appropriate filter to enhance the visibility of the UV light. – AI vision