Nature's internet: How mycelium networks shape forest ecosystems

For millions of years we believed that life in the forest, for trees and others plants, was a competitive environment where every plant only looked out for themselves. Growing taller and searching deep within the soil for the best rays of sun and the most nutritious plots of land. After multiple years of research we have discovered, that may actually not be the case.

Contents

STRUCTURE
ROLE
PARASITES
COMMUNICATION WITH PLANTS
HUMAN USE
CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY

We have found that plants operate like the individual users of the web and the mycelium operates like the internet that connect these users. Nutrients are transported through these mycelium networks and information about potential dangers or pests are exchanged between all of these interconnected plants. In this article we will explore more on the relationship of these plants with mycelium.

STRUCTURE

Mycelium is the body of the fungi from the kindgdom fungi. The mycelium creates a fruiting body which is usually the one that appears on the outside of soils and other materials. The mycelium itself is a large network that looks like the roots of a plant and grows from its multiple tips. Each single filament of the mycelium is called hyphae. The hyphae excretes digestive enzymes outside of itself to break down material that it absorbs back into itself for nutrition.

Mycelium are extremely ecologically diverse. You can find them on land, water, and almost about any extreme environment, including space. Fungi is essential in breaking down organic matter. They can break down almost anything, making them one of the leading organisms for the breakdown of all sorts of organic matter.

Mycelium has many relationships with the plants and animals around them. They can form mutualistic, commensalistic and parasitic relationships. Some fungi can switch between different kinds of relationships based on what it needs for its survival. One of these relationships is the one between plant roots and fungi. This is a mutualistic or sometimes parasitic relationship with a fungi called mycorrhiza. About 90% of all plants rely on mycorrhiza. The mycorrhiza provides nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus while the plant provides nutrients such as carbohydrates.

The mycorrhiza can connect multiple plants to each other. Scientist believe that this network allows for the plants to communicate with one another. They use this communication pathway to warn each other of parasites and even share nutrients whenever it may be needed.

ROLE

Fungi greatly aid the forest ecosystem in a multitude of ways. They are some of the primary decomposers of dead materials. They help bring back nutrients into the soil either by decomposing or being decomposed. They are a source of nutrition for many animals including humans. The mutualistic relationships that they form helps the forest creatures to thrive through all sorts of environment changes.

PARASITES

Fungi can be extremely parasitic to both plants and animals. Billions of dollars worth of wheat is lost each year due to fungal infections. Entire species, such as the Gros Michel banana species in particular, have almost been wiped out my these organisms.

A particular fungi called the ophiocordyceps unilateralis takes over ants and other small insects and turns them into zombies. These ants go about their normal activities for a while without even knowing what is growing inside them. Within the period in which the fungi is incubating, the other ants in the colony have no idea that this ant is infected. On a normal basis ants have something called social immunity. They help clean each other regularly to ensure no one gets infected and in the case that one does, they immediately remove them from the colony so that no other ant can get infected.

In the infected ant, the fungi slowly takes control of them completely. It makes them climb up really high and perch themselves onto the underside of a leaf. After the ant is secured the fungi starts to grow a fruiting body that spreads pores that will then go on to infect other hosts.

In an attempt to understand the way this fungi works, researchers, using a fluorescent microscope, looked into the infected ant. They spotted the fungi throughout the ants entire body, but surprisingly there were no traces of it in their brains. Instead they found a cluster of the fungi throughout the muscles in the body of the ant. They theorized that instead of mind control the fungi was controlling the ants directly through the muscles. That way it could make them move to where it pleases, making it appear as though they had become zombies.(Lu, J)

COMMUNICATION WITH PLANTS

There are 2 types of connections that plants have with mycorrhiza, arbuscular mycorrhiza and ectomycorrhiza. Arbuscular is when the mycorrhiza penetrates into the root cells of the plants and ectomycorrhiza is where it penetrates between the plant cells rather than inside them.

Most plants are able to recognize plants that are similar to them and tend to share a bit more resources with their kin than with others. Plants with more resources can also assist others plants with lesser resources making it so that the whole plant and fungal ecosystem within a region is thriving.

The hyphal cell walls are extremely selectively permeable, allowing only select mutrients to penetrate into it. This is a very helpful mechanism as it aids in regulating the kinds of substances that are flowing and be distributed throughout the network. The cytoplasm within the hyphae helps accelerates the speed at which the nutrients get distributed.

Chemical and electrical signals are the main mode of communication in these mycelium networks. When a plant is in danger or attacked by a pest it sends a signal to the mycorrhiza, which then warns the other plants about what is going on. They can also use these signals to communicate about weather changes, temperature flunctuations and possible toxins in certain areas.

There are certain plants that do not get enough chlorophyll, so they are unable to make their own food. In cases such as these they rely completely on the mycorrhizal network. The plant communicates this dilemma and the mycorrhiza recognizes the need and provides them with the necessary nutrients for them to survive and thrive.

HUMAN USE

As mentioned previously, fungi are essential to the health and longevity of the ecosystems that it inhabits. This means with fungi, our forests flourish and provides us with food, clean air, wood, and herbs that are used for a variety of things.

The medicinal properties of fungi are vast. The discovery of penicillin has been revolutionary for the fight against bacteria. Antibiotics are mass produced and save millions of lives every year. It’s not just antibiotics, a wide range of health issues have been solved and with further research are hoped to be solved by fungi.

Fungi are also a great source of nutrition for humans. We can make a multitude of recipes with mushrooms, which are found in excess on the forest floor and on tree branches. Yeast is also a widely used fungi to make bread and other baked goods. We also use fungi to ferment alcohols, yogurts and many other things that are consumed by us regularly.

Another thing fungi can be used for is the clearing out of human waste and reducution of the overflow of waste into our water and soil. Mycelium is used as a filtrate for a variety of substances that are toxic to our environment. These things include microorganisms such as protozoa, bacteria and viruses, silt, chemical toxins and pollutants. These myecelium filters are used in farms, roads, factories and any other places that a lot of biological and chemical wastes are habitually discarded.

CONCLUSION

With more research we can further our understanding of the kingdom of fungi and how it shapes our and so many other species everyday lives. It is important that we make ourselves aware of all the plants, animals and fungi that are living around us and improving the living standards of this planet for everyone within. The relationships maintained between these species are fascinating and should be secured. Looking into conservation efforts within your community and ways that you as an individual can support this planet is vital to sustaining the health and prosperity of everything and everyone.