What truly ignites my fascination with the fungal kingdom isn't mushrooms, despite their vivid and captivating appearance, but rather stems from a deeper understanding of what is operating beneath them.
The mycelial network, to me, represents one of the most profound examples of nature's intelligence, fundamentally reshaping my perception of life on our planet.
Nature's Underground Internet
When you walk through the forest and see a mushroom know that it's just merely the tip of the iceberg compared to what's underneath...
That mushroom is connected to an intricate and sophisticated highway of cellular threads that run all throughout the soil, stretching across the entire earth's surface. Picture an underground internet highway weaving its way beneath your feet - this is the mycelial network, also known as the ‘Wood Wide Web’.
The cells that form this complex communication system were the first multicellular organisms recorded in the fossil record, dating back 1.3 billion years. All life on our planet, including humans, can trace its roots back to this ancient fungal network as we developed and arose from it.
Our Suprising Biological Kin
Remarkably, this fungal network is more closely related to us humans than it is to plants. In fact, antifungal medications are notoriously challenging to develop because our cells share such striking similarities with fungal cells.
The underground mycelial network bears a striking resemblance to the neurological pathways of the human brain, both in structure and function.
Within this network, electrochemical signals travel across fungal synaptic pathways, relaying crucial messages such as the location of food sources or warnings of impending danger. Scientists have identified 50 distinct electrochemical signals, essentially "words," used by various mushroom species.
Serving as nature's highway, the mycelial network interconnects all life forms and predates everything else on Earth. It's no wonder that mycelium has been called "orchestrator of life" and "brain of the planet."
Fungal Awareness
And if this doesn’t sound intelligent enough, wait, it gets better!
The mycelial network is sentient.
Capable of sensing human presence as we tread above it, the network reacts accordingly, leaping up towards footsteps mistaking it for debris to decompose. So next time you're going for a walk, remember that your steps are being felt.
Secret Language Between Fungi and Trees
Beyond internal communication, fungi have engaged in an ancient and symbiotic relationship with tree life for over 460 million years, forming what is known as the mycorrhizal network.
Trees are plugged into this mushroom root-like highway and use it to communicate with each other. The largest and oldest trees with the most interconnected hubs within the forest are called "mother trees". These mother trees will recognise and share their nutrients (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and water) to young saplings or struggling trees within the network. Trees also utilise this highway to relay stress signals when under threat and to warn of enemies. Here is an image that has traced this extraordinary network and demonstrates the connectivity of trees through the mycelial network.
It's worth noting that forests and bushlands being deeply connected and collaborative places has long been known by Australian First Nation peoples. (Miller, Bruce-subiyay. “Seeds of our Ancestors.” 1999)
Trees also leverage the network to exchange nutrients with fungi in a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship. Imagine an enormous underground stock exchange akin to Wall Street, where fungi extract nitrogen and phosphorus from the soil and deliver them to trees. In return, trees provide fungi with essential carbon-rich sugars generated through photosynthesis, compensating for fungi's lack of photosynthetic ability.
Nature's Hidden Superpower in Ecological Restoration
While trees are widely recognized for their crucial role in sequestering atmospheric carbon, and numerous environmental initiatives focus on tree planting, it's frequently overlooked that the mycelial network serves as the largest repository of carbon. Approximately 70% of this carbon is actually stored underground within the mycelial network, primarily in structures known as glomalin cells.
This is why it is crucially important that conservation efforts include preserving the mycelial network, as the interdependence between trees and fungi is undeniable; neither can flourish in isolation.
Certain fungal species have the capacity to purify water sources by filtering contaminants and absorbing heavy metals like mercury.
This process effectively rids the water of harmful pollutants, providing a practical means to enhance water safety in third-world countries. Mycelium has the ability to convert environmentally detrimental hydrocarbons from oil, diesel, and other petroleum wastes into sugars through a process of literally eating them.
Mushroom's Plastic Appetite
These potent fungal enzymes also have the capability to break down plastic, offering a promising solution for decomposing landfill waste.
A recent study conducted by the University of Sydney focused on a fungus known as Aspergillus terreus, revealing that within a mere 140 days, the mycelium had completely decomposed polypropylene—a type of plastic commonly used for disposable items like takeaway containers, ice-cream tubs, and cling film.
What makes this discovery truly extraordinary is that these plastics typically require 20 to 30 years to degrade, whereas mycelium achieved this feat in just 140 days. According to the trial's professor at USYD,
"It's the highest degradation rate reported in the literature that we know in the world."
What's truly remarkable is that despite being one of nature's most mind-blowing phenomena, the mycelial network was only discovered a mere 30 years ago.
From Forest Floors To Future Innovations
Overall, the mycelial network is a marvel of nature, showcasing the incredible diversity, adaptability, and interconnectedness of life on Earth.
As scientists continue to unravel its mysteries and explore its potential uses, it is becoming increasingly clear that harnessing the distinct properties of the mycelial network offers promising solutions to mitigate the environmental challenges we’ve caused and restore ecological balance.
Written by Hannah
Curious Ape Mushrooms 2024