Written by West
Mycorrhiza is the combination of the Greek words Mykos (fungus) and Rhiza (root). It is the name of a system that connects fungi and plants together.
Mushrooms you see above ground are just the tip of the iceberg, peeking above ground to spread some spores. Below the mushrooms are thin roots that spread out to form a mycelium, which attaches itself to the roots of various plants. This creates a network that plants can use to share nutrients, water, and information, or they can even sabotage the growth of unwanted neighbours.
Image: A close up photo of Mycorhizae fungus. Source: Wikimedia
Suzanne Simard was one of the first scientists to study how trees "talked" to each other, and ran studies in the forests of British Columbia to test if she could transfer traceable radioactive materials between trees. She could, and has continued her forestry research for the past 25 years. You can watch her TED talk on the subject [here]
Older "hub" trees will be connected to hundreds of other trees and will send their excess carbon through the network to help seedlings grow. They can even recognize which seedlings are their offspring and will send them extra carbon while reducing their own root growth to make room for them to grow. The transfer even changes over seasons, as Simard found that "In the summer, that birch was sending more carbon to fir than fir was sending back to birch, especially when the fir was shaded. And then in later experiments, we found the opposite, that fir was sending more carbon to birch than birch was sending to fir, and this was because the fir was still growing while the birch was leafless."
Image: Suzanne Simard at her TED talk. Source: Flickr/TED
It's not just an exchange of nutrients though, there's also an exchange of information. A study by David Johnson of the Univesity of Aberdeen found that broad beans could use fungal networks to warn each other of danger. Plants being eaten by aphids could warn other plants through the networks, and so plants that had not yet been attacked would start producing anti-aphid chemicals.
In Paul Stamets book "Mycelium Running" he talks about how these networks can sense pressure, like falling tree branches and human footsteps, and will even reach for people as they walk by. Some plants are completely reliant on the networks. Phantom Orchids (Cephalanthera austiniae) are pure white and are unable to photosynthesize. They can only survive by connecting to a mycorrhizal network and getting the carbon they need from other trees.
Image: A photo of a phantom orchid. Source: Wikimedia
Some people try to argue that the world is a cruel and selfish place, where survival can only be achieved at the expense of others. But if even plants have a system where they can share resources with others, who says that humans shouldn't try to do the same?
A birch tree sending some of its excess carbon to a fir tree isn't so different to someone donating their spare cash to someone who needs help paying rent. The Mycorrhizal network is often compared to the internet due to its system of hubs and connections, but maybe the real similarity is that they both encourage sharing of information and resources to help the forest survive, not just a single tree.
If you have enjoyed this article you may enjoy the following items on the topic. Please consider buying them through these links as it helps us keep Mycolab running.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |