Tag: mycorrhizalnetworks

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Mycorrhizal Networks

microscopic view of fungal hyphae

Last month we began the discussion of Mycorrhizal Networks and how important they are to the trees in a forest, if you missed it, check out our Mother Tree post.

Mycorrhizal Networks (MN) are fungal networks that connect at least two plants. By colonizing and connecting the roots of the host plant with the surrounding soil, they facilitate the transfer of minerals, water, nutrients, carbon, and other mutually symbiotic benefits. To understand HOW fungi support trees, it is important to understand what they actually are.

Mushroom -vs- Mycelium

The Kingdom of Fungi includes many organisms including mushrooms, yeasts, molds, morels, and truffles. All mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms, though they ALL play a key role as the primary decomposers of organic matter. If you want to take a beautiful and educational dive into the world of Fungi, check out the documentary Fantastic Fungi, it is absolutely … well, fantastic.

fungus structure diagram_mycelium, hyphae and sporocarp

With the exception of yeasts, fungi are made up of thread-like tubular cells called hyphae that branch out as they grow. A mass of Hyphae is what creates the body of a fungi, which is called a Mycelium, or plural-Mycelia. What we casually consider “mushrooms” (the stuff we eat) is actually the Sporocarp, or the fruiting body of the fungi, which only grows during reproduction to produce spores- same as flowers do with pollen and trees with seeds and nuts.

mass of hyphae fruiting with sporocarps

Life Underground

Most of fungal life is experienced unseen and underground as mycelia (OR inside a tree, which we will dive into this summer when we explore Spalting).

The term Mycorrhizal means “the symbiotic association of the mycelium of a fungus with the roots of a seed plant.”

view of mycelium on plant roots in soil

The basic function of mycorrhizal fungi is that they aid a tree’s roots in absorbing water and mineral nutrients from the surrounding soil- specifically phosphorus, nitrogen, zinc, and copper. In exchange, fungi recieve sugars and fats, which they feed upon. Additional evidence suggests benefits that include “stress resistance and tolerance,” ”promoting long-term soil fertility” and behaviors that imitate “underground socialism.”

Over the last few decades, scientists are gaining a deeper understanding of how vital this relationship is- not only to the health, diversity, and survival of trees in a forest- but to sustainable agriculture. As the fields of Mycology and Agroforestry have grown however, there seems to be more questions than answers on the adaptive symbiotic relationships between fungi and plants. It is truly exciting to see where the research will take us.

Cheers,

Viktoria

Thank you for reading! We appreciate your time and attention. Feel free to share the info and spread the love of tree science and education. If you have any comments or suggestions for future topics, we’d love to hear from you!

References:

Simard, S. W., Beiler, K. J., Bingham, M. A., Deslippe, J. R., Philip, L. J., & Teste, F. P. (2012). Mycorrhizal networks: mechanisms, ecology and modelling. Fungal Biology Reviews, 26(1), 39-60.

Hotz, E. C., Bradshaw, A. J., Elliott, C., Carlson, K., Dentinger, B. T., & Naleway, S. E. (2023). Effect of agar concentration on structure and physiology of fungal hyphal systems. Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 24, 7614-7623.

Jansa, J., Bukovská, P., & Gryndler, M. (2013). Mycorrhizal hyphae as ecological niche for highly specialized hypersymbionts–or just soil free-riders?. Frontiers in Plant Science, 4, 50022.

Figueiredo AF, Boy J, Guggenberger G. 2021 Common Mycorrhizae Network: A Review of the Theories and Mechanisms Behind Underground Interactions. Frontiers in Fungal Biology 0, 48. 

Chen M, Arato M, Borghi L, Nouri E, Reinhardt D. Beneficial Services of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi – From Ecology to Application. Front Plant Sci. 2018 Sep 4;9:1270. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01270. PMID: 30233616; PMCID: PMC6132195.

“Fungi Structure.” 2021. March 6, 2021. https://bio.libretexts.org/@go/page/6626.

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Do Mother Trees Mother?

large mother tree in a forest

“Mother trees are the biggest, oldest trees in the forest.
They are the glue that holds the forest together. ” 

Dr. Suzanne Simard (Finding the Mother Tree)

Over the last decade, research has shed light on the ability of trees in a forest to communicate and share resources. The notion of “intelligence” amongst the stoic, towering beasts of the plant world has ignited like wildfire within popular culture. Central to the buzz are two New York Times best selling books, Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard and The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben.

Hub trees, also known as Mother Trees, are said to connect hundreds of younger trees in a forest via underground fungal networks, sharing nutrients, carbon, nitrogen, and aiding in the survival of saplings and seedlings. This network of connections is believed to create community resilience and is often referred to as the “wood wide web.”

Author and forest ecologist Dr. Suzanne Simard began her fieldwork in the 1980s after witnessing the effects of clear-cut logging in British Columbia. Her research aims to understand these connections to strengthen forest renewal practices as the climate changes. Simard argues that Mother Trees recognize their kin and support ‘communication and nutrient exchange amongst trees.’ Spanning three decades, her work has landed her as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024. You can learn more by picking up her book, watching her Ted Talk and visiting The Mother Tree Project.

Are Trees Conscious or Intelligent?

big hub tree in a forest

Lately, the notion that trees possess social lives or even ‘consciousness’ has sparked considerable controversy. With childhood favorites like Shel Silverstein’s ‘The Giving Tree‘ and box office hits like ‘AVATAR,’ the romantic idealization of nurturing trees has gained immense popularity.

While some research provides support for these claims, a recent article in The Guardian explores how ‘the cultural fixation on sentient trees’ has outpaced scientific evidence. This trend risks overshadowing and delegitimizing important research in the field. (We HIGHLY recommend you reading it, it is an amazing piece of journalism.)

Mycorrhizal Networks

What scientists across the board do agree on is the existence of Mycorrhizal Networks, a complex web of fungal networks that colonize a tree’s roots, connecting them to nutrients and other roots beneath the forest floor. Studies argue that“increasing our understanding of the structure and function of MNs in ecosystems may lead to a deeper understanding of ecological stability and evolution, and thus provide new theoretical approaches to improve conservation practices for the management of the Earth’s ecosystems.” 

As our readers know by now, we are a bit obsessive about the relationship between trees and fungus. We will talk more about these fascinating Mycorrhizal Networks in next months issue.

Cheers,

Viktoria

Thank you for reading! We appreciate your time and attention. Feel free to share the info and spread the love of tree science and education. If you have any comments or suggestions for future topics, we’d love to hear from you!