The daily news is so depressing nowadays that I’m regularly asking myself whether I shouldn’t just stay away. But sometimes, rarely, I read an article in the papers that makes me happy — yes, absolutely happy and elated. Here is an interactive, beautifully illustrated piece in the New York Times: Why Fungi Might Really Be Magic. It follows a group of scientists who explore, map, and research the network-forming soil fungi that form symbiotic associations with plants. Not just SOME plants, but almost ALL plants on Earth have this relationship with mycorrhizal fungi which has gone largely unnoticed until now, although it is over 475 million years old. It’s truly mind-boggling what is going on beneath our feet: the fungi grow into huge networks of tubular cells, called mycelium. They find nutrients in the soil and pass them on to their plant partners. In addition, they provide protection from pathogens and enable water uptake. In exchange, they can feed on the carbon that trees and plants store. And the size of this organism is amazing: 1 ounce of soil can contain up to 2,750 yards of mycelium!
And gazillions of connections! That’s what boosted my mood so considerably: scientists found proof for connectedness between trees, plants, and a category of living beings that’s as large as “animals” or “plants”, namely: fungi.
Plants and fungi have an elaborate exchange system of resources that involve sophisticated trading interactions. In other words, they talk to each other, and they even haggle to get the best deals! For example, if the fungi learn that a certain tree has a higher need for phosphorus, they will provide this in exchange for a higher amount of carbon in return. Capitalism at work? Well, yes – but there is also a lot of cooperation going on, not only competition.
If you have followed me here on Substack for a little, you understand why it makes me happy to learn that scientists verify connectedness. And not simply mechanical connections, similar to chain links. No, they discovered communication, exchange of values, and caring.
And the reason why these scientists are so excited is because they are exploring a vast, mostly uncharted territory: the current estimate is that there are between 2.2 and 3.8 million species of fungi on Earth – as many as 10 times the estimated number of plant species – but only a mere 8% of all fungal species have been described. Scientists are discovering how absolutely essential fungi are to all living beings. And they are learning how fungi can help solve our most urgent environmental problems, from reducing carbon dioxide to decomposing plastic and petrochemicals to cleaning up toxic waste.
After reading the NYT article I dug a little deeper (pun intended!) and found lots of fascinating info about NGOs and individuals working together on researching the fungal realm, including for example Suzanne Simard, who studies how trees communicate with each other by using mycelia. If you follow the links I share here you’ll discover some unusual sights and sounds!
The group of researchers mentioned in the New York Times article is part of a global project that aims to map the Earth’s fungal networks so that the properties of these vast underground ecosystems can be better understood. Initiated by the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), the first expedition took a team of scientists and local experts to Patagonia. They took soil samples in Villarrica National Park and in Alerce Costero National park, both located in the Chilean Andes. By recording the exact coordinates of the soil samples they can precisely map the underground fungal networks in order to protect and restore them. This is somewhat a matter of urgency. We know about and already experience the disastrous effects of elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Because of the symbiotic relationship between trees and fungi, the underground ecosystems store about 75% of all terrestrial carbon.1 However, logging and intensive farming practices for example contribute to soil erosion and land degradation which has devastating consequences.2
Although fungi form an additional kingdom next to plants and animals, they get next to no legal and policy protections and only 2% of global conservation priorities. Giuliana Furci – one of the leaders of the Patagonia expedition – founded the Fauna Flora Funga Initiative which promotes an advocacy strategy aimed at securing essential protections for fungi. You can add your name to FFF’s statement: “We are unthinkable without fungi, yet seldom do we think about them. It is an ignorance we can’t afford to sustain.” You’ll be in good company – primatologist Jane Goodall and best-selling author Michael Pollan have already signed on, among many others.
There is another fabulous experience I want to share with you: The sounds of the soil! You’ll have to scroll down the page about the Patagonia Expedition, until you reach Part I and the Villarrica National Park. And there you’ll find a small sample of the sound recordings taken by Cosmo Sheldrake — the sounds of the activity of soil organisms. It made my skin tingle. And check out Cosmo’s website. He’s a multi-instrumentalist musician, composer and producer who records bird songs for example and then integrates them in his compositions. You can listen to parts of his albums here. Absolutely beautiful.
Incidentally, Cosmo Sheldrake is the brother of Dr. Merlin Sheldrake, author of Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures. Both are sons of biologist and author Rupert Sheldrake, whose book about “morphic resonance”, A New Science of Life, I studied when I was enrolled at the California Institute for Integral Studies, got my Master’s Degree, and finished all the courses for a PhD. I moved to New Mexico in order to write my dissertation – but never finished it. I had to stay enrolled but ran out of money. Ah well. I just had to throw this in here because it’s another connection…
I hope you find this subject as exciting as I do. Please leave your comments.
fantastic piece jessica / beautifully written informative and affirmative / i love it !! it's like some piece of the puzzle fell into place for me : )
Please do. You will appreciate the animations (CGI) of the connections you were talking about. I give my mom who is suffering from Dementia Lions mane and there is also a little sequence about its effects. There is no research done about it although I contacted an expert to look into it. My mom can’t do without it- that’s for sure. I forgot to bring it for our 5 week in Portugal and she degenerated very quickly. And the. It took a couple of months to get back to where she is now.