Discover the Hidden World of Fungi: How These Remarkable Organisms Thrive in Our Environment

Mycorrhizal fungi are essential players in the soil ecosystem. With hair-thin filaments, they transport important nutrients to plants and tree roots.

In return, these fungi get carbon, which they use to grow their networks. Each year, around 13 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—about a third of all fossil-fuel emissions—make their way into the soil thanks to this process.

These fungi rely entirely on carbon from plants to survive. Impressively, 80 percent of the world’s plants depend on these fungal networks to thrive. This creates a mutual partnership where both fungi and plants depend on one another.

Fungi seem to exhibit remarkable intelligence, even without a brain. Scientists refer to them as “living algorithms.” They make efficient decisions, creating pathways that maximize nutrient delivery while minimizing construction costs.

Fungal networks actively assess their environment. They determine which plants need nutrients the most and which offer the best carbon in return. This evaluation influences the way their networks expand, as researchers discovered during real-time mapping of their growth.

Dr. Toby Kiers, an evolutionary biologist, notes, “Fungi are super clever. They’re constantly adapting their trade routes and evaluating their environment with precision. It involves a lot of decision-making.”

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