You are aware that in the present day in a healthy ecosystem,where there are visible fruits of fungus, which are designed to spread their spore,instead of the huge monolithic 'creatures',everything is joined together in a symbiosis. The magical 'micro mushroom' network below ground - Mycelium - is working away 24/7,everyone has seen it at some point,that fuzzy white,green even black growing on mouldy food. Your kitchen is not actually it's ideal habitat,but,does go to show it's everywhere, out in the 'wild' it's more than just a indication that your cheese, sandwich etc ,has an expiry date,in a garden or wood wild myceilium is part of a - in some cases huge - network of thin fungal stands called hyphae. The mycelium has a very similar function in fungi to the roots of plants & trees; the hyphae explore the soil or any other substrate where fungi are growing & secrete digestive enzymes onto their food source, be that dead organic matter like leaves,dead wood etc & sometimes living organisms. These enzymes break down the matter into smaller parts that feeds not only the fungi, but,also their plant partners & many other organisms. They can ferment 'foods' increasing palatability, in fact breaking down organic matter is critical to maintain healthy soil,recycling leaf litter for a vast array of bacteria & animals that call soil home,mycelium can be both large & small,most are microscopic, but some fungal species can seriously vast. In one study in the USA, an Armillaria ostoyae or honey mushroom growing under the Malhuer National Forest in Oregon is estimated to cover about 10 square kilometers/2,384 acres/965 hectares/1,665 football fields/almost 4 square miles,making it one of the largest single organisms in the World, if rearranged into a vertical shape, it would as large as a skyscraper. This is just one that's been(found in 2003)studied & quantified, there may well be a larger one. This one in Oregon's Blue Mountains,based on its current growth rate,the fungus is estimated to be at least 2,400 years old,but,could be 8,650 years. This one causes Armillaria root disease,which kills swathes of conifers in many parts of the USA & Canada,this one type of fungus grows hyphae primarily along the roots of trees,helped by commercial growing of pine for the timber market in dense lines,in a natural setting like a protected National Park. This species have the unique - as of understanding of mycelium to date - ability to extend rhizomorphs,flat shoelace like structures, that can bridge gabs between food sources, thus in the wild they're able to keep expanding. The first time - through a battery of molecular genetic techniques - was discovered in 1992 & was estimated to weigh over100 tons/90.7metric tons & was roughly 1,500years old. As you can see from the dates that all this is remarkably new in terms of discovery & understanding of mycelium networks,it's of no benefit to a fungus to kill its food source, naturally by partnership with the roots of plants,including trees,they aim to produce a cross-kingdom Web known as mycorrhizal (meaning 'fungus-root) network, which benefits everyone involved. Through photosynthesis, trees & other plants produce sugars & fats,which the the fungi can get from roots into their mycelium, in return the fungi helps the trees & plants absorb water & nutrients from the soil, even acting as natural telephone system, the hyphae are truly invisible to the naked eye,ranging from 2-20micrometers in diameter - for reference the finest human hair is 17micrometers - mycelium grow one cell at a time,but keep branching in all directions & has more connections than our brains neural pathways. The network actually works like our brains,by using electrical impulses & electrolytes, mycelium networks are a shared economy where ecosystems flourish without greed while taking what they want they ensure that their above ground partners have enough water, nutrients etc they need to flourish. Amazingly the have developed a system to distribute nutrients across their entire network. Humans are doing their worst to destroy/pollute our shared natural world, they - these fungal colonies - have a "biomass recycling" program in place, mushrooms are nature's cleaners breaking down what's left behind by us & other organisms,unfortunately we've only just begun to comprehend the 'job' they do. According to still ongoing research "the mycelium networks have a primitive intelligence with decision-making ability & memory" maybe too late scientists are working to understand how & why they forage,share resources & even relocate when necessary, we have to see the whole world as a sentient being The mycelium allow trees to communicate with each other about drought, insect attack & disease, supporting each other, sharing carbon & 'loaning' sugars between different species. Are modern humans really the most evolved species this planet; only now we are realising the something that many won't even care about- unlessit generated followers or 'likes' - we are just part of an immense ecosystem, that we've almost utterly destroyed. Sorry for mistakes I'm very dyslexic. Very best wishes to you&yours 👋✌️
Good grief. "A daring hypothesis".
So, where are these things?
I would like to know too?
I'm going to guess that the 'whole' internet knows nothing about this thing that could've broken it because nothing happened.
This is more interesting than fake animal rescue stories.
En español x favor gracias
You are aware that in the present day in a healthy ecosystem,where there are visible fruits of fungus, which are designed to spread their spore,instead of the huge monolithic 'creatures',everything is joined together in a symbiosis. The magical 'micro mushroom' network below ground - Mycelium - is working away 24/7,everyone has seen it at some point,that fuzzy white,green even black growing on mouldy food.
Your kitchen is not actually it's ideal habitat,but,does go to show it's everywhere, out in the 'wild' it's more than just a indication that your cheese, sandwich etc ,has an expiry date,in a garden or wood wild myceilium is part of a - in some cases huge - network of thin fungal stands called hyphae.
The mycelium has a very similar function in fungi to the roots of plants & trees; the hyphae explore the soil or any other substrate where fungi are growing & secrete digestive enzymes onto their food source, be that dead organic matter like leaves,dead wood etc & sometimes living organisms. These enzymes break down the matter into smaller parts that feeds not only the fungi, but,also their plant partners & many other organisms. They can ferment 'foods' increasing palatability, in fact breaking down organic matter is critical to maintain healthy soil,recycling leaf litter for a vast array of bacteria & animals that call soil home,mycelium can be both large & small,most are microscopic, but some fungal species can seriously vast.
In one study in the USA, an Armillaria ostoyae or honey mushroom growing under the Malhuer National Forest in Oregon is estimated to cover about 10 square kilometers/2,384 acres/965 hectares/1,665 football fields/almost 4 square miles,making it one of the largest single organisms in the World, if rearranged into a vertical shape, it would as large as a skyscraper. This is just one that's been(found in 2003)studied & quantified, there may well be a larger one. This one in Oregon's Blue Mountains,based on its current growth rate,the fungus is estimated to be at least 2,400 years old,but,could be 8,650 years.
This one causes Armillaria root disease,which kills swathes of conifers in many parts of the USA & Canada,this one type of fungus grows hyphae primarily along the roots of trees,helped by commercial growing of pine for the timber market in dense lines,in a natural setting like a protected National Park. This species have the unique - as of understanding of mycelium to date - ability to extend rhizomorphs,flat shoelace like structures, that can bridge gabs between food sources, thus in the wild they're able to keep expanding.
The first time - through a battery of molecular genetic techniques - was discovered in 1992 & was estimated to weigh over100 tons/90.7metric tons & was roughly 1,500years old.
As you can see from the dates that all this is remarkably new in terms of discovery & understanding of mycelium networks,it's of no benefit to a fungus to kill its food source, naturally by partnership with the roots of plants,including trees,they aim to produce a cross-kingdom Web known as mycorrhizal (meaning 'fungus-root) network, which benefits everyone involved.
Through photosynthesis, trees & other plants produce sugars & fats,which the the fungi can get from roots into their mycelium, in return the fungi helps the trees & plants absorb water & nutrients from the soil, even acting as natural telephone system, the hyphae are truly invisible to the naked eye,ranging from 2-20micrometers in diameter - for reference the finest human hair is 17micrometers - mycelium grow one cell at a time,but keep branching in all directions & has more connections than our brains neural pathways. The network actually works like our brains,by using electrical impulses & electrolytes, mycelium networks are a shared economy where ecosystems flourish without greed while taking what they want they ensure that their above ground partners have enough water, nutrients etc they need to flourish. Amazingly the have developed a system to distribute nutrients across their entire network.
Humans are doing their worst to destroy/pollute our shared natural world, they - these fungal colonies - have a "biomass recycling" program in place, mushrooms are nature's cleaners breaking down what's left behind by us & other organisms,unfortunately we've only just begun to comprehend the 'job' they do.
According to still ongoing research "the mycelium networks have a primitive intelligence with decision-making ability & memory" maybe too late scientists are working to understand how & why they forage,share resources & even relocate when necessary, we have to see the whole world as a sentient being
The mycelium allow trees to communicate with each other about drought, insect attack & disease, supporting each other, sharing carbon & 'loaning' sugars between different species. Are modern humans really the most evolved species this planet; only now we are realising the something that many won't even care about- unlessit generated followers or 'likes' - we are just part of an immense ecosystem, that we've almost utterly destroyed. Sorry for mistakes I'm very dyslexic. Very best wishes to you&yours 👋✌️
Thanks for that info. Truly fascinating