Fungi was once viewed as a mystery species; in the future it may be regarded as a world-saving hero
The definition of a mystery is something that is either difficult or impossible to understand and explain. That is how I used to feel about Fungi. Encountering wild mushrooms in the woods, I would wonder how safe or poisonous they might be. Yummy, poisonous, or possibly psychedelic? Adding to this mystery was the discovery that beneath the fruiting body (mushrooms), the organism occupied a complex underground network. That’s right, the world beneath the soil is even more mysterious and diverse than the world above.
As Merlin Sheldrake explains it in his book titled Entangled Life: “Fungi are everywhere but they are easy to miss. They are inside you and around you. They sustain you and all that you depend on.” Fungus is an essential part of our everyday life. Their underground network forms mutualistic relationships with plant roots, aiding in growth by providing nutrients as well as increasing absorption of nutrients already present. Fungi plays a role in the creation of the food you eat and purification of the air you breathe.
The more I learn about Fungi the more intrigued I become. Are they plants or are they animals? The truth is they are neither. They form their own kingdom. Fungi are poorly understood, though scientist suspect that they have been evolving on this planet for billions of years. They survive in extreme conditions, even in outer space. The key to Fungi’s survival is their ability to partner with other organisms, such as algae (lichen), insects, and people.
The first time I heard the term “Lichen” was in the 2003 horror movie “The Underworld”. In this movie Lycans are a hybrid creature created when Vampires and Werewolves mate. In the real world of biology, Lichens are an inner-kingdom collaboration between Algae and Fungi. Lichens are believed to inhabit about 8 percent of the planet, which happens to be larger than that covered by tropical rain forests. Lichen do not have roots and can endure long periods without water. Where they are able to grow is quite astounding. They grow on rocks, fences, monuments (where they have literally changed the face of monuments such as Mount Rushmore) and many other difficult to inhabit locations.
However, not all Fungi relationships are so benign. Fungi have also been observed in some rather nasty parasitic relationships. For example, a carpenter ant may be afflicted with zombie fungus, which induces the ant to climb high into the treetop. The Fungi will then burst through the body of the ant to consume it and send its spores out into the world for reproduction. Doesn’t that make you cringe?
Yet Fungi can also be life-restoring. Penicillin, one of our most useful medicines, comes from fungus. Less well known, is the critical role Fungi play in healing diseased bees.
Bees are in danger and if the planet loses these critical pollinators, crops and flowering plants will catastrophically be affected. Bees have been in decline for many years due to the loss of habitat and pesticides, but did you know bees are also being threatened by a virus-bearing parasite? This discovery was made by mycologist (Mycology is the scientific study of Fungi) and medical researcher Paul Staments. It all started when Staments noticed bees visiting a pile of rotting wood chips in his garden to feed on the mycelium underneath. Staments became curious and discovered that the mycelium was curing the bees of their disease. Staments is now producing and distributing his “Mushroom Bee Feeder”, the fungal medicine that could save the lives of countless bees. The healthy bees, in turn, will continue to pollinate our crops. We feed bees, and the bees feed us, all with a major assist from fungi. While this web of inter-relationships is intricate and amazing, there is one more benefit from Fungi that could solve a problem in an entirely unexpected quarter. This is in the field of plastics.
One of the most exciting prospects about Fungi is the potential to use them to recycle the waste of humanity into sustainable products. Researchers at Yale University have discovered mushrooms that are capable of eating plastic, which could go a long way to solving the world’s pollution problem. Incredibly, many of the mushrooms that eat plastics, are then themselves edible. Fungi have the potential to turn plastics into food!
In another twist, researchers at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands are experimenting with growing Fungi cells to mimic different textures and shapes. The results suggest that Fungi could serve as a replacement for plastic, but the new “fungal plastic” will be entirely organic and will naturally decompose. An ordinary family can use the fungal product, and when they’re done with it, toss it in the compose or add it to their garden. From underground helpers for plants to medicine for bees, from human pollution disposal to plastic replacement, Fungi are demonstrating their extraordinary powers. As we increase our understanding of Fungi, the possibility for further discoveries seems promising and hopeful.
Written by Lauren and Sara Bannerman-Maxwell.