From animal nods, dances, squeaks and roars, to the invisible chemical signals emitted by plant leaves and rhizomes, almost every living thing on Earth can communicate in one way or another. What about fungi? Are mushrooms really as "dead" as they seem? Or is there something more exciting going on beneath the surface?
A new study by Andrew Adamatzky, a computer scientist at the University of the West of England, suggests that this ancient kingdom has its own electrical "language" that is far more complex than imagined. It suggests that fungi may even use "words" to form "sentences" to communicate with their neighbors.
Electrical pulses that transmit information
Communication in almost all multicellular animals involves highly specialized cells, which are called nerve cells or neurons. These signals pass information from one part of an organism to another through a network of connections called the nervous system. The "language" of the nervous system includes a unique pattern of potential spike signals, known as pulses, which help organisms detect and react quickly to what is happening in their environment.
Although fungi do not have a nervous system, they appear to transmit information through thread-like filaments called hyphae that use electrical impulses. A thin network of hyphae, called mycelium, formed by hyphae, connects fungal colonies in the soil. These networks are very similar to the nervous systems of animals, and by measuring the frequency and intensity of pulses, it may be possible to break down and understand the language used in the kingdom of life for communication within and between organisms.
Using tiny electrodes, Adamatzky recorded rhythmic electrical impulses transmitted between mycelium of 4 different fungi. He found that the amplitude, frequency, and duration of these pulses varied. By mathematically comparing these pulse patterns with those that are more typically associated with human language, Adamatzky argues that these pulses form the basis of a fungal language, which consists of up to 50 words that can be assembled into sentences.
In addition, he found that the complexity of the language used by different species of fungi also seemed to vary. Of all the fungi tested, the vocabulary used by the fissured fungus (Schizophyllum commune) was the most complex.
The Schizophyllum commune is a fungus commonly found in decaying wood with more than 28,000 sexes. (Photo / Wikipedia)
The discovery hints at the possibility that fungi have their own electrical languages, and by using these languages, they can share information about food, nearby resources, potential dangers, and sources of harm with their internal and even more distant partners.
Underground communication network
In fact, this is not the first evidence that the fungal mycelium can transmit information.
Mycorrhizal fungi are nearly invisible linear fungi that form close partnerships with the roots of plants. This fungus has a vast network in the soil to connect neighboring plants. Through these connections, plants can obtain the nutrients and moisture provided by the fungus from the smallest pores in the soil. This greatly expands the area where plants can obtain nutrients, increasing their drought tolerance. In return, plants also transfer sugars and fatty acids to fungi. Both sides can benefit from this relationship.
The hyphae of mycorrhizal fungi can form a symbiotic relationship with plants. (Photo / Wikimedia Commons)
Some experiments conducted with plants connected only by mycorrhizal fungi have shown that when a plant in the network is attacked by insects, the defense response of neighboring plants is also activated. In this way, fungal networks can transmit early warning signals.
Other studies have shown that plants can transmit more than just information through fungal threads. Studies have shown that plants, including trees, seem to be able to transfer carbon-based compounds such as sugars to neighboring plants. This transfer of carbon from one plant to another through fungal mycelium may be particularly beneficial for the growth of seedlings, especially when these seedlings are obscured by other plants, and their photosynthesis and carbon sequestration capacity is very limited.
However, exactly how these subsurface signals are transmitted remains a matter of debate. It is possible that the fungal connections transmit chemical signals from one plant to another inside the hyphae, similar to how electrical signals are transmitted in the new study. It is also possible that the signal is dissolved in a membrane of water and then moved through the network through surface tension. Or maybe there are other microbes involved. Bacteria present inside and around the fungal hyphae may alter the composition or function of their colonies in response to changes in root or fungal chemistry and induce reactions from neighboring fungi and plants.
New research suggests that language-like electrical impulses travel directly along the fungal hyphae, providing new clues as to how the fungal hyphae transmit information.
Mushroom Debate
While it's an attractive interpretation to think of the phenomenon of electrical impulses in fungal mycelium as language, there is another way to look at the new findings.
The rhythm of the electrical impulses has some similarities to the way nutrients flow along the fungal hyphae, so it may reflect processes within fungal cells that are not directly related to accretion. As fungi search for nutrients in their surroundings, rhythmic pulses of nutrients and electric currents can reveal the fungus's growth patterns.
Of course, the possibility that an electrical signal does not represent any form of communication at all remains. It may be that those passing through the charged hyphae tips of the electrodes produce the electrical spike signals observed in the study.
Before we can say exactly what the electrical impulses detected in this study mean, it's clear that we need to do more research. The information we can get from this study is that electrical spike signaling may be a new mechanism for transmitting information through fungal hyphae, which is of great significance for our understanding of the role and importance of fungi in ecosystems.
These results may represent the first insight into fungal intelligence, or even fungal awareness. While all of this is only "possible," the possibility is real, although it seems to exist on time scales, frequencies, and amplitudes that are not easily noticeable to humans.
#创作团队:
Original author: Katie Field (University of Sheffield)
Translation: Sugar Beast
#参考来源:
https://theconversation.com/do-mushrooms-really-use-language-to-talk-to-each-other-a-fungi-expert-investigates-181079
#图片来源:
Cover image: jonhab8533/Pixabay
Top image: Mathew Schwartz/Unsplash