While mushroom season is in full swing, a new study reveals the unsuspected potential of these microorganisms. In addition to being able to communicate through Wide network of mycelium, he will be able to make decisions. We almost hesitate to eat them…
We know what amazing creatures mushrooms are. Found in all ecological niches, they are capable of chemically cooperating and communicating to defend themselves or conquer new environments, but also to establish close relationships (symbiosis) with other organisms. Be it plants, animals, insects or others. MicroorganismsMicroorganismsTo ensure their own survival. In short, mushrooms are the kings of adaptation and we are certainly far from uncovering all their mysteries.
We could almost talk.IntelligenceIntelligence. And this isn’t a new study just published in a journal. Fungal ecology Which would tell us otherwise. Researchers at Tohoku University and Nagaoka College have actually conducted experiments on mushrooms’ ability to make decisions! And their results are surprising.
Memory, communication, learning and even problem solving, they can do it all!
” You’d be surprised what mushrooms are capable of. », explains Yu Fukasawa in a press release from Tohoku University. ” They have memory, they learn, and they have the ability to make decisions. Quite frankly, the difference in how they solve problems compared to humans is mind-blowing. » An almost alarming statement which gives us a UniverseUniverse Science fiction but no, it’s all very real.
Researchers have actually challenged fungi to find the best way to colonize a space. To do this, they arranged a series of small wooden cubes containing mycelium in the shape of a circle or cross. As a reminder, the mycelium represents the “germinating” part of the spores. It can form very large interconnected networks within which information is shared in the form of chemical signals. A little like NeuronNeuron in our mind.
Decision-making and local organizational capacity
The scientists then observed the mushroom’s behavior. Two solutions were possible: either mycelium developed from each piece of wood, invading the environment in all directions from each of these points, or it developed following a more complex spatial organization.
And this is the second option observed. Instead of growing in all directions, the mycelium has actually formed a network that connects the nearest wooden cubes before leaving to colonize the world at specific locations. For example, for a circle configuration, no filament passes through the center. The researchers explain this observation by hypothesizing that the fungus would have no interest in colonizing a small and already closed space. In fact, the mycelium network always extends outwards from the pattern defined by the cubes. These surprising results highlight the capabilities of these microorganisms to communicate across networks and define optimal colonization strategies.
For researchers, it is clear that our understanding of the mycological world is still very fragmented and that these organisms, neither plants nor animals, still possess unsuspected resources. Something to think about during a picking outing!
