When you think of living organisms, you probably think of two kingdoms—animals and plants. Another kingdom of life is fungi. Fungi play many important roles in ecosystems. According to the journal New Phytologist, around 90% of plants depend on symbiotic fungi, which take in sugars from the plant and give water and nutrients in return.
When land plants first developed 500 million years ago, their root systems were borrowed fungal mycelium networks. During this time, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were reduced by 90%. Until recently, fungi were often overlooked in favor of plants and animals, according to biologist and author Merlin Sheldrake, author of the award-winning book Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures. Now, as humans face a climate emergency on Earth and ecological disasters occur, scientists and ordinary people alike hope that fungi could help us sustain ourselves.
According to Sheldrake, there are a few reasons for the recent increase in interest surrounding fungi. Technological developments have made it easier to study fungi. Also, fungi are the perfect example of ecology, the relationships between different living organisms. Additionally, fungi could be used to solve many human-caused problems.
“In the process of mycormediation, fungi can be harnessed to break down toxic pollutants,” he said. “In microfabrication, fungi are used to produce sustainable materials, from bricks to leather. Not to mention the many ways that fungi change the way we think, feel and imagine.”
Sheldrake says that fungi deserve more attention in many areas, including conservation frameworks, educational curriculums, and scientific and medical research. Soils are a major carbon pool, but we often only think about plants taking in carbon. A study from the journal Current Biology has shown that carbon moves through soil though symbiotic fungi. This could be used to fight the effects of climate change.
Fungi are often forgotten for their important roles in ecosystems, but they could help humans adapt to the changing world.
“There are so many urgent challenges we face today, and there are many ways we can partner with fungi to help adapt to life on a damaged planet. And there is so much we don’t know,” Sheldrake said.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/24/climate/fungi-merlin-sheldrake-climate-change.html
When land plants first developed 500 million years ago, their root systems were borrowed fungal mycelium networks. During this time, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were reduced by 90%. Until recently, fungi were often overlooked in favor of plants and animals, according to biologist and author Merlin Sheldrake, author of the award-winning book Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures. Now, as humans face a climate emergency on Earth and ecological disasters occur, scientists and ordinary people alike hope that fungi could help us sustain ourselves.
According to Sheldrake, there are a few reasons for the recent increase in interest surrounding fungi. Technological developments have made it easier to study fungi. Also, fungi are the perfect example of ecology, the relationships between different living organisms. Additionally, fungi could be used to solve many human-caused problems.
“In the process of mycormediation, fungi can be harnessed to break down toxic pollutants,” he said. “In microfabrication, fungi are used to produce sustainable materials, from bricks to leather. Not to mention the many ways that fungi change the way we think, feel and imagine.”
Sheldrake says that fungi deserve more attention in many areas, including conservation frameworks, educational curriculums, and scientific and medical research. Soils are a major carbon pool, but we often only think about plants taking in carbon. A study from the journal Current Biology has shown that carbon moves through soil though symbiotic fungi. This could be used to fight the effects of climate change.
Fungi are often forgotten for their important roles in ecosystems, but they could help humans adapt to the changing world.
“There are so many urgent challenges we face today, and there are many ways we can partner with fungi to help adapt to life on a damaged planet. And there is so much we don’t know,” Sheldrake said.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/24/climate/fungi-merlin-sheldrake-climate-change.html
