The Hidden Network -- Bingham, Illinois

Originally shared by Shawn McClure

The Hidden Network -- Bingham, Illinois
"My team and I have discovered, over decades of study, that mushroom mycelium is a rich resource of new antimicrobial compounds, which work in concert, helping protecting the mushrooms - and us - from microbial pathogens."
-- Paul Stamets

Mycelium is the amazing, hidden portion of woodland fungus that forms a vast network beneath the leaf mold on the forest floor, and from which the "fruiting bodies" of the fungus emerge when conditions are right. Below is a photo of two such fruiting bodes that I found in the deep woods of southern Illinois on my family's farm.

The mycelium is the most important and permanent part of a fungus. The mycelia network that emanates from a fungal spore can extend over and into the soil in search of nutrients.

The growth of mycelia can be extensive. A form of honey fungus found in the forests of Michigan, which began from a single spore and grows mainly underground, now is estimated to cover 40 acres. The mycelia network is thought to be over 100 tons in weight and is at least 1,500 years old. More recently, another species of fungus discovered in Washington State was found to cover at least 1,500 acres. But perhaps the largest single network of mycelium known was the 2,400-acre (9.7 km2) organism in eastern Oregon. Estimated at 1,665 football fields in size and 2,200 years old, this one fungus has killed the forest above it several times over, and in so doing has built deeper soil layers that allow the growth of ever-larger stands of trees. Mushroom-forming forest fungi are unique in that their mycelial mats can achieve such massive proportions.

Mycelium is vital in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems for their role in the decomposition of plant material. They contribute to the organic fraction of soil, and their growth releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere (see carbon cycle). Ectomycorrhizal extramatrical mycelium, as well as the mycelium of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increase the efficiency of water and nutrient absorption of most plants and confers resistance to some plant pathogens. Mycelium is an important food source for many soil invertebrates.

-- some information courtesy of Wikipedia.org and Encyclopedia.com...

For #Two4Tuesday  curated by Mary C Legg, and #TuesDecay, and #ToadstoolTuesday , and Fungus Friday curated by Shawn McClure and Leonie H...