Because the soil layer was so thin, most of the hyphae, which normally grow underground and spread by releasing spores, were easy to see, allowing the researchers to observe where compounds were being made in the mycelium. Early coverage of hyphae was not too different between the X and circle formations. Later, they all showed a strong hyphal network, which makes up the mycelium, but there were differences between the two.
Although the hyphal network was fairly evenly distributed across the circle, there were differences between the inner and outer blocks in the X arrangement. The levels of decay activity were determined by weighing the blocks before and after the incubation period, and the decay was almost uniform across the entire circle, but especially evident on the four outer blocks of the X. The researchers suggest that there were more hyphal connections on those blocks sat. for a reason.
“The outer four blocks, which had a greater degree of connectivity, may have served as 'outposts' for foraging and absorbing water and nutrients from the soil, made possible by their greater connections to hyphae,” they said in the same study.
Talk to me
Fungal mycelium experiences what is called acropetal growth, meaning it grows outward from the center in all directions. Consistent with this, the hyphae began to grow outward from each block. But over time, the hyphae shifted to grow in the direction in which they would receive the most nutrients.
Why did it change? This is where the team thinks communication plays a role. Previous studies have shown that electrical signals are transmitted via hyphae. These signals are synchronized after the hyphae connect into one huge mycelium, much like the signals transmitted between neurons in organisms with brains. Materials such as nutrients are also transported through the network.
