Do Trees Really ‘Talk’ to Each Other Through Underground Fungal Networks?

hubie writes:

U of A expert contests popular claims about a "wood-wide web":

The idea that forest trees can "talk" to each other through a connective underground web of delicate fungal filaments tickles the imagination.

In fact, the concept is so intriguing, it's taken root in popular media, from a popular book to podcasts, TV and radio shows.

Dubbed the "wood-wide web," the idea that underground fungi allow trees to share resources with their seedlings - and even protect them - definitely puts the "fun" in fungus.

But the science behind those ideas is unproven, cautions University of Alberta expert Justine Karst.

In a perspective published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, Karst and two colleagues contest three popular claims about the capabilities of underground fungi known as common mycorrhizal networks, or CMNs, that connect roots of multiple plants underground. Fungi are living organisms such as moulds, yeast and mushrooms.

"It's great that CMN research has sparked interest in forest fungi, but it's important for the public to understand that many popular ideas are ahead of the science," says Karst, associate professor in the U of A's Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences.

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