Fair trade for fungi.

[McGuyver'sDick]

Something interesting to chew on.

http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2011/110811.html

Plants and fungi play the 'underground market'

Plants and fungi co-operate and trade with each other on a biological ‘underground market’, changing their trading partners if they don’t get a fair deal.

The finding was made by an international team, including Oxford University scientists, examining how plants trade energy-rich carbohydrate they make using photosynthesis for phosphorus fungi collect from the soil. They found that plants use their roots to actively search out fungi to trade with but will attempt to avoid ‘cheating’ fungi which ‘hoard’ phosphorus instead of paying their fair share in return for carbohydrate.

A report of the research is published in this week’s Science.

‘This is one of the first recorded examples of a ‘biological market’ operating in which both partners reward fair trading rather than one partner having the advantage and exploiting the other,’ said Professor Stuart West of Oxford University’s Department of Zoology, an author of the paper. ‘We’ve shown that both plants and fungi can be choosy, ‘playing the market’ and looking for a better trading partner if they aren’t getting a good deal.’

The team used the plant Medicago truncatula, which is related to alfalfa, and then observed its interactions with three different species of fungi; Glomus intraradices, Glomus custos, and Glomus aggregatum, which exhibit different levels of cooperation. They used radioactive tags to track the carbon produced by the plant and the phosphorous harvested by the fungi. The results showed that not only was more carbon supplied to the more cooperative – ‘fairer trading’ – species of fungi but also that more phosphorus was supplied to more cooperative plants.

‘We think that this sort of biological market, reminiscent of a market economy, has arisen because there are so many different individuals either partner could trade with,’ said Professor West. ‘Rather like with human traders, if they are given a chance both plants and fungi will go elsewhere to get a better deal.’

A report of the research, ‘Reciprocal Rewards Stabilize Cooperation in Mycorrhizal Symbiosis’, is published in this week’ Science.

 

[dizzlekush]

to be honest this sounds like stuff we've already known. the fungi subspecies that has the most synergy with the plant with thrive the most and essentially overcrowd other fungi in the rhizosphere. Glomus mycorrhizae and trichoderma have been know to do this to some extent with parasitic fungi, it only makes sense that they would try to do it will ALL competing fungi. and outside of pots, the hyphae network mycorrhizae can make is rather unbelievable. IIRC the largest living organism on the planet is a mycorrhizae fungus and it inhabits an INTIRE forrest. mushrooms on one side of the forrest are from the exact same organism as mushrooms on the other side of the forrest. of course the fungus can establsih relationships with plants it has more synergy with and allow other less successful establishments die off, or "fungi will go elsewhere to get a better deal" as the scientists say.

maybe i've over simplified things. ill wait for the smarter people like microbeman to weigh in on this one if they have the interest.

 

[McGuyver'sDick]

Agreed, its just that it seems like someone has been able to do a definitive study of what has been observed for a long time. The symbiosis is fascinating though.

 

[Weird]

we dont know it until science says we do

now the relationship has been qualified expect ti to be exploited for financial gain

 

[zymos]

we dont know it until science says we do

now the relationship has been qualified expect ti to be exploited for financial gain

'cause there aren't already a bazillion mycorrhizal products out there?

Hell there are probably a couple dozen specifically marketed just for cannabis cultivation!