Fungi comprise a profoundly diverse kingdom of life, from single-celled organisms to the largest living thing on Earth. We have discovered hundreds of thousands of species, but scientists believe there may be millions more out there, filling many different niches in the order of nature.
We already know how mushrooms can be a protein-packed addition to a healthy diet, and many societies have used them for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. However, that's just the beginning. Fungi play a massive role in the environment and might even help us to undo some of the damage to the habitat we've created.
Fungi Decompose Other Life, Recycling Nutrients
Saprophytes are fungi that feed on dead plants and animal matter. They are like bacteria and insects in that regard; however, saprophyte fungi are the driving force behind nutrient cycling. In other words, when a complete lifeform dies, fungi simplify it and decompose it into pieces that other lifeforms (usually plants) can use.
Nutrient cycling is one of the defining characteristics of any ecosystem. It is fair to say that an ecosystem would be functionally dead without it. In the nutrient cycle, matter and energy move from non-living things to living things and then back again. Plants get carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from CO2 and water, while nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium come from the ground.
For example, a plant will grow from nutrients it finds in the soil. Eventually, an animal may come along to eat it, absorbing many of the nutrients. Finally, the animal dies and decomposes back into the Earth, where those nutrients await the arrival of a new plant. This description is, of course, an oversimplification. Nevertheless, fungi are responsible for facilitating the process of decomposition that regenerates the soil.
Trees Rely On Fungi To Facilitate The Carbon Cycle
Subterranean fungi are vital players in the process that enables carbon sequestration in the soil. Of course, getting carbon out of the atmosphere and into the ground is one of our chief environmental concerns. Without a robust carbon sequestration system, there would be no way to offset our man-made carbon emissions.
Unfortunately, many of the saprophytes referred to above release their carbon back into the atmosphere. They "exhale" it, similar to us. However, subterranean mycorrhizal fungi dwell on the roots of over 85% of the plants in the world. These fungi use carbon exuded from the roots of the plant to power their own metabolism. Eventually, they "exhale" their carbon directly into the soil, potentially for hundreds of years or more.
The symbiosis between plants and mycorrhizal fungi seems to be one of the primary drivers of carbon sequestration. It ensures that carbon, one of the primary elements of living structures, is abundant in the soil – ready to support the growth of new life. Happily, it also mitigates a large proportion of our carbon emissions, slowing the global warming that threatens to kill many plant species that host mycorrhizal fungi.
Some Fungi Can Eat Plastic And Clean Oil
Petroleum-based consumer products, pharmaceuticals, and other man-made pollutants are wreaking havoc on ecosystems worldwide. In high concentrations, they can be deadly toxins, rendering areas uninhabitable for plant, animal, and human life. More insidiously, they often reside in small quantities, accruing within organisms and causing chronic health problems.
Some fungi can decompose toxic waste and plastics, rendering them non-toxic and useful for other purposes. This ability helps with the tremendous number of petroleum-based products in landfills and increasingly large piles of discarded asphalt. In consequence, some experts think fungi may help a circular economy's "repurposing" of materials.
Whether fungi can completely detoxify all our hazardous waste, time will tell, but every little bit helps. Preventing pollution before it happens is valuable, and fungi may also be able to help restore damaged soils, particularly for reforestation projects. And some fungi are also helping to solve problems with water purification.
Mycelium May Replace Other Materials In Consumer Goods
One of the main problems with unsustainable products is their usefulness and convenience. As a result, they are everywhere. Unfortunately, when plastics and other pollutants reach the end of their product life cycle, they end up sitting in a landfill and damaging the environment.
However, mycelium, part of the structure of mushrooms, is gaining prominence as a potential substitute for plastics, synthetics, and animal-based materials. Mycelium-based products are biodegradable and generally require less water, land, or other resources than their non-renewable counterparts.
One report suggests that the high sustainability of mycelium opens the door to many possibilities, including mycelium paper, filters, membranes, insulation, textiles, and even construction materials. Indeed, some have already experimented with mycelium bricks to build towers and other habitable structures.
Fungi Are A Sustainable Source Of Material And Offer Other Benefits
The primary purpose of fungi is to sustain the natural world by decomposing complex materials. By doing this, they often cleanse toxic substances from their surroundings, leaving behind fertile ground for other life forms. In addition, their ability to facilitate nutrient and carbon cycling makes them integral to life on Earth. In time, we may use them as a sustainable source of many consumer products. As scientists continue to study the properties and behaviors of mycelium, we may, in time, begin to appreciate the full potential of fungi to benefit the environment for everyone else.
Key Takeaways
Grow Your Own – Mushrooms are no more challenging to grow than most vegetables. However, they have some additional benefits. For example, they can help speed up the composting process outside and can grow inside in a cool, dark area like a basement. The most common home-grown mushrooms are shiitake, oyster, and white button.
Exercise Caution – Despite fungi's "cleansing" nature, each species has different nutrient needs and capabilities. Not all species decompose all toxic compounds, and some take harmful chemicals into their caps, yielding poisonous mushrooms.
A Healthy Choice – Even if you don't want to grow them on your own, adding them to your diet can pay off in the long run. Mushrooms have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and cancer.
Fungi comprise a profoundly diverse kingdom of life, from single-celled organisms to the largest living thing on Earth. We have discovered hundreds of thousands of species, but scientists believe there may be millions more out there, filling many different niches in the order of nature.
We already know how mushrooms can be a protein-packed addition to a healthy diet, and many societies have used them for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. However, that's just the beginning. Fungi play a massive role in the environment and might even help us to undo some of the damage to the habitat we've created.
Fungi Decompose Other Life, Recycling Nutrients
Saprophytes are fungi that feed on dead plants and animal matter. They are like bacteria and insects in that regard; however, saprophyte fungi are the driving force behind nutrient cycling. In other words, when a complete lifeform dies, fungi simplify it and decompose it into pieces that other lifeforms (usually plants) can use.
Nutrient cycling is one of the defining characteristics of any ecosystem. It is fair to say that an ecosystem would be functionally dead without it. In the nutrient cycle, matter and energy move from non-living things to living things and then back again. Plants get carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from CO2 and water, while nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium come from the ground.
For example, a plant will grow from nutrients it finds in the soil. Eventually, an animal may come along to eat it, absorbing many of the nutrients. Finally, the animal dies and decomposes back into the Earth, where those nutrients await the arrival of a new plant. This description is, of course, an oversimplification. Nevertheless, fungi are responsible for facilitating the process of decomposition that regenerates the soil.
Trees Rely on Fungi to Facilitate the Carbon Cycle
Subterranean fungi are vital players in the process that enables carbon sequestration in the soil. Of course, getting carbon out of the atmosphere and into the ground is one of our chief environmental concerns. Without a robust carbon sequestration system, there would be no way to offset our man-made carbon emissions.
Unfortunately, many of the saprophytes referred to above release their carbon back into the atmosphere. They "exhale" it, similar to us. However, subterranean mycorrhizal fungi dwell on the roots of over 85% of the plants in the world. These fungi use carbon exuded from the roots of the plant to power their own metabolism. Eventually, they "exhale" their carbon directly into the soil, potentially for hundreds of years or more.
The symbiosis between plants and mycorrhizal fungi seems to be one of the primary drivers of carbon sequestration. It ensures that carbon, one of the primary elements of living structures, is abundant in the soil – ready to support the growth of new life. Happily, it also mitigates a large proportion of our carbon emissions, slowing the global warming that threatens to kill many plant species that host mycorrhizal fungi.
Some Fungi Can Eat Plastic and Clean Oil
Petroleum-based consumer products, pharmaceuticals, and other man-made pollutants are wreaking havoc on ecosystems worldwide. In high concentrations, they can be deadly toxins, rendering areas uninhabitable for plant, animal, and human life. More insidiously, they often reside in small quantities, accruing within organisms and causing chronic health problems.
Some fungi can decompose toxic waste and plastics, rendering them non-toxic and useful for other purposes. This ability helps with the tremendous number of petroleum-based products in landfills and increasingly large piles of discarded asphalt. In consequence, some experts think fungi may help a circular economy's "repurposing" of materials.
Whether fungi can completely detoxify all our hazardous waste, time will tell, but every little bit helps. Preventing pollution before it happens is valuable, and fungi may also be able to help restore damaged soils, particularly for reforestation projects. And some fungi are also helping to solve problems with water purification.
Mycelium May Replace Other Materials in Consumer Goods
One of the main problems with unsustainable products is their usefulness and convenience. As a result, they are everywhere. Unfortunately, when plastics and other pollutants reach the end of their product life cycle, they end up sitting in a landfill and damaging the environment.
However, mycelium, part of the structure of mushrooms, is gaining prominence as a potential substitute for plastics, synthetics, and animal-based materials. Mycelium-based products are biodegradable and generally require less water, land, or other resources than their non-renewable counterparts.
One report suggests that the high sustainability of mycelium opens the door to many possibilities, including mycelium paper, filters, membranes, insulation, textiles, and even construction materials. Indeed, some have already experimented with mycelium bricks to build towers and other habitable structures.
Fungi Are a Sustainable Source of Material and Offer Other Benefits
The primary purpose of fungi is to sustain the natural world by decomposing complex materials. By doing this, they often cleanse toxic substances from their surroundings, leaving behind fertile ground for other life forms. In addition, their ability to facilitate nutrient and carbon cycling makes them integral to life on Earth. In time, we may use them as a sustainable source of many consumer products. As scientists continue to study the properties and behaviors of mycelium, we may, in time, begin to appreciate the full potential of fungi to benefit the environment for everyone else.
Key Takeaways
Grow Your Own – Mushrooms are no more challenging to grow than most vegetables. However, they have some additional benefits. For example, they can help speed up the composting process outside and can grow inside in a cool, dark area like a basement. The most common home-grown mushrooms are shiitake, oyster, and white button.
Exercise Caution – Despite fungi's "cleansing" nature, each species has different nutrient needs and capabilities. Not all species decompose all toxic compounds, and some take harmful chemicals into their caps, yielding poisonous mushrooms.
A Healthy Choice – Even if you don't want to grow them on your own, adding them to your diet can pay off in the long run. Mushrooms have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and cancer.
