By Lena Turcios
Fun fungi facts
- Some fungi can glow in the dark. This ability is called Bioluminescent. It isn’t just a fun party trick, it has a survival tactic involved: it is used to attract insects. Lucifern is the compound that allows fungi, fireflies and other sea creatures to light up. In the future, the natural phenomenon of Bioluminescent could be used to genetically engineer luminescent trees.
- Fungi are more like us than they are like plants. Genetically speaking, they´re related more to animals rather than plants. They breathe in oxygen, releasing CO2. They even contribute to global warming. They solely rely on other organisms for food, and they grow and feed off various dead/dying plants and animals.
- The largest living thing on earth is a fungus named the ´Honey Mushroom.´ This fungus kills trees and feeds off dead/live wood for nutrients. The Honey Mushroom fungus covers over 2,384 acres, which is almost 10 square kilometers. Scientists report the Honey Mushroom fungus has been around for 2,400 years, possibly even up to 8,650 years.
- Our feet contain more than 200 types of fungi.
- Fungi help trees communicate with each other. Beneath every forest and wood, there is a complex network of roots, which is connected by fungi and bacteria. This is called ´Wood Wide Web.’
- Special types of fungi are used to clean up oil spills and toxic chemicals.
- Glomalin, a by-product from Mycorrhizal fungus, can capture and store carbon in the soil. It removes carbon from the atmosphere, therefore helping climate change.
- The fastest living organism on this planet is fungi.
- As fungi grow they are constantly sensing and learning. They understand a wide range of chemical signs.
Everyday millions of fungi are growing, adding to the thousands of different fungi already discovered. Fungi has many benefits for planet earth, as well as health benefits for humans. Some fungi are decomposers, and they break down plant and animal debris. This cycles nutrients and increases their availability in the soils. Fungi can also propel nitrogen fixation phosphorus mobilization, which are two of the main nutrients required for plant productivity and development.
According to the website ¨Ffungi¨, Fungi is crucial to the planet. Life could not possibly exist without fungus in nature. They are the reason for many amazing dishes of food nutrients, and sustainability for materials. Let us dive deeper into the benefits of Fungi.
Firstly, Fungi is responsible for many of the foods we eat. From savory foods, ranging from cheese, bread, pickles, olives, soy sauce and miso, to sweet foods, such as coffee and chocolate, fungi has an important role in these foods. Fungi is also used to create alcohol, such as wine and beer.
Fungus carries healing properties, being a main ingredient in Penicillin. Fungi has been used by ancestors in medicine for thousands of years, leading all the way back to 450 BCE. Medicines developed from fungi have been used for everything from high cholesterol to multiple sclerosis. Some fungi are even used to treat cancer. Just like the animal brain, fungi are aware of and respond to its environment.
One of the most important ways Fungi aids us is how it makes sustainable materials. The non-visible part of Fungi called Mycelium can be turned into shoes, packaging, building blocks, styrofoam, wall tiles and much more. The materials are durable, indestructible, fire resistant, and biodegradable. Mycelium can replace other fossil fuel derived materials such as plastics, foam, leather and rubber. Reducing fossil fuels is important because it helps to reduce climate change and helps create a cleaner environment.
In other fungi news, Microscopic specimens of fungi were discovered in the Canadian Arctic and are billions of years old. Archaeologists know almost nothing about the earliest uses of fungi but they do know that people had often used it for food, flavoring and medicine. Some also used dried fungi to light and transport fires. These non-edible species of fungi are known as ´tinder fungi.´
We still have much to learn about fungi, yet there are many positives of having fungi in our ecosystem. They benefit our environment, give us nutrients through food, can be used for sustainable materials and they are super diverse and beautiful!
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