What Is Mycelium?
In order to understand mycelium, we must understand the morphology of fungi. Many fungi have a mushroom part and a mycelium part. The mushroom is technically the fruiting body of a fungus, the (usually) visible part of the organism that brings to mind the classic cap and stem. The much larger, (usually) hidden part of the organism, mycelium, is the vegetative body of the fungi. A mycelium is made up of tiny root-like threads called hyphae, and form large, complex structures called the mycelial network. Mushrooms spring from this underground network, like grapes on a ghostly vine. Mycelia also makes up some of our not-so-sexy fungal encounters, like molds.
What Makes Mycelium So Extraordinary?
Mycelial networks wind their way throughout the root systems of nearly every ecosystem on our planet, and make up some of Earth’s largest organisms––the largest is a fungus with a 2,384 acre mycelial network. To stop and think about the invisible threads of the subterranean mycelial network is enough to stop you in your tracks.
But the most incredible discovery about the mycelia of fungi, is the site where the mycelial network meets the networks of plant roots to create the mycorrhizal network. We don’t yet understand exactly how these networks operate, but this complex interface between multiple organisms underground has led to many theories. Perhaps they transfer nutrients, chemical signals, and other kinds of information from fungus to plant and back, across the forest. The most basic of implications of this “Wood Wide Web” is that everything is delicately interconnected. As our understanding of this connective tissue increases, it reminds us that we are all connected both to each other and to the planet we call home.
Mycelium is, astoundingly, an intelligent form of life. It’s almost as if the alien life we search for is not alien at all but an inherent part of our world. With their intelligence comes consciousness and memory, they make decisions based on the physical space around them. They sense stressors and respond, modifying fungi’s growth process in times of drought or contamination by toxins, and protect entire ecosystems.
We have begun working side by side with mycelium, harnessing their unmatched knowledge of our earth and unique features. A process called mycoremediation is a method in which scientists are using native mycelium to restore soils and assist reforestation of areas affected by contamination, oil spills, fires, and nuclear waste.
Making Connections
The main power of fungi is connectivity, from the mind-opening abilities of the fruit, the mushroom, used in ceremonies for thousands of years to reach out and commune with the spirit world, to the marvelous matrix of mycelia that crosses borders and interlinks species. The fungal world’s call to connect is one we should answer. While we have much to learn, there is comfort in the fact that some consider the electricity pulsing between the threads of mycelium to be the soul of the universe, the soil, the forest, the environments that give us life, a collective consciousness. Next time your feet hit the ground, take a moment to acknowledge the hidden kingdom as it acknowledges you.