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Monitoring the impact of confinement on hyphal penetration and fungal behavior

Summary

Scientists created tiny glass channels that mimic soil conditions to study how fungi grow when squeezed into tight spaces. They observed seven different fungal species growing through these channels and measured how fast their thread-like hyphae could push through. Most fungi slowed down in tighter spaces, but each species had unique behaviors, like branching patterns or the ability to push so hard they broke the glass containers.

Background

Soil fungi play crucial roles in plant-microbe interactions and rhizosphere development through their mycelial networks. However, direct observation and quantification of fungal behavior in the opaque soil microenvironment is extremely challenging. Microfluidics platforms offer transparent, well-defined geometries that can simulate confined soil-like environments.

Objective

To develop and validate an engineered microhabitat using microfluidics to visualize and quantify fungal hyphal penetration rates and behaviors in response to varied levels of spatial confinement. The study examined seven fungal species across three phyla to assess how confinement affects hyphal growth and morphological characteristics.

Results

Most fungal species showed decreased penetration rates with increased confinement in 5-μm versus 10-μm channels, with p-values < 0.005 indicating statistical significance. Fusarium falciforme was an exception, showing marginal changes between channel widths. Species exhibited distinct behaviors including lateral branching, peer movement, tip force generation, and pillar-hugging patterns unique to different phyla.

Conclusion

Microfluidic habitats effectively reveal how spatial confinement impacts fungal hyphal penetration and behavior across diverse species. The platform provides a repeatable method for quantifying fungal responses to confined environments and demonstrates potential for studying fungal-bacterial interactions and rhizosphere processes with added biological complexity.
  • Published in:PLoS One,
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: PMID: 39775212, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312855
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