MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

On Spiking Behaviour of Oyster Fungi Pleurotus djamor

Summary

This research reveals that mushrooms can generate and transmit electrical signals, similar to how neurons communicate in our bodies. The study focused on pink oyster mushrooms and found they produce regular electrical pulses and can respond electrically to various stimuli like heat or chemicals. This discovery has several practical implications for everyday life: • Could lead to development of new biological sensors using mushrooms to detect environmental changes • Helps understand how fungi communicate and share information in nature • May inspire new technologies for environmental monitoring • Could improve mushroom cultivation techniques • Provides insights into developing new interfaces between biological and electronic systems

Background

Electricity plays a key role in fungal growth and development, with evidence showing that electric fields can influence hyphal polarity, branching, and germination. Fungi generate internal electrical currents and fields, with positive current entering growing hyphal tips. Previous research discovered action potential-like spikes in mycelium, but most studies were conducted in laboratory conditions using intracellular recording methods.

Objective

To investigate and characterize the electrical activity of fruit bodies of oyster mushrooms Pleurotus djamor in conditions closer to natural settings, using extracellular recording methods. The study aimed to evaluate the possibility of using wild fungi as biological sensors and advance bio-sensing concepts.

Results

The study revealed two types of spike trains in electrical activity: high-frequency spikes with periods of 2.6 minutes and low-frequency spikes with periods of 14 minutes. High-frequency spikes had amplitudes just below 1mV while low-frequency spikes reached nearly 1.5mV. The fruit bodies showed clear electrical responses to chemical and thermal stimulation, with non-stimulated fruit bodies in a cluster responding faster than stimulated ones.

Conclusion

Fruit bodies of Pleurotus djamor exhibit trains of action potential-like spikes in their electrical activity, with two distinct frequency patterns. The fungi demonstrate electrical responses to various stimuli, with evidence of electrical communication between fruit bodies in a cluster. These findings establish a foundation for future research into sensing and collective information processing in Agaricomycetes.
  • Published in:Scientific Reports,
  • Study Type:Experimental Research,
  • Source: 10.1038/s41598-018-26007-1
Scroll to Top