Research Keyword: foraging behavior

Electrical integrity and week-long oscillation in fungal mycelia

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Researchers discovered that fungal mycelia (underground networks of fungal threads) use electrical signals to communicate across their bodies when searching for food like wood. When a fungus found a piece of wood to eat, it generated electrical signals that spread throughout its mycelial network, possibly helping coordinate the fungus’s response. Most remarkably, the fungus exhibited a peculiar electrical rhythm at the food location that cycled every week—the longest such pattern ever observed in fungi.

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How funnel chanterelle (Craterellus tubaeformis) became an urban forager favorite in Scandinavia

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Funnel chanterelles were ignored by Scandinavian peasants for centuries despite being abundantly available, but as cities grew and attitudes changed, they became popular among urban foragers starting in the 1970s. Today, they are one of the most sought-after wild mushrooms in Sweden and Norway, available fresh or dried in stores and widely served in restaurants. The mushroom’s popularity reflects broader cultural shifts toward valuing local foods, spending time in nature for leisure, and integrating traditional wild foods into modern cuisine.

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An experimental approach to study foraging memory in ectomycorrhizal mycelium

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Researchers tested whether mushroom fungi can remember where they found food by exposing fungal cultures to pea nutrients and then transferring them to fresh medium to see if they would grow toward where the food had been. The fungi did not show this memory behavior, but the study revealed that chemical compounds from the peas influenced fungal growth patterns. This work provides valuable tools and insights for studying how fungi perceive and respond to their environment, emphasizing the importance of publishing negative results to advance scientific understanding.

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