Download This PaperMushroom's Electrical Conversation after the Rain
21 Pages Posted: 23 Apr 2022
Abstract
We measured extracellular bioelectrical activities of ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Laccaria bicolor under field conditions to examine its response to some environmental factors and the potential for signal transport across the mycelial network. Six fruit bodies of L. bicolor in a cluster, applied with electrodes, exhibited less electrical potentials at the beginning, probably due to the lack of precipitation for over a week. However, its electrical potential started bumping after raining, sometimes over 100 mV. The electrical potential of the fruit bodies and its fluctuation were correlated with precipitation. Causality analysis of electrical potential after the rain showed electrical signal transport among fruit bodies, particularly between spatially close ones, with potential directionality. Our preliminary results bring a call for studies on fungal electrical potentials in a more ecological context under field conditions.
Keywords: causality analysis, ectomycorrhizal fungi, electrical potential, rain, signal transfer
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation