Fungi are truly remarkable organisms that challenge our traditional views of intelligence in the animal kingdom. Despite lacking brains, they exhibit behaviors that suggest decision-making and communication abilities. But just how intricate are these organisms, and what can they teach us about other forms of consciousness? To delve into these enigmas, a team of researchers from Japan’s Tohoku University and Nagaoka College conducted a simple experiment to observe the decision-making skills of a cord-forming fungus called Phanerochaete velutina. Their study, published in Fungal Ecology, revealed that fungi are capable of “recognizing” different spatial arrangements of wood and adapting accordingly to optimize their environment.
While many people may only be familiar with fungi through the mushrooms that appear above ground, these structures are just the surface manifestations of a vast underground network of interconnected threads known as mycelium. These intricate webs can transmit environmental cues across extensive systems that can span miles. The growth of mycelium does not seem to occur randomly in all directions but appears to be a strategic process.
In a demonstration of this capability, researchers created two 24-cm-wide square soil environments and inoculated decaying wood blocks with P. velutina spores, allowing them to soak for 42 days. The blocks were then arranged in either a circular or cross shape within the boxes, and the fungi were left to grow for 116 days. If the growth of P. velutina was random, it would suggest a lack of basic cognitive decision-making abilities—but the results were far from random.
Initially, the mycelium extended outward around each block for 13 days without connecting to one another. However, after about a month, both arrangements exhibited intricate networks of fungi connecting each wood sample. By day 116, each fungal network had established distinct, intentional pathways. In the circular arrangement, P. velutina showed uniform growth outward, avoiding the interior of the ring. On the other hand, in the cross configuration, the fungi extended further from the four outermost blocks.
[Related: This robot is being controlled by a King oyster mushroom.]
The researchers proposed that in the circular setting, the mycelial network recognized that investing additional energy in an already occupied area would yield little benefit. In the case of the cross pattern, they suggest that the growth areas around the four outer blocks acted as “outposts” for exploration. These experiments strongly indicate that networks of brainless organisms communicate through mycelial networks to adapt their growth based on environmental cues.
Yu Fukasawa, a co-author of the study from Tohoku University, remarked in the announcement on October 8th, “You’d be surprised by the capabilities of fungi. They possess memory, learning abilities, and decision-making skills. The way they solve problems compared to humans is truly astonishing.”
While much about these often overlooked organisms remains a mystery, researchers believe that further experimentation and analysis could provide insights into the evolutionary history of consciousness and pave the way for advanced bio-based computing systems.
