To me, fungi are some of the most fascinating organisms (right after bees đ).
Since they donât have chlorophyll, they canât make their own food so they feast on other organisms - some are parasitic but many actually eat dead cells, so theyâre very valuable as decomposers in the forest for example.
Thatâs why you often find them on dead logs or stumps, like on my photos from todayâs walk.
They prevent dead trees and leaves from piling up and at the same time they create nutrients from that matter for other, still living organisms.
Theyâre stretching under the entire forest soil, forming what some call a wood-wide web.
A German forester Peter Wohlleben actually thinks they act as a communication system for the trees:
âTrees share water and nutrients through the networks, and also use them to communicate. They send distress signals about drought and disease, for example, or insect attacks, and other trees alter their behavior when they receive these messages.â
You can read more of his thoughts in this very insightful article. Some say his work is controversial but I think weâre underestimating the intelligence of the nature.
Thereâs also a very interesting documentary on Netflix called Fantastic Fungi. If youâre interested in the subject, I really recommend you check it out.
Seems like the following thought is perfect to end this post.
