The connection between fungi & trees are very different in the forms they benefit one another but also how detrimental the former can be to be on the latter. This of course depends on the species of fungi & type of tree too. In this post we look at the marvellous relationship between trees & fungi (pt 1).
In post 01 I mentioned briefly that fungi demand up to a third of a trees' nutrients (glucose, obtained from photosynthesis) in exchange for protection against parasites in the soil. These nutrients such as phosphates and nitrogen are transported throughout the mycorrhiza from the root network of trees in which the fungus attaches itself. This of course benefits the fruit of the fungi being the Mushrooms which are incapable of photosynthesising due to the lack of chlorophyll and therefore dependant upon there relationship with plants to supplement. These sugar suckers are said to have connections with 85% of trees. I talked about this during the introduction, whereby mycelium grows throughout the soil, the hyphae tips feel around for any potential gaps to penetrate; the success of this is evident. The largest organism in the world is of this descent. So as this is obviously circulating underground, we will now delve into the structure that upholds this network... & because we're already on the subject of underground connections, we'll go there & examine what makes a tree healthy in order to maintain it's teamwork with fungi.
What makes a tree healthy?
Well as well all know a tree starts from the ground up. So soil is the foundation of everything, without healthy ground containing lots of fungi and other bacterial goodness, a tree would not be able to absorb water or any nutrients in order to grow a healthy & well structured root system. The perfect ideal would be an undisturbed forest whereby it is left to grow, undisturbed soil; this leads to a healthier community & network where they build relationships & distribute nutrients & water to nearby trees lacking either growth or health (you have a lead tree known as the hub which is said to be in contact with up to 60 other trees), you have mother trees looking after there offspring. Leaving them alone will help a lot of trees reach maturity & optimum productivity in regards to carbon sequestering which is achieved at least 80 years of age. Unfortunately foresters see this as a prime logging age so when companies claim to plant trees & use the greenwashing agendas such as carbon equilibrium or even carbon negative, this is unfortunately not the case because trees never live to the age where these levels of carbon sucking are reached. Unfortunately the commercial focus of a job such as warps how one views the life of something; turns it into a mere commodity and is always viewed upon with in an economical sense; where really a life of a tree is same as anything living, it is a priceless personality. Maybe people in the lumber industry are aware; but being open and willing to educate themselves the truth will put them off. I guess not knowing justifies there actions. You only have to look at animal agriculture, when people are exposed, or should I say when they allow themselves to be open to the truth they find it hard to carry on. For example dairy farmers, I have read about many dairy farmers changing toward a plant based milk because they cannot stand the truth behind the dairy industry. People have to be willing to change to the idea. Of course real change only starts with when you are willing to change yourself. So going forward, leaving a forest will allow it to naturally obtain it's order, to grow it's community, by which will ultimately give way to moist & shady soil through a strong network of plantation allowed the time to live freely; this is the optimum thriving conditions.
Without this, a lot of the said above would alleviate toward soil deuteriation. This is accelerated through fungal decay; therefore if this relationship broke we would quickly see the consequences of unhealthy soil; and essentially fungal decay would not only effect the health of undergrowth but that of also the standing tree in it's physical realm; for example how it handles weather events such snow & wind etc. Brown rot significantly impacts the flex of a tree, so we would quickly see the impacts of this under the changing seasons; when trees have to adapt & conserve energy; shed leaves to uphold the weight of snow etc. particularly deciduous given the angle of the branches as apposed to a conifer. As they retain there foliage all year round, they ark there branches at a downward angle which defends the weight of snow. There are various other reasons but for the context of this, we'll keep it short & relative to the point.
We will look at fungal decay shortly, a key importance at the structure of trees in terms of not just there footing but also how they distribute there weight & strength. The fundamental importance for trees is soil retention which provides the groundwork for root strength. But this does fluctuate depending on the climate, type of soil, & a host of other factors. Clearly, this depends as we see trees living all over the world in an array of different environments. This means trees must adapt. So are trees capable of learning then? If so, this means they must have a memory & more fundamentally, a brain? Well we shall cover this in a later post.
Fungal decay
There are three different types of this being soft, white rot, & brown rot; of which effect standing trees. For this to take effect, it is important to understand the key elements of wood - lignin & cellulose. Lignin is what forms cell walls & ultimately what forms the supportive strength in the tissue to basically prevent a tree from falling; lignin is secondary thickening stage & is term is known as lignification. However, this depends of the species of plant too as there are different types of lignin adhered to there specific counterpart. For example plants of soft or hard genera have to have different structures in order to maintain it's productivity. The purpose of which is to strengthen bonds to increase stability of water (vessels) content up the tree and keep sugar deposits to an wide passageway. Maintaining this will allow the tree, especially the older and taller it gets, to freely move nutrients and also waste deposits in and out of it's system; key to it's teamwork with fungi. Cellulose is the main substrate in the wall of a plant cell; to help maintain the plant's arc toward the sunlight and keep upright. Cellulose is chain of sugars; & though not digestible to humans, it is very much a source of fibre which is important as it cleanses the digestive tract. Interestingly cellulose is the most common organic compound on earth, (plants) being responsible for producing over 100 billion tonnes every year!
So back to fungal decay, we'll start with brown rot. This is caused when lignin is kept, but cellulose is lost meaning wood loses it's flexibility. An example of this is paper recycling. The more paper is recycled, the more it loses it's structure because lignin is difficult to break down; the more this cycle is repeated, the more rigid it will become. When cellulose (white) is lost & lignin (brown) is retained is the reason why this fungal decay is given it's name, and is most common in conifers rather than deciduous trees. Taking this into thought, this will massively impact the flex of a tree particularly when it comes to high winds or taking the strain of snow; especially given that conifers don't shed there leaves, so therefore imperative for a branch to cope with weight. Finally, Basidiomycetes fungi is responsible for this type of rot.
White Rot - Basidiomycetes but also Ascomycetes fungi are responsible for White Rot. As well cellulose decay, lignin also breaks down as apposed to brown rot. Because lignin breaks down quicker than cellulose, there are two types of this fungal decay; being simultaneous & selective delignification, the former being when early stage decay happens which will lead to a really soft feeling; you can feel this on the cambium. We now know lignin is responsible for upholding the supportive strength of a cell wall, which means simultaneous rot sees the decay of both elements of a plant to rot at more or less the same time; this will impede a trees' strength considerably, and lead to extreme brittleness. Also note that this rot is fluctuates between tree species as well fungus & occurs in broadleaved trees.
Soft Rot - Holes are formed. Because this leads gaps in the wood; & hence air/ eventually moisture. This will invite fungi indefinitely & eventual infection. This leads to like the name suggests, a soft touch.
The next post will look at the history of trees, there evolution, & also touch on what I mentioned earlier & I believe is very relevant, which is trees' capacity to adapt to changing environments and situations. To do this they must learn & therefore have the capacity to hold memories & a neurological process to correct mistakes. Conifers have been around over 380 million years, that's a good enough reason for me to believe they do. But we'll end it there, & cover this in great depth. Se' thee next time!
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