🍄💪 Fungal Networks No Be Joke! Dem Fit Save Us
Merlin Sheldrake, one bad biologist and author, dey scatter ground show people say fungi get superpowers wey fit helep us for dis damaged planet.
For like 500 million years wey don pass, wen plants wey dey live for water wan enter land, dem no fit waka alone. Dem con join bodi with fungal mycelium networks wey help dem form root system for some millions of years before dem come get dia own root system and fit waka alone. Na so 90 percent of plants still dey depend on fungi like girlfriend or boyfriend.
But for dat time, di whole planet don change level: Early plants plus fungi networks don help reduce di amount of carbon dioxide wey full di air by 90 percent. Na im make life as we know am for Earth fit shine well-well.
These days, humans just dey do things wey dey carry carbon dioxide dey waka anyhow (even though e neva rich di level for pre-fungal period), and scientists plus fungi fans dem dey hope say fungi fit helep us reduce di carbon again and again.
As Merlin Sheldrake, di scientist wey sabi book and author of “Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures,” yarn, fungi no be small people o. Dem be “ecosystem engineers,” and na dem dey make our life for dis planet shine. If we no respect dem, na our wahala we go dey find, e talk.
Wahala don burst! Plenty people don show interest for fungi lately. I dey wonder why dem dey fall yakata for fungi like dat. Your book self don play big role for di matter, abi? 📚🌍
I think say na plenty reasons dey. One reason na say we don sabi fungi more now pass before. Technology don come make us see plenty new things about fungi, and we don get better access to di life wey fungi dey live. 🧪🔬
Another reason na say people don dey see say di whole living world dey connected like clothes and trouser. Na new research plus di way wey we dey spoil our planet dey make us dey talk about ecology well-well. Fungi na di main example of di way organisms dey relate to each other. Dem be like di super glue wey dey join all life together, including us wey be human beings. Dem dey form secrete networks wey some we fit see and some we no fit see. 🌱🌍
Na di fungi wey dey scatter for everywhere now dey form network. Networks don become di talk of di town, whether na for computer matter, society matter, brain matter, or di economy matter. Fungi na ancient living network, and di way wey we dey chook eye for fungi na because we too like how networks dey work, whether na for transport system, internet, or di way dem take shape our life and culture. 🌐🌍
But time don show say e get emergency wey we need fungi to helep us. Fungi get many ways wey dem fit join hand with us take adapt for dis damaged planet, but e be like say we never sabi all di tin wey dem fit do. Plenty emergency don show face wey make us begin look fungi side eye again, and di whole fungi world get plenty mycological options wey dey sound radical. 🆘🚨
Some fungi fit produce things wey fit helep bee wey dey sick from plenty sickness. For mycoremediation matter, fungi fit break down plenty rubbish wey dey spoil our planet. Fungi fit even produce sustainable materials like bricks and leather. E never finish o, fungi still fit change di way we dey think, feel, and imagine. 🐝🌿💡
Whether you be scientist or ordinary person, fungi dey hold plenty secret wey fit change di game for us. E go good make we respect dem well-well, put dem for conservation agenda, and explore all di potential wey dem carry. Fungi na our partners for survival, and if we work with dem, we fit helep save dis planet wey we call home. 🤝🌎🌱
NOW IN ENGLISH
🍄💪 Fungal Networks Are No Joke! They Can Save Us
Merlin Sheldrake, a renowned biologist and author, is making waves by highlighting the extraordinary abilities of fungi to help us on this ailing planet.
Around 500 million years ago, when aquatic plants were making their way onto land, they couldn’t survive on their own. They formed symbiotic relationships with fungal mycelium networks, which acted as their root systems for millions of years until they developed their own. Even today, about 90 percent of plants rely on these fungi as their partners.
During that time, the planet underwent a significant transformation. The early plants and their fungal networks played a crucial role in reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide by a staggering 90 percent. This paved the way for the life on Earth as we know it.
Nowadays, human activities have caused a surge in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels (although not as high as in the pre-fungal era). Scientists and fungi enthusiasts alike are hopeful that fungi can once again come to our aid by sequestering carbon and helping us sustain our existence.
According to Merlin Sheldrake, fungi do much more than that. They are true “ecosystem engineers,” central to our very survival on this planet. Ignoring their significance would be perilous, he warns.
There has been a remarkable surge in interest in fungi lately. One might wonder what has caused this fascination. Your book has undoubtedly played a major role in it, hasn’t it? 📚🌍
Indeed, there are several reasons behind this newfound fascination. First and foremost, our understanding of fungi has vastly improved thanks to technological advancements over the past couple of decades. We now have greater insights into the lives of fungi and can appreciate their significance.
Additionally, there is a growing recognition of the interconnectedness of the natural world. This awareness has been propelled by both new research and the worsening consequences of our destructive actions on the environment. Fungi embody the fundamental principle of ecology—the interrelationships between organisms. Mycelium serves as the ecological connective tissue, reminding us that all life forms, including humans, are intricately connected within complex networks, some visible and others hidden. 🌱🌍
Fungi have become emblematic of ecological thinking, but their appeal is also driven by the rise of network science. The concept of networks has permeated various fields, from computing and sociology to neuroscience, ecology, and economics. Fungi, as ancient living networks, captivate our modern fascination with the immense power of interconnected systems, be it transportation, the internet, or the shaping of our societies and cultures. 🌐🌍
Furthermore, there is a sense of urgency. We face numerous challenges, and fungi offer numerous possibilities for partnering with us to adapt to life on a damaged planet. However, our knowledge is still limited. The escalating ecological crises have rekindled interest in the fungal world, with countless mycological innovations on the horizon. 🆘🚨
Some fungi produce potent antiviral compounds that can combat colony collapse disorder in honeybees. Through mycoremediation, fungi can break down toxic pollutants. Fungi can even be employed in mycofabrication to produce sustainable materials like bricks and leather. Let’s not forget the profound impact fungi have on the way we think, feel, and imagine. Their influence is far-reaching and transformative. 🐝🌿💡
Your recent op-ed in The Guardian emphasized the potential of mycorrhizal fungal networks for carbon and nutrient cycling and storage. How do you propose bridging the gap between the popular interest in fungi and the necessary conservation efforts for these organisms?
Fungi, as a kingdom of life, have been overlooked for far too long. They have been neglected in conservation frameworks, educational curricula, and scientific and medical research. The first step is to raise awareness of the vital roles fungi play in the biosphere.
But that alone is not enough. I am involved with the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, an organization working to create comprehensive maps of the planet’s fungal communities. These maps can provide valuable information for decision-makers to consider the underground life in their plans. I also collaborate with Fauna Flora Funga and the Fungi Foundation, two organizations striving to integrate fungi into conservation frameworks, as they are currently overlooked. We must recognize that by destroying fungal communities, we undermine ancient life support systems that enable the richness of life on Earth. 🤝🌎🌱
Even when we discuss carbon sequestration in forests or grasslands, mycorrhizal networks are often overlooked. Perhaps this is due to our visual bias, as we tend to focus on what we can see. Despite the fact that soils represent a major carbon pool, we tend to neglect the intricate underground ecosystems. Exploring and studying these organisms and their contributions can be challenging. In a recent paper I was involved in, we delve deeper into these challenges. Although our estimates of carbon movement through mycorrhizal fungi are not perfect and should be interpreted with caution, they provide an indication of the crucial role mycorrhizal relationships play in global nutrient fluxes. 🌍🌱
Reading your book made me realize how much I didn’t know. Fungi have made life on Earth possible, and yet so much of their incredible world was unknown to me. It begs the question: How do we truly know what we think we know?
I am fascinated by the study of the natural world precisely because it often reveals the unfamiliar within the familiar. Fungi, like many other organisms, invite us to reevaluate concepts we thought we understood. With the multitude of urgent challenges we face today, there are countless ways in which we can partner with fungi to adapt to life on a damaged planet. However, there is still much we do not know, and the realm of fungi holds countless mysteries waiting to be unraveled. 🌿🌎🔍
Whether we are scientists or ordinary individuals, fungi hold profound secrets that can revolutionize our understanding of the world. It is crucial that we acknowledge and respect their importance, incorporate them into conservation efforts, and explore the vast potential they possess. Fungi are our partners in survival, and by working together, we can help save this planet we call home. 🤝🌎🌱
