Fungal Networks Beneath the Forest Floor
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Many plants form mycorrhizae, associations between roots and fungi. Fine fungal threads called hyphae can extend through soil beyond the roots and help a plant take up water and nutrients. In return, the plant supplies the fungus with some of the carbon it made through photosynthesis. If the same fungal mycelium colonizes roots of several plants, they share a common mycorrhizal network.
Controlled experiments and some field studies have recorded labelled carbon and other compounds moving between plants. However, how often this happens, in which direction, and how much it matters in natural forests remain debated. “Wood-wide web” is only a metaphor: these networks are not digital systems, and current evidence does not demonstrate conscious communication or altruistic help between trees.