{"id":94776,"date":"2023-03-06T12:12:51","date_gmt":"2023-03-06T16:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=94776"},"modified":"2023-03-13T12:28:48","modified_gmt":"2023-03-13T16:28:48","slug":"how-do-fungi-grow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-do-fungi-grow\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Fungi Grow? The Fast &#038; Forceful Process"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>How do fungi grow? What are the two types of fungal growth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All organisms grow cells and larger structures according to genetic instructions. <em>Entangled Life<\/em> by Merlin Sheldrake examines the overall process of fungal growth, including the two types of growth: branching and fusing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep reading to learn what we know about fungal growth and the mysteries that still remain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-process-of-fungal-growth\">The Process of Fungal Growth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>How do fungi grow? According to Sheldrake, <strong>multicellular fungi grow by lengthening their <em>hyphal tips\u2014<\/em>the ends of their mycelia. <\/strong>By contrast, most other multicellular organisms grow by building <em>layers <\/em>of cells, like a 3-D printer. (Shortform note: Some organisms grow using an approach that resembles fungi\u2019s lengthening approach <em>and<\/em> other organisms\u2019 layering approach. For instance, a type of bacteria found in caves forms chains of cells (similar to hyphae), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/content\/article\/odd-cave-bacterium-forms-multicellular-body-plants-and-animals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">then it folds these chains into a three-dimensional structure<\/a> that resembles a tangled mass of yarn.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, Sheldrake elaborates that <strong>fungal growth is both fast and forceful. <\/strong>Let\u2019s further explore these two ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fungal growth is fast:<\/strong> Small packets containing the materials for cell growth travel through a fungus\u2019s mycelium, arrive at a hyphal tip, and add new cells to the chain\u2014at a rate of over five hundred packets per <em>second. <\/em>(Shortform note: Sheldrake claims that the fungal growth process is fast, but he doesn\u2019t provide a basis for comparison. Other sources clarify that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC1828937\/#:~:text=Hyphal%20elongation%20is%20supported%20by,%CE%BCm%2Fmin%20(17).\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fungi can grow at a rate of around 1.2 millimeters per hour<\/a>\u2014a growth rate significantly higher than those of most other organisms.)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fungal growth is forceful: <\/strong>Fungi eat by digesting organic matter in their surroundings, so they need a method for inserting themselves into this matter. They use specialized hyphae that build up a high internal pressure so they can bust through cell walls. (Shortform note: Research suggests that pressure isn\u2019t the only way fungi enter matter. Some fungi <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC1828937\/#sec-9title\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">form protrusions that worm their way into matter<\/a> using a wiggling motion.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-two-types-of-fungal-growth-branching-and-merging\">Two Types of Fungal Growth: Branching and Merging<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Sheldrake, <strong>when hyphae lengthen, they either <\/strong><strong><em>branch<\/em><\/strong><strong> into new territory or <\/strong><strong><em>fuse<\/em><\/strong><strong> with the fungus\u2019s existing mycelium.<\/strong> Let\u2019s further explore both types of fungal growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Branching: <\/strong>Sheldrake explains that mycelia branch radially from a spore (a fungi\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/first-cells-on-earth\/\">first cell<\/a>). This radial branching allows a mycelium to expand into vast territories. (Shortform note: Although most fungi\u2019s radial branching is underground, you can sometimes <a href=\"https:\/\/nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/j.1469-8137.2006.01856.x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">see evidence of it <em>above<\/em> ground in the form of \u201cfairy rings\u201d<\/a>\u2014circles of mushrooms. Fairy rings begin forming when a mycelium expands at a uniform rate from its underground spore. Then, when the conditions are ideal for mushroom growth, the mycelium\u2019s hyphae grow upward and develop mushrooms.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fusing:<\/strong> Whereas branching is all about expanding a fungi\u2019s territory <em>outward<\/em>, fusing is about creating a density of connections <em>within<\/em> a mycelium. When one hyphal strand fuses with another, it creates a shortcut, allowing materials (such as water and nutrients) and chemical signals (which we\u2019ll explore later) to travel rapidly from one part of a fungus to another part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Recent research reveals that fungi survive harsh environments by controlling the rate at which their hyphae fuse. A molecule found in some fungi <a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s00203-022-03075-6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">increases hyphal fusion when those fungi face extreme temperatures<\/a>. This uptick in fusion makes a fungus\u2019s mycelial network more interconnected, allowing it to rapidly send stress signals that help the fungi adapt to extreme temperatures.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-we-still-don-t-know\">What We Still Don\u2019t Know<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Sheldrake, many aspects of fungal growth remain a mystery. For instance, <strong>how do fungi organize their hyphae to become mushrooms? <\/strong>This question remains unanswered because an organism\u2019s organization determines its growth, and fungal organization is unlike that of any other organism. Fungi form structures such as mushrooms using <em>one<\/em> type of cell\u2014hyphal cells\u2014whereas non-fungi form structures using <em>multiple<\/em> types of cells. Therefore, scientists have to develop new methods and models for understanding fungi growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Why is this mystery worth solving? According to experts, research on mushroom formation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-022-15382-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">may help us cultivate mushrooms that currently only grow in the wild<\/a>. Knowing what mechanisms and conditions promote mushroom growth could make it easier to reproduce those conditions on fungi farms. As we\u2019ll explore later, mushrooms have many uses, and increasing cultivation means improving our ability to solve problems using fungi.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do fungi grow? What are the two types of fungal growth? All organisms grow cells and larger structures according to genetic instructions. Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake examines the overall process of fungal growth, including the two types of growth: branching and fusing. Keep reading to learn what we know about fungal growth and the mysteries that still remain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":32912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[928],"class_list":["post-94776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","tag-entangled-life","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Do Fungi Grow? The Fast &amp; Forceful Process - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We know that fungi grow fast and strong, but there&#039;s still so much we don&#039;t know. 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