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Mycelium Bridge as a Living Electrical Conductor: Access Point to Soil Infosphere

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Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems (Living Machines 2023)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 14158))

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Abstract

Fungal mycelium, a sensor and commutation highway for information in the form of electrical signals and biomarkers, covers a large section of the Earth’s biosphere, giving access to the “wood-wide web”. A bio-hybrid robot with fungal mycelium as a living agent for information collection and commutation is the missing link for data-driven precision agriculture – one of the ways to sustainability. Currently, we do not have effective access points due to the high localization of existing sensing approaches deriving us from holistic data on the mycelium level. Here we show a method for isolating the electrical signals within a living mycelium and characterize the ion movements with impedance and open circuit potential (OCP) study. The colonizing nature of the fungus was used to form a mycelium bridge between the grounded and floating nodes to isolate the electrical signals within the living organism. The average real part of the impedance (80 kΩ) demonstrates the effectiveness of the mycelium as a distributed salt bridge and the fluctuations in impedance (∼10 kΩ) and OCP (∼20 mV) at a predictable period (28–30 h) evidence the life processes of the fungus, e.g. the opening of Ca2+ channels. The use of living fungus as a biological sensor and connector shows important insight into truly biohybrid robotics. Access to fungal networks enables cooperation between ecosystems and data-driven decisions, leading to sustainability.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Estonian Research Council grants PRG1498 and Kristjan Jaak Scholarship for short study visits (provided by Estonian Ministry of Education and Research and the Education and Youth Board).

The authors thank colleagues from the University of Tartu Leho Tedersoo, Professor in Mycorrhizal Studies for support and providing the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) strains and Hanna Hõrak, Associate Professor of Molecular Plant Physiology for allowing to use her laboratories for experimenting with fungi.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Technology, Intelligent Materials and Systems Lab, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, 50411, Tartu, Estonia

    Hana Geara, Kadri-Ann Valdur & Indrek Must

Authors
  1. Hana Geara
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  2. Kadri-Ann Valdur
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  3. Indrek Must
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Correspondence to Indrek Must .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Italian Institute of Technology, Genova, Italy

    Fabian Meder

  2. Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA

    Alexander Hunt

  3. Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy

    Laura Margheri

  4. Radboud University Nijmegen, Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Anna Mura

  5. Italian Institute of Technology, Genova, Italy

    Barbara Mazzolai

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Geara, H., Valdur, KA., Must, I. (2023). Mycelium Bridge as a Living Electrical Conductor: Access Point to Soil Infosphere. In: Meder, F., Hunt, A., Margheri, L., Mura, A., Mazzolai, B. (eds) Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems. Living Machines 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 14158. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39504-8_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-39504-8_23

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-39503-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-39504-8

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