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International Affairs Students Current Students Alumni Faculty/Staff Careers--> TOHOKU UNIVERSITYCREATING GLOBAL EXCELLENCE Search 日本語 Contact Tohoku University --> About Facts & Figures Facilities Organization Chart History President's Message Top Global University Project Designated National University Global Network Promotional Videos Academics Undergraduate Graduate Courses in English Exchange Programs Summer Programs Double Degree Programs Academic Calendar Syllabus Admissions Undergraduate Admissions Graduate Admissions Fees and Expenses Financial Aid Research Feature Highlights Research Releases University Research News Research Institutes Visitor Research Center Research Profiles Academic Research Staff Campus Life International Support Office IT Services Facilities Dining & Shops Campus Bus Clubs & Circles News University News Research--> Arts & Culture Health & Sports Campus & Community Press Release--> International Visit Alumni Careers Events Exhibits Music Special Event Lecture Alumni--> Map & Directions Campus Maps & Bus--> Facilities Map--> TOHOKUUNIVERSITY About Academics Admissions Research Campus Life News Events International Affairs Students Current Students Alumni Faculty/Staff Promotional Videos Subscribe to our Newsletter Map & Directions Contact Jobs & Vacancies Emergency Information Site Map 日本語 Close Home Research News Mushrooms and their Post-rain, Electrical Conversations Research News Mushrooms and their Post-rain, Electrical Conversations 2023-04-28 Certain fungi play a critical role in the ecological sustenance of forest trees. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are one such example. Commonly found on pine, oak, and birch trees, ectomycorrhizal fungi form a sheath around the outside of tree roots, and their mycelial body develops into vast underground networks that absorb vital nutrients from the soil and transfer it to the trees. Scientists have been studying the possibility of electrical signal transfer between mushrooms and across trees via the mycelial networks. It is thought that fungi generate electrical signals in response to external stimuli and use these signals to communicate with each other, coordinating growth and other behavior. It has even been hypothesized that these signals can be used to help transfer nutrients to plants and trees. Still, current scientific evidence remains sparse. Moreover, many studies have been limited to the laboratory, failing to recreate what happens in the wild. Now, a group of researchers has recently headed to the forest floor to examine small, tan-colored ectomycorrhizal mushrooms known as Laccaria bicolor. Attaching electrodes to six mushrooms in a cluster, the researchers discovered that the electrical signals increased after rainfall. Mushrooms in the field with an electrode attached to the top and bottom. ©Yu Fukasawa "In the beginning, the mushrooms exhibited less electrical potential, and we boiled this down to the lack of precipitation," says Yu Fukasawa from Tohoku University, who lead the project along with Takayuki Takehi and Daisuke Akai from the National Institute of Technology, Nagaoka College, and Masayuki Ushio from the Hakubi Center, Kyoto University (presently at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology). "However, the electrical potential began to fluctuate after raining, sometimes going over 100 mV." The researcher correlated this fluctuation with precipitation and temperature, and causality analysis revealed that the post-rain electric potential showed signal transport among mushrooms. This transport was particularly strong between spatially close mushrooms and demonstrated directionality. "Our results confirm the need for further studies on fungal electrical potentials under a true ecological context," adds Fukasawa. Details of their research were reported in the journal Fungal Ecology on March 14, 2023. A cartoon showing the potential electrical signal transfer across mushrooms and its directionality. ©Yu Fukasawa Publication Details: Title: Electrical potentials in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor after a rainfall eventAuthors: Yu Fukasawa, Daisuke Akai, Masayuki Ushio, Takayuki TakehiJournal: Fungal EcologyDOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2023.101229 Press release in Japanese Contact: Yu Fukasawa (Profile) Kawatabi Field Science Center, Tohoku UniversyEmail: yu.fukasawa.d3tohoku.ac.jpWebsite: https://sites.google.com/view/yu-fukasawas-websiteTwitter: @Fukasawayu Archives 2014&＃24180; 2015&＃24180; 2016&＃24180; 2017&＃24180; 2018&＃24180; 2019&＃24180; 2020&＃24180; 2021&＃24180; 2022&＃24180; 2023&＃24180; Page Top About Tohoku University Academics Admissions Research Campus Life News Events International Affairs Students Alumni Promotional Videos Subscribe to our Newsletter Map & Directions Contact Tohoku University Jobs & Vacancies Emergency Information Site Map Media Enquiries Parent & Family Support Public Facilities Contact Tohoku University