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http://www.nature.com/news/fungi-and-ro ... on-1.12698

Fungi and roots store a surprisingly large share of the world's carbon

Symbiotic organisms that envelope tree roots may play a bigger role in carbon cycle than decomposing leaves.

Interesting article. There seems to be an ever increasing realisation that fungi are important. I've heard that about 10% of the biomass of an English woodland is contained in the soil fungi.

biffvernon wrote:There seems to be an ever increasing realisation that fungi are important.

Yes. It's always been known they are important, but we are finding out more all the time about just how important.

It's partly because so little has been known in general about fungi. They're incredibly hard to study, and there has historically been very little obvious incentive to fund research.

We have a cultural problem with them in the UK. We're frightened of them (because we don't understand them) and we associate them with death, even though it would make more sense to associate them with rebirth. Very few fungi kill anything that isn't already on the way out, and all of them are responsible for recycling/reclaiming nutrients and generally holding the ecosystem together.

It's Easter 2013. Christian/Pagan religious festival about rebirth, in the year of rebirth according to ancient Mayan prophecy, and at a time when our entire civilisation is dying and in need of being reborn. Maybe fungi can show us the way!

[/takes evangelical hat off]

Don't know if this image-link will work but let's try it.

Yup, big fan of Paul Stamets and Eugenio Gras et al.

Mycelium and microbes, big stuff!

Stamets is one of a kind, for sure.