The idea that the roots of neighboring trees can be connected by fungal filaments, forming massive underground networks that can span entire forests, similar to internet architecture.
When people speak of the wood-wide web, they are generally referring to the resulting system of interconnected tree roots called a common mycorrhizal network, or CMN. But there’s very little that scientists can say with certainty about how, and to what extent, trees interact via CMNs.
The idea of the wood wide web has inspired many narratives in books, TV, and other media, despite little or no experimental evidence to back up their claims.
When people speak of the wood-wide web, they are generally referring to the resulting system of interconnected tree roots called a common mycorrhizal network, or CMN. But there’s very little that scientists can say with certainty about how, and to what extent, trees interact via CMNs.
The idea of the wood wide web has inspired many narratives in books, TV, and other media, despite little or no experimental evidence to back up their claims.
The survival horror video game series The Last of Us uses the idea of a wood wide web to drive its narrative by featuring zombies that are controlled by a fungi host. It’s a compelling story, but many mycologists and scientists no longer believe in the scientific claims about fungal networks that inspired its zombie apocalypse.
by peepeecomposter November 4, 2023