How do fungal networks communicate and share information?

The answer

In 2022, computer scientist Andrew Adamatzky at the University of the West of England analyzed electrical signals in four fungal species and found they generated structured impulses in clusters of up to 50 distinct signal types - patterns he compared to a vocabulary of words. The signals, measured via microelectrodes inserted into mycelial networks, showed mathematical distributions similar to human language. Fungi use these electrical impulses to communicate about food sources, environmental threats, and damage. When one part of a mycelial network encounters nutrients, electrical signals propagate through the network at speeds of up to 0.5 millimeters per second. The ghost fungus (Omphalotus nidiformis) even generates bioluminescent signals at night, potentially attracting spore-dispersing insects.