Logistics of Wood Decay Fungal Mycelia Adjusted to Resource Distribution

Abstract

The present study investigates the behavior of mycelial network of Phanerochaete velutina, a cord-forming wood decay fungus, with a focus on the distribution of multiple wood resources. The experiments involved placing well-colonized wood blocks in two spatial arrangements (CIRCLE and CROSS) on a soil plate and comparing the development of the mycelial network and wood decay over a period of 116 days. In the CIRCLE arrangement, the degrees (number of connected cords) of the blocks ranged from 0­ to 8, with no significant differences observed across locations. In the CROSS arrangement, the outer blocks exhibited greater degrees than the inner blocks. The weight loss of the wood block was positively associated with degrees and was significantly smaller in the CROSS arrangement compared to the CIRCLE arrangement. The findings of this study suggest that fungal mycelium can distinguish the distribution of multiple resources and adjust their logistic systems in a flexible manner.

Keywords: mycelial behavior, network topology, recognition, wood decomposition