Fungi: The Future of Climate Change?

Nicole Assante

HST 401

Professor John Horgan

1st May 2024

Fungi: The Future of Climate Change?

              Scattered on the forest floor, residing on decaying trees, connecting our forests, a quiet organism is at work: fungi. While inconspicuous in appearance, fungi are far more complex than meet the eye. Fungi can heal, decompose, and connect life.

              The kingdom fungi is home to nearly 144,000 species of mushrooms, yeasts, molds, smuts and more. All these species lack chlorophyll, the pigment necessary for photosynthesis. This characteristic makes them heterotrophic. Heterotrophs, like humans, source energy from external sources. Fungi are decomposers, meaning that they get their energy from breaking down organic material.

              But why is this important? The effects of global climate change have been felt worldwide and will only continue to be felt. In 2022, 36.8 Gt (gigatons) of CO2 were released into the atmosphere [4]. Since 1880, the global temperature has risen 1.1º C (1.9ºF)[12]. Annually, about 28 million hectares of the world’s forests are lost, that is the equivalent to one football field worth of forest every second[12]. About 460 million tons of plastic are produced each year. Of that, 75% ends up in landfills and 0.5% ends up in the world’s oceans[9]. Humans are relentlessly battering our planet. Scientists and researchers are developing new technologies to combat the effects of climate change. And amidst the war, a silent fighter is being trained, fungi.

              To mitigate the effects of climate change and clean up pollution, fungi have become a new focal point for researchers. Their ability to connect forests, decompose toxic materials, and break down polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs), deem them one of the futures of climate change remediation.

Mycorrhizal Networks

              When we walk through the forest, we are unaware of the underground highway beneath our feet. Many species of mushrooms are unique, as they connect forests through their root system. The root system of an individual mushroom is called its mycelium, which is composed of many filaments. This root system transports nutrients, water, and other necessities to the mushroom. When multiple root systems combine, connecting tree roots, shrub roots, and others, you get a mycorrhizal network.

              The mycorrhizal network is paramount in allowing trees to communicate with each other. In a study conducted by Suzanne Simard, a professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia, she found that trees send signals. Simard did this by using radioactive carbon to show the path of sugars along the mycorrhizal network. What she found was that when one tree was moved into the shade, making it more difficult to photosynthesize, the other tree gave it extra carbon[3].

              Fungi’s ability to create mycorrhizal networks make them a key player in the stability of forests. However, these delicate forest environments are quickly destroyed by deforestation. About 8.1 billion tons of CO2 are released annually through deforestation. Mycorrhizal networks, along with trees, act as great carbon sinks. According to the US Forest Service, a mature tree can absorb more than 48 pounds of CO2. Mycorrhizal networks are incredibly carbon sequesters (the ability to capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide)[11]. Some mycelia can store up to 70% more carbon in the soil[6]. They can also break down carbon into carbohydrates and soil nutrients, both of which can be used by other organisms.

The mycorrhizal networks act as the underground highway that runs our forests. Without this network, critical nutrients and signals cannot navigate through our forests. Therefore, forest health and conservation are critical to the fight against climate change. The fungi that hold our forests together cannot exist without a forest.

Mycoremediation

The world faces a huge issue with the various pollutants that are contaminating our soil, water, and air. While the root problem is not being addressed, researchers are looking to the oyster mushroom to help clean up. The oyster mushroom is a multifaceted organism with its delicious taste and its ability to fight the pollution problem. Oyster mushrooms can decompose petroleum, plastics, heavy metals, toxic ash, and much more.

Oyster mushrooms are great at mycoremediation (when fungi are used to clean up pollutants in the environment). Compared to conventional methods of pollution cleanup, such as dredging and using surface impoundments, using mushrooms is much less invasive. They can be easily implemented in already delicate environments. Mushrooms combat these contaminants through the secretion of enzymes. Oyster mushrooms secrete enzymes such as peroxidases, liginases, cellulases, and pectinases, all of which are paramount in the destruction of various types of pollutants[8]. Once they secrete these enzymes, they work to convert the contaminants into other forms, ones that can be used by other organisms. Alongside this, the contaminants get localized in the mycelium of the mushrooms, and thus cannot travel further into the environment.

Cleveland, Ohio is amid a housing crisis. There are enough homes, however, most of them are crumbling. Most of the homes are riddled with toxic building materials, such as shingles, drywall, and ­­­­­­­wood. In 2018, nearly 145 million tons of construction and demolition (C&D) debris was sent to landfills[10]. To keep this debris out of landfills, the company Redhouse has developed a new solution. They are using cultured “bio-binders”, which consist of bacteria, fungi, and plants, to remove the toxicity from construction waste[1]. They can use the once toxic construction waste to build new materials. Currently they are constructing “mycoblocks”, which have been shown to be significantly stronger than concrete.

Following the 2018 Sonoma County wildfires in California, nearly 250 square miles of land were covered in toxic ash. To stop the travel of toxic ash through the environment, which was contaminating creeks, soil, and drinking water, fire remediation experts looked to the oyster mushroom. Straw filled tubes, called wattles, served as the perfect substrate for the growth of the oyster mushroom. These experts placed 40 miles of wattles in areas prone to water travel and erosion. As the water ran through the wattles, the mushrooms localized the contaminants and helped break down the toxic ash. This prevented the toxic ash from travelling deeper into the environment.

 

PFAs Degradation

              Plastic pollution remains one of the most prevalent types of pollution that is endangering our future. Polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAs, were invented in the 1930s, and are currently used in many products. PFAs can be found in cleaning products, personal care products, water-resistant fabrics, nonstick cookware, and stain-resistant coatings. PFAs are long lasting chemicals because of their complicated chemical formula. These chemicals have been found in the blood of people and animals and even in food products. Currently, there is no solution to cleaning up PFAs in the environment.

              Texas A&M is leading the research in using fungi to degrade PFAs. Lead researcher, Susie Dai, is aiming to create a technology that can “efficiently bind to and break down PFAs”[7]. What her team has found is that the white rot fungus has shown promise in degrading PFAs, however, its ability to sustain growth and promoting PFAs degradation has been challenging.

              To promote growth, researchers have created a renewable substrate for the fungi to grow on. This substate is a combination of leaves, stalks, and cobs of corn left post harvest called lignocellulose. This substrate acts as a low-cost, efficient, and sustainable option for experimentation. The lignocellulose is part of a framework called Renewable Artificial Plant for In-Situ Microbial Environmental Remediation, or RAPIMER. Lignocellulose is chemically modified so that it can efficiently absorb PFAs (molecules, ions, or atoms sticking to the surface). Then the RAPIMER absorbs the PFAs and creates a substrate for fungi growth. As time goes on, the fungi not only degrade PFAs but the RAPIMER itself.

              Researchers argue that the RAPIMER lowers the environmental impacts, as compared to conventional methods. It is beneficial because it is derived from renewable and abundant sources and does not result in air pollution emissions or toxicity.

Limitations

              If mushrooms have proved to be an alternative to address climate change, why aren’t they more commonly used? Mycoremediation is a lengthy process. A process can take anywhere from a week to years. Alongside this, it is not as simple as introducing a new species to an environment. This process could result in an invasive species and thus competition. This is incredibly important when dealing with chemically modified species.

              While the future of climate change is unknown, there is an apparent direction of where we are heading. New technologies and research are being developed and explored every day. But it is important to listen to what the Earth has already given us. The future is fungi, but still has a long way to go.

 

 

Works Cited

[1] “Biocycler.” Redhouse, www.redhousearchitecture.org/biocycler. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

[2] “Earth’s Forests Are Being Cut down. And They Are Being Cut down Fast.” The World Counts, www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/forests-and-deserts/rate-of-deforestation. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

[3] “Home.” Suzanne Simard, Author and Professor of Forest Ecology, 13 Dec. 2022, suzannesimard.com/.

[4] Iea. “CO2 Emissions in 2022 – Analysis.” IEA 50, Mar. 2023, www.iea.org/reports/co2-emissions-in-2022.

[5] “Mycelium Matters: How Mushrooms Can Address Climate Change.” BBC News, BBC, www.bbc.com/storyworks/climate-academy/mycelium-matters. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

[6] “Mycelium Matters: How Mushrooms Can Address Climate Change.” BBC News, BBC, www.bbc.com/storyworks/climate-academy/mycelium-matters. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

[7] “Plant-Based Material Can Remediate PFAS, New Research Suggests (Environmental Factor, September 2022).” National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, factor.niehs.nih.gov/2022/9/science-highlights/pfas-remediation. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

[8] Real Mushrooms. “Mycoremediation: 8 Ways That Mushrooms Destroy Pollution.” Real Mushrooms, 26 Apr. 2024, www.realmushrooms.com/mycoremediation-mushrooms-pollution/.

[9] Ritchie, Hannah, et al. “Plastic Pollution.” Our World in Data, 28 Dec. 2023, ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution?insight=plastic-production-has-more-than-doubled-in-the-last-two-decades#key-insights.

[10] “Sustainable Management of Construction and Demolition Materials.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, Jan. 2024, www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-management-construction-and-demolition-materials#:~:text=Just%20over%20455%20million%20tons,tons%20were%20sent%20to%20landfills.

[11] “What Is Carbon Sequestration?” What Is Carbon Sequestration? | U.S. Geological Survey, www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-carbon-sequestration. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

[12] “World of Change: Global Temperatures.” NASA, NASA, earthobservatory.nasa.gov/world-of-change/global-temperatures. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

 

  

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