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On spiking behaviour of oyster fungi Pleurotus djamor

Andrew Adamatzky1

  • 1Unconventional Computing Lab, CSCT, UWE, Bristol, UK. andrew.adamatzky@uwe.ac.uk.

Scientific Reports
|May 20, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Oyster fungi, Pleurotus djamor, generate electrical action potentials. These fungi exhibit distinct high and low-frequency spiking patterns and respond to thermal stimuli.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Electrophysiology
  • Fungal Biology

Background:

  • Fungal electrical activity is poorly understood.
  • Oyster fungi (Pleurotus djamor) are widely studied for their ecological and economic importance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the electrical potential of oyster fungi fruit bodies.
  • To characterize the nature and patterns of fungal electrical activity.
  • To determine the response of fungi to thermal stimulation.

Main Methods:

  • Recording extra-cellular electrical potential from Pleurotus djamor fruit bodies.
  • Analyzing spike trains and identifying different frequency modes.
  • Applying controlled thermal stimulation (open flame) and observing electrical responses.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that Pleurotus djamor generates action potential-like electrical impulses.
  • Identified two distinct spiking frequencies: high (2.6 min period) and low (14 min period).
  • Observed that non-stimulated fungi in a cluster responded to thermal stimuli faster than stimulated ones.

Conclusions:

  • Fungal fruit bodies exhibit complex electrical signaling.
  • Distinct electrical activity patterns suggest sophisticated internal processes.
  • Fungi demonstrate rapid electrophysiological responses to external stimuli like heat.

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