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Fungi anaesthesia

Andrew Adamatzky1, Antoni Gandia2

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

Scientific Reports
|January 11, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Electrical activity in oyster fungus (Pleurotus ostreatus) was significantly altered by chloroform. Chloroform exposure reduced electrical waves and spiking, which gradually recovered upon removal, indicating its impact on fungal electrophysiology.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Electrophysiology
  • Fungal Biology

Background:

  • Fungal mycelia exhibit complex electrical activity, including baseline potential drifts and action potential-like spikes.
  • Understanding the factors influencing fungal electrical signaling is crucial for various applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of chloroform vapor on the electrical activity of Pleurotus ostreatus mycelia.
  • To characterize the changes in baseline potential waves and spiking activity upon exposure and removal of chloroform.

Main Methods:

  • Monitoring the electrical potential of Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium.
  • Exposing the myceliated substrate to chloroform vapor.
  • Observing changes in electrical activity parameters like wave duration, frequency, and amplitude.
  • Assessing the reversibility of these changes after chloroform removal.

Main Results:

  • Chloroform exposure led to a significant decrease in the amplitude of baseline potential waves and an increase in their duration.
  • Spiking activity was either completely abolished or showed a substantial reduction in frequency following chloroform exposure.
  • Upon removal of chloroform, the electrical activity of the mycelium gradually returned to its original state.

Conclusions:

  • Chloroform vapor profoundly impacts the electrical activity of Pleurotus ostreatus mycelia, affecting both slow baseline drifts and fast spiking.
  • The observed changes are reversible, suggesting that chloroform interferes with the mechanisms underlying fungal electrophysiological processes.

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