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Updated: Jul 18, 2025

Microscopy Techniques for Interpreting Fungal Colonization in Mycoheterotrophic Plants Tissues and Symbiotic Germination of Seeds
Published on: May 17, 2022
No ultrasounds detected from fungi when dehydrated
Neil Phillips1, Samuel W Remedios2, Anna Nikolaidou1
1Unconventional Computing Laboratory, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.
Abstract:
Many organisms (including certain plant species) can be observed to emit sounds, potentially signifying threat alerts. Sensitivity to such sounds and vibrations may also play an important role in the lives of fungi. In this work, we explore the potential of ultrasound activity in dehydrating fungi, and discover that several species of fungi do not emit sounds (detectable with conventional instrumentation) in the frequency range of 10kHz to 210kHz upon dehydration. Over 5 terabytes of ultrasound recordings were collected and analysed. We conjecture that fungi interact via non-sound means, such as electrical or chemical.
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Fungal Group Zygomycota
Fungal Phylum Microsporidia

