Invisible “fungal” networks between animate organisms, including humans, perform similar functions

Invisible fungal networks are not limited to plants—they also interact with animals and humans, though in different ways compared to underground plant mycorrhizal networks. Here’s how these inter-kingdom networks function and what parallels exist:

Fungi-Animal-Human Interactions

• Nutrition and Spore Dispersal: Many mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates consume fungi (mycophagy). This feeding behavior is ecologically significant: animals help disperse fungal spores throughout ecosystems, supporting both fungal and plant life cycles. The spores can remain viable even after passing through animal digestive tracts, enhancing fungal colonization and biodiversity.^[1]
• Microbiome Symbiosis: Humans host a diverse community of fungi as part of their microbiome. Fungal species such as Candida albicans can exist in mutualistic, commensal, or parasitic relationships within our bodies. These invisible networks impact health, immunity, disease resistance, and even nutrient cycling and absorption.^[2][3]
• Communication and Coordination: Fungi have evolved sophisticated signal systems for intercellular and interspecies communication. These include quorum sensing and chemical signaling akin to bacterial communication, influencing interactions with other microbes, plants, and sometimes animals.^[4][5]

Parallels with Plant Mycorrhizal Networks

• Mutual Benefit: Just as mycorrhizal networks connect plants for resource sharing, the relationship between humans/animals and fungi often results in mutual benefit—nutritional support for animals and spore dispersal or habitat expansion for fungi.^[1][2]
• Ecological Impact: Fungi interacting with humans/animals affect large-scale ecosystem processes, including soil formation, nutrient cycling, and health of both fungi and animal populations. These connections help maintain ecosystem resilience and evolutionary stability.^[4]
• Underappreciated Networks: The scope and complexity of fungal networks among animate organisms are only now being fully studied. These invisible biochemical networks influence both health and ecosystem function—much like the “wood wide web” in forests, though less direct and more diffuse.^[2][4]

Human Health and Disease

• Medical Relevance: Human–fungi networks are pivotal for health but can switch rapidly between beneficial and harmful (commensal to parasitic), depending on host and environmental conditions. Understanding these interactions is crucial for managing fungal diseases and appreciating beneficial symbionts.^[3][2]

Summary

While direct fungal network “connections” like those seen in plant roots do not exist between animals and humans, invisible molecular and ecological networks link fungi, plants, and animals in complex webs of symbiosis, nutrient cycling, communication, and health effects. These connections are ecologically and medically significant, showing similar multi-directional functions and resilience roles across kingdoms.^{[5][3][1][2][4]}

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• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9402283/   
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5733695/     
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369527416301813   
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3083953/    
• https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2024.1427798/full