Understanding how biotic interactions affect fungal behaviour

We know that fungi possess the ability to sense their environment through all of the major tropisms, but only recently have we developed the tools to confine and study how single hyphae respond to different biotic interactions as well as chemical and sonic stimuli in their immediate environment.

I want to apply the theoretical framework of behavioural ecology to fungi and study how hyphal behaviours are affected by microbial interactions and sensory stimuli.

Through a series of manipulative experiments in microfluidic chips, I will expose fungal mycelia to interactions with competing fungi, collembolan (notorious grazers of fungal hyphae) or plant roots in one end of the mycelium, while observing how these interactions affect foraging decisions, induction of defences and other behavioural responses of the hyphae both locally and in the wider mycelium.

I also plan to explore whether the fungi behave similarly if they are only exposed only to the chemical signals of the interacting organisms (exudates and pheromones), and if certain behaviours can be triggered in an anticipatory manner.

Understanding how fungi sense their environment and how their behaviours are affected by different sensory stimuli is important.

It could be key for developing new tools to manipulate fungi to grow where we want them to grow, halt their growth or prevent and/or stimulate reproduction in order to battle fungal pathogens and better understand ecosystem processes.