Resource Exchange in Plant and Fungi Systems

In the late 1990s, at just 19, Toby Kiers ingeniously found her way into the prestigious tropical research institute owned by the Smithsonian on Barro Colorado Island, nestled in Panama's Canal. The scientists there were engrossed in studying local wildlife, including various bat species and monkeys equipped with tracking devices to observe their behaviors, as well as the forest's imposing canopy.

Amid this exciting atmosphere, Kiers discovered mycorrhizal fungi, which had intricate relationships with tropical trees, developing vast networks underground. Although microscopic, if the mycorrhizae from a single hectare were lined up, they'd stretch as lengthy as multiple Amazon Rivers.

"It was like exploring a brand-new world back then," Kiers notes, "because it was invisible to the naked eye."

This discovery became Kiers' lifelong passion as she pursued a Ph.D. and dove into evolutionary biology. These fungi were spotted infiltrating nearby plant roots. While some scientists believed them to be parasitic, ongoing research revealed that they were actually engaging in a barter system—trading phosphorus and nitrogen for sugars and fats produced by the plants through photosynthesis.

Natural Trading Markets

Research over recent decades has led scientists to acknowledge plant intelligence. Plants actively communicate and warn each other about threats, deploying defenses such as unpleasant chemicals when animals feed on them.

An estimated 70 to 90 percent of plants participate in symbiotic trade, like that between mycorrhizae and plants. Many experts perceive these interactions as a form of cooperation. In 2016, ecologist Suzanne Simard famously likened forests to complex, sharing societies.

Kiers, however, entertains the notion that what many view as mutual sharing might actually miss the competitive edge present in these interactions. With such evolutionary prowess, why wouldn’t these organisms try to outsmart each other, extracting resources without returning the favor?

Ancient Free Trade

Drawing inspiration from economic studies in primates, Kiers explored if similar economic concepts could aid understanding fungi and plant interactions. Unlike primates, fungi and plants can't formalize contracts. Instead, trade is oriented around choosing worthwhile partners.

To witness this phenomenon, Kiers utilized experimental methods, tagging resources with brilliantly colored nanoparticles to track exchanges between plants and fungi. Her innovative experiments illuminated how plants and fungi manage resource sharing by responding to supply and demand dynamics without a central nervous system.

Beyond Brain-driven Economies

Kiers’ research invites a reflection on decentralization in economies—observing fungi suggests that a non-hierarchical approach could outperform centralized models. In her view, this could even inform artificial intelligence advancements, with technology firms showing keen interest in these natural intelligence systems.

Reflecting more broadly on human economies, Kiers finds parallels in our basic economic behaviors. Just like fungi, humans naturally respond to changes in cost and availability, influencing global resource distribution through countless individual decisions.

Ultimately, the research provides not only a new perspective on biological networks but also delivers insights that could drive more resilient designs in human infrastructure and resource systems.