Mycorrhizal Network
Underground fungal networks that connect the roots of multiple plants, enabling transfer of nutrients, water, and chemical signals between trees. Sometimes called the 'wood wide web.'
Used in the Books
This term appears in 8 chapters:
"The forest has a nervous system. The trees talk through fungal telephone wires. [Research in progress: Suzanne Simard's work on "wood wide web," mycorrhizal network evidence] Biologists call this the "wood wide web" - a resource-sharing network that increases forest resilience."
"Remove AWS - like removing earthworms from soil - and vast portions of the internet don't just slow down. They suffocate. Visa is the mycorrhizal network of commerce. It doesn't make products or sell goods. It connects merchants, banks, and consumers through payment rails, trading authorization signals..."
"But plants also move resources horizontally - between different plants, even different species. Mycorrhizal networks ("Wood Wide Web", term coined by Suzanne Simard): Pull up a handful of forest soil. Really look at it."
"...al Foundation (Microbial Ecosystem) The unseen support system. Trust, values alignment, decision-making norms, communication patterns. This is the mycorrhizal network - invisible but critical. Minimum: Culture is reactive (we do things because we always have) Healthy**: Culture is explicit (we know why we do..."
"The trees weren't touching. The carbon traveled underground through a network of fungal threads connecting their root systems - a mycorrhizal network. This discovery shattered the paradigm that trees are solitary competitors. Forests are collaborative networks where individuals share resources (ca..."
And 3 more chapters...
Biological Context
Mycorrhizal fungi colonize plant roots, extending their reach into soil. Networks can connect dozens of trees across species. Mature trees can subsidize seedlings through the network. Dying trees may transfer resources to neighbors. These networks create forest-level cooperation.
Business Application
Business networks that enable resource sharing between participants: industry associations, supply chain networks, and platform ecosystems. Like mycorrhizal networks, these can support new entrants and enable collective resilience.