Mycorrhizal Networks
Underground fungal networks connecting plant roots, enabling resource and information transfer between plants, including across species.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 8 chapters:
"...articles, infiltrating root cells, dissolving rock with acid secretions. This underground network - fungal mycelium - connects to tree roots, forming mycorrhizal networks (literally "fungus-root" partnerships). The fungus extends the tree's effective root system by 1000x, accessing water and nutrients the tree can't re..."
"Trees provide sugars (which fungi cannot photosynthesize on their own). Both partners benefit. These mycorrhizal networks, nicknamed the "wood wide web," connect multiple trees simultaneously. A single fungal network can link dozens of trees from different species, shari..."
"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."
"...ource-sharing network. Suzanne Simard's research in British Columbia showed evidence of Douglas fir and birch trees exchanging carbon through shared mycorrhizal networks. While the extent of resource transfer between healthy adult trees remains debated in forest ecology, the evidence is robust for nutrient sharing fro..."
"Book 5, Chapter 8: Mycorrhizal Networks - The Wood Wide Web Part 1: Theory - The Internet Beneath Our Feet In a Douglas fir forest in British Columbia, ecologist Suzanne Simard injecte..."
And 3 more chapters...
Biological Context
The 'wood-wide web': fungal threads connect most forest trees, transferring carbon, nutrients, and even chemical signals. Mother trees support seedlings. Dying trees transfer resources to neighbors. These networks make forests function as interconnected systems.
Business Application
Business networks that connect otherwise-separate organizations, enabling resource sharing, information transfer, and mutual support. Industry associations, alumni networks, and platform ecosystems function similarly.