How Mushrooms Can Help Save the Sound
When you boil it down, the work we do here at People For Puget Sound is really about answering one very simple, yet incredibly complex question: How can 4 and soon-to-be 5 million people live on the shores of one of the greatest estuaries in the world, while maintaining the Puget Sound we love- a healthy ecosystem, habitat to Salmon, Cedar, and Orca, rich in natural beauty and with a thriving community of engaged and aware humans.
Recently, I have been inspired that we have found a part of the solution- in the web of mushroom mycelium that runs through soil and rotted log, and can be found just about anywhere in Puget Sound with dirt and green growing things. Mycelium are akin to the roots of plants, growing into a network of fine thread-like tendrils that penetrate the soil or wood substrate the mushroom prefers. One cubic inch of soil can contain over 8 miles of mycelium, creating a vast and diverse ecosystem made up of a multitude of species of fungi and their associated microorganisms.
Over the last decade or so, researchers have explored the amazing capabilities of fungi to contribute to restoration in two key ways- by processing and eliminating contaminants and by improving soil quality and thus plant survivability. People For Puget Sound is applying this innovative science at restoration sites around the Sound in a couple of ways:
- Mycoremediation of contaminants such as fecal coliforms and petroleum products using material inoculated, or seeded, with native mushroom species to either filter out toxins (i.e., mycofiltration) or break them down into harmless byproducts. Essentially, the mushrooms “eat” the toxin, or alter it so it is no longer dangerous. We are applying mycoremediation at our Cayou Lagoon site on Orcas Island. For more information, see our mycoremediation page.
- Mycorestoration to improve soil quality at restoration sites via the use of mycorrhizal mushrooms that form associations with the roots of plants, resulting in a beneficial nutrient exchange and greater plant survivability. Native plants are treated with mushroom “spawn”, made up of native varieties that are known to form mycorrhizal bonds. In our case, the native trees and shrubs were inoculated with a root dip before planting. We are using mycorestoration to improve plant survival at Union Slough near Everett, Terminal 105 along the Duwamish, and Maury Island Marine Park. Want to know more? Check out the mycorestoration information on our Echo-Tech page.
The key to this exciting and experimental technology is the ecology of the mushrooms themselves. Fungi are decomposers. Threadlike mycelium, the underground bodies of the mushrooms we see emerging from tree trunks or the forest floor, secrete enzymes that break down cellulose and lignin. These complex molecules are the building blocks of plant tissue. Made up of long chains of carbon and hydrogen, they are similar in composition to many organic pollutants such as pesticides, industrial chemicals, and petroleum products- substances that humans produce and release into the environment. The challenge is to identify the appropriate mushroom species to remediate for a given toxin- once you get this right, the results can be amazing. In one field trial, Oyster mushrooms were found to remove 95% of the PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) from soil heavily contaminated with diesel fuel. In addition, a pilot project near the Dungeness River found that mycoremediation was significantly more effective at removing fecal coliforms and ammonia than rain gardens alone.
The potential of these technologies to provide solutions to some of the most widespread and problematic inputs of pollutants to Puget Sound is inspiring. Mycoremediation can address a wide array of contaminants- from fecal coliform bacteria like E. coli, to complex man-made chemicals including pesticides and industrial pollutants such as dioxin, to petroleum products and more. Mycologist Paul Stamets from Olympia-based Fungi Perfecti, who pioneered many of the mycoremediation techniques we are applying in the field, captures this potential perfectly in his inspiring and informative book Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World. “Our fungal friends equip us with tools to act responsibly and repair our shared environment, leading the way to habitat recovery.”
This is fascinating and exciting science, and People For Puget Sound is working hard to bring this research out of the lab and into the field. Our partners and colleagues around the region and the country are eagerly watching and waiting for the data that will come from the experimental mycoremediation and mycorestoration projects at our restoration sites. Data that will hopefully document the incredible potential of the mushroom kingdom to provide the tools we need to harness ecology to heal the ecosystem.
Author Rachel Benbrook is a Restoration Ecologist for People for Puget Sound.
