On resistive spiking of fungi

TL;DR

This study investigates the long-term electrical resistance fluctuations in oyster fungi, revealing characteristic spike patterns that could inform biological monitoring and the development of bio-electronic devices.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed characterization of resistance spike dynamics in fungi, highlighting potential applications in biosensing and bioelectronics.

Findings

Identification of two distinct spike train types in fruit bodies.

Quantitative measurements of spike width, amplitude, and frequency.

Potential use of resistance patterns for fungi health monitoring.

Abstract

We study long-term electrical resistance dynamics in mycelium and fruit bodies of oyster fungi P. ostreatus. A nearly homogeneous sheet of mycelium on the surface of a growth substrate exhibits trains of resistance spikes. The average width of spikes is c.~23~min and the average amplitude is c.~1~kOhm. The distance between neighbouring spikes in a train of spikes is c.~30~min. Typically there are 4-6 spikes in a train of spikes. Two types of resistance spikes trains are found in fruit bodies: low frequency and high amplitude (28~min spike width, 1.6~kOhm amplitude, 57~min distance between spikes) and high frequency and low amplitude (10~min width, 0.6~kOhm amplitude, 44~min distance between spikes). The findings could be applied in monitoring of physiological states of fungi and future development of living electronic devices and sensors.