Trees and fungus help each other in mutual aid networks, engaging in mutually beneficial trade

Through networks of fungus, trees help each other, and trees and fungus help each other, explains Popular Science:

Mycelium are thread-like fungal networks that run through the soil, connecting entire forests in what scientists call the “wood wide web.” And they’re a fantastic example of mutual aid in the wild.

Trees use these networks to share carbon, nitrogen, and water. Established trees funnel sugars to struggling seedlings in the shade. Older trees direct more resources to their own kin and neighbors in need. Dying trees dump their remaining resources into the network as a last act of generosity.

To make things even more radical, the mycelium that facilitate this mutual aid network don’t steal resources from plants; they trade. They say “You give me sugar, I’ll give you minerals and water.” It’s a genuine exchange economy built on reciprocity, not extraction.

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