Merlin Sheldrake explores coastal Oregon forest fungi | Superabundant

Merlin Sheldrake, biologist and author of “Entangled Life,” loves getting down to ground level, to see the world from the mushroom’s perspective. “Soils are deep and complex places. Like when I walk around on the soil, I like to think of it like I'm walking on the surface of an ocean of land and that that ocean of land stretches down deep, deep underground and is full of life,” he says. Walking the coastal forests of Camp Westwind in Otis, Oregon, with Superabundant newsletter writer and fellow biologist Heather Arndt Anderson, Sheldrake pointed out the hidden communication networks that permeate northwest forests. “These coniferous forests we see here in Oregon, those have particular types of fungal relationship and bacterial relationships… and they in turn shape the soil that they grow in and the fungus shape the conditions of the plant so it's a kind of feedback system,” says Sheldrake. “We live in a communicating world, some of that communication is visible and apparent to us, and most of it passes under our feet and over our heads.” Sheldrake and Anderson visited the coast as part of the 2024 Oregon Truffle Festival. Chapters: 00:00 Walking on the surface of an ocean of land 00:20 Oregon coniferous forests have fungal and bacterial relationships 00:40 The visible part of a vast and complex system 01:05 Getting down to the ground level with mushrooms 01:22 Plants, animals and fungi all have different relationships with food 02:00 Time-lapse of mushrooms growing 02:15 How fungi digest lignin in wood 02:45 The life of decomposing tree 03:15 Credits “Superabundant” is a show about the connections between food, science and people. At the heart of everything foodie are the ingredients themselves — and nowhere in America is the obsession over ingredients more than in the Pacific Northwest. These are the stories behind the foods you love. Learn more https://www.opb.org/show/superabundant/ and https://watch.opb.org/show/superabund... For more stories like this, visit OPB online at https://opb.org --- Oregon Public Broadcasting aims to elevate and amplify the community, connect Oregon and its neighbors, and illuminate a wider world through stories. OPB Every Day. OPB Everywhere. One way to support OPB and the work of public media is to subscribe to our channel for new OPB videos every month: https://www.youtube.com/opb?sub_confi... Member support makes all the videos on the OPB YouTube channel possible, and everything else you love. Ensure the next important story is covered and join in as a Sustainer now at https://give.opb.org/opb/?s=OAMEGNS22... #fungus #superabundant #fungi #mushrooms #MerlinSheldrake #Mycology #WildMushrooms #OregonCoast #OPB #Oregon #PacificNorthWest #northcoastfoodtrail