Greenwood, V. (2023, January 18). The toxin that helps oyster mushrooms devour worm flesh. The New York Times. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/18/science/oyster-mushrooms-carnivorous-toxins.html?searchResultPosition=1
Many species of organisms develop ways to survive, but the innocent-looking oyster mushroom has coined an adaptation that is quite sinister. The oyster mushroom is a carnivore.
Carnivorous plants are not unheard of, the most well known being the Venus flytrap. But unlike the Venus flytrap, the oyster mushroom uses a toxin to kill its prey.
The mushroom’s diet of damp logs lacks nitrogen, so the mushroom finds its source in microscopic nematodes, a kind of worm. When the worm touches the mushroom, they become paralyzed and their cells begin to fall apart. Once the toxin reaches the worm’s muscle cells and neurons, it disrupts the natural flow of ions through the membrane causing the worm to succumb. Nematode worms have a reputation for destroying the roots of crops, and scientists soon began to research the toxin as a method of pest control. Researchers finally found the toxin that caused the gruesome worm deaths, a molecule called 3-octanone. Unfortunately, the substance is volatile, meaning it easily evaporates and blows away in the air as soon as it is released. This would make it ineffective as a method of natural pest control because it would blow away. Furthermore, the oyster mushroom only makes the toxin when it lacks nitrogen, so it would not be creating the toxin alongside nitrogen-rich fertilizer. But scientists believe that understanding the oyster mushroom and what triggers their use for toxin could create new pathways in pest control.
I think this concept shows a lot of promise. While the toxin cannot currently be used as an alternative to pesticides, I think more research can prove crucial to phasing out chemical pesticides. If the mushrooms could be engineered to arm themselves with the toxin even in a nutrient-rich environment such as a field, the oyster mushroom could gain another use other than human consumption. Overall, I think this is a great concept and if researchers are able to apply our knowledge of the toxin it will pave the way for sustainable pest management in agriculture.
This is really cool. After what we learned about bioaccumulation in class, I think finding alternatives to synthetic fertilizers that are less likely to magnify up the food chain is important to improving sustainable farming. I also wonder if we could use this to build less carbon intensive fertilizers like the oyster mushroom does, since most synthetic fertilizers are made from fossil fuels.
Thanks for reading! That’s a really great point about fertilizer, I hadn’t thought of that. I’ll have to do more research on if that’s possible.
I always think it is interesting when the most effective solution to a modern problem is provided by nature. Is the ultimate goal of this research just a sustainable pesticide, or is there hope that it could be more effective than the current pesticides we use?