Although the mushroom season is slowly coming to an end, going for a walk in the woods can still be a pleasant surprise. Every year, more or less experienced mushroom pickers are happy to boast about their harvest and their exceptional specimens. However, the cultural and food-related functions we ascribe to mushrooms are only a substitute for the tasks they perform in nature.

Can mushrooms be even more environmentally friendly?

It turns out that yes! Scientists from different parts of the planet have already come up with many new, interesting and possibly revolutionary uses for fungi. One particular one is the mycelium - the mushroom body in the form of filamentous filaments invisible to the human eye. Here are some examples of unusual applications:

• Mushroom surfboards - The mycelium is used as the filling of a 3D printed mould. Such surfboards are fully compostable and can help regenerate corals, reducing plastic pollution in waters from surfboards.
• Skin substitute - An alternative to animal leather is, among others, a material called Mylo. This material is made from recycled mycelium and has already been adopted by companies such as Adidas.
• Packaging material - Mycelium is used to produce alternatives to polystyrene foam and polyurethane foam. MycoComposite material is used as a binder of wood shavings or straw for the production of rigid packaging. MycoFlex is a flexible foam made in 100% from mycelium. Packaging material using these technologies is used by IKEA and Dell, among others.
• Mushroom brick - an organic building material, formed from organic waste and mycelium. Although less durable than traditional brick, it is used in the construction of building facades, among other things.
• Application in electronics - The mycelium can be used as a building material for electronic devices, as a sensor that responds to environmental stimuli, and also as an eco-friendly battery. The latter is based on the use of nanofibres from mushroom cell walls in batteries, as a replacement for the graphite electrodes in today's batteries.

Not just innovation - what role do fungi play in nature?

Fungi are responsible for a number of processes in the natural environment. They contribute to the balance within it. Fungi, which live on dead plant and animal remains, decompose organic matter. This means that they prevent excessive accumulation of dead nature and thus fertilise the soil. Fungi also cooperate with other organisms, e.g. they live in symbiosis with algae. They also interact with other plants by exchanging nutrients via their roots. We call this mycorrhiza.

Fungi are readily eaten not only by humans, but also by forest animals. Interestingly, they carry out selection in the plant world, attacking and removing diseased trees, while 'leaving' the healthy ones.

Fungi also perform less desirable functions in nature. They sometimes cause plants to rot. They also attack crops, thereby reducing yields. They can also live at the expense of other organisms, i.e. be parasites.

Admittedly, we still have a long way to go before we can boast, for example, of having built a house entirely using mushrooms, but it is possible that we will watch the mushroom technological revolution with a delight comparable to that we feel after finding the perfect boletus or cep.