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Mushrooms make it rain by releasing spores into the atmosphere. These spores act as particulates that support water condensation, which in turn forms clouds.
The kingdom ‘Fungi’ is a group of enigmatic organisms. They can’t be classified into mainstream species of plants or animals, but have somehow still managed to exist for more than 700 million years on Earth. Due to their ambivalent position between the Plant and Animal kingdoms, most species of Fungi remain a mystery to the scientific community. In fact, the largest living organism in the world is a fungus! This humongous fungus located in Oregon, USA occupies almost 2,400 acres (965 hectares) of soil, covering an area as large as 1500 football fields.
A single mushroom can “catapult” up to 30,000 spores per second at speeds of up to 4mph. They need such high speeds to disperse the spores across the maximum distance possible. Mushrooms don’t just use the technique of forceful ejection to get the job done, but can also alter the moisture of the air around them. They are then able to whip up winds that blow away their spores and help them disperse. It’s been estimated that mushrooms release 50 million tons of spores into the atmosphere every year.
This is especially interesting because we can now observe the complete circle between the responsibilities and the necessities of fungi. Most fungi are adapted to grow in humid and damp areas. The fact that they are highly responsible for rain in such areas just goes to show how well nature works when left alone.
Rainmaking fungi sounds like good news for the climate, but it’s not the full story of fungi’s effect on climate. Saprotrophic fungi decompose a variety of carbon sources, including petroleum, leaf litter, wood, and food products. This process converts carbon into carbon dioxide, which in turn fuels the effect of Global Warming. Therefore, the farming of fungi to induce rain in drought-stricken areas is not recommended by scientists.
Whatever the case, it’s clear that fungal spores are doing a lot more than we currently give them credit for. Next time you order pizza with mushroom just make sure that you’re indoors. Just kidding, get an umbrella…
