So I'm obsessed with fungus.

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That's really neat; I didn't know fungus could absorb environmental toxins like that, or symbiotically aid plants in that way.

It's really cool to know that for all of our "advanced", modern technology and supposed knowledge, nature has its own way of getting along without, and sometimes in spite of us.

There's a fungus among us!

and I live near the oil pipeline that just burst in Arkansas.

I was just blathering about my special interest to a friend on facebook - about how fungus can break down petroleum-based chemicals (and petroleum itself) because it evolved to break down the dead plant matter from which petrochemicals ultimately derive. this stuff literally eats diesel, industrial pesticide, fertilizers, and nerve gas. furthermore, because it is ultimately to the benefit of the fungus if it has a healthy forest ecosystem, not only does it intersect with plant root networks, but it can tell which plants are undernourished and will channel nutrients to young and weak plants to help them grow and survive. the other side of this adaptation is that it also will grow through soil contaminated with toxic heavy metals and even radioactive waste and draw all of these toxins into its fruiting bodies (the mushrooms we see above ground) where it can be easily removed from the environment. it effectively filters the soil (or water, if put in straw-bales submerged in streams) and promotes insect and plant activity.

so my facebook friend turns out to be visiting the oil spill site next week, and he is going to pitch the information I gave him about my special interest to the contractors in charge of cleaning it up! there's a chance they will chose to use mycoremediation to help clean up the spill! I'm fangirling over fungus right now, haha, this is really cool!