Half-Life Matters: Modeling Chemical Persistence in and Around Fungal Hyphae
Start Date
April 2026
Location
3rd floor - Library
Abstract
Mycorrhizal fungal networks form between the roots of plants, allowing for a connection between them. MATLAB code was used to simulate the growth of these networks and keep track of the chemical being transported, providing a virtual model of the singular fungal network connecting the roots of two different plants in the same soil. This highlights if the fungal network is actively transporting the chemical introduced to the system, or if transportation of the chemical occurs inactively. The chemical looked at was considered internal when it was inside the hyphae and external when it was in the surrounding environment. Differing half-life values for the chemical were incorporated into the code for each environment: air, water, roots, and hyphae. By varying the half-life, differences in the internal chemical amount in the hyphae could be tracked. This analysis allowed for differentiation between the environments and a more realistic model to be presented.
Half-Life Matters: Modeling Chemical Persistence in and Around Fungal Hyphae
3rd floor - Library
Mycorrhizal fungal networks form between the roots of plants, allowing for a connection between them. MATLAB code was used to simulate the growth of these networks and keep track of the chemical being transported, providing a virtual model of the singular fungal network connecting the roots of two different plants in the same soil. This highlights if the fungal network is actively transporting the chemical introduced to the system, or if transportation of the chemical occurs inactively. The chemical looked at was considered internal when it was inside the hyphae and external when it was in the surrounding environment. Differing half-life values for the chemical were incorporated into the code for each environment: air, water, roots, and hyphae. By varying the half-life, differences in the internal chemical amount in the hyphae could be tracked. This analysis allowed for differentiation between the environments and a more realistic model to be presented.
