The Wood-Wide Web's Impact on Plant Health in Arid Areas

Mycelial network, or the "Wood-Wide Web," plays a vital role in facilitating information exchange among plants. This network allows plants to share crucial information. In arid regions, like New Mexico, aridity significantly affects mycelial networks, affecting the efficiency of information transfer. We aim to investigate how these differences impact plant health and communication.

Our project seeks to understand the effects of the mycelial networks on plant health and communication in arid regions. Using NetLogo, we will model the spread of signals through mycelial networks in temperate forests, deserts, and natural prairies. Ultimately, we hope to determine whether the restoration of natural prairies can have a substantial positive effect on plant growth, conservation, and water use and retention.

Using NetLogo, we will simulate mycelial networks in temperate forests, deserts, and natural prairies. These models will replicate the propagation of signals among plants in each ecosystem. By triggering signals and measuring the signal spread within each ecosystem, we will compare the efficiency of communication between plants in different environments. Correlating simulation results with real-world data, we will assess the potential impact of returning the midwest and west to natural prairies on plant health, conservation, water resources, and climate change mitigation.
 

Our project aims to shed light on the importance of the Wood-Wide Web (mycelial networks) in different ecologies, particularly focusing on arid regions. By demonstrating the potential benefits of restoring natural prairies, we hope to contribute valuable insights into sustainable ecosystem management and the fight against climate change.