Key concepts
- Networks provide paths between locations.
- Transport and construction involve tradeoffs.
- Model outputs depend on network geometry.
The lesson
A fungal network contains connected routes along which material can move. Researchers can represent those routes mathematically and ask how geometry affects delivery.
A short route, low construction cost and multiple alternative paths are different objectives. A network efficient by one measure may perform differently by another. Such analysis does not establish that fungi deliberately choose a globally optimal design.
Further reading
A moment to apply it
Put it into practice
Draw two routes linking three nutrient patches. Compare total route length and the effect of removing one connection.
Keep in mind
State the metric before describing a network as efficient.
Educational material. Check the linked reading and distinguish general principles from evidence about a particular specimen or field site. Lessons do not establish edibility or causal effects on livestock performance.