Fungal Arbitrage

PREMISES:

1.) A Single Mycelial network spans differential concentrations of phosphorus in soils.

2.) The same network connects to multiple plants.

3.) Plants in areas of low concentrations of phosphorus pay a higher carbon price to receive phosphorus.

4.) Plants in high concentrations of phosphorus pay a lower carbon price.

Mycelium, as it turns out, is quite good at figuring out the free market. Using energy consuming "active transport" via motor proteins that travel along microtubules in the mycelial network, phosphorus from phosphorus-rich areas are transported to plants living in phosphorus-poor areas. The mycelium then sells that phosphorus at the higher price to the plants that were already paying a higher price.

Even fungus knows which way the wind is blowing and adjusts it's trading strategy accordingly. It would seem that the energy used in transporting the goods is more than made up for by the energy gained at the point of sale.