Spontaneous Electrical Low-Frequency Oscillations (SELFOs)

Spontaneous Electrical Low-Frequency Oscillations, SELFOs are common in most living things, from bacteria to humans. SELFOs were recorded in the default mode network (DMN) in human brains. These low-frequency oscillations have also been recorded throughout the nervous system of mammals as a method of communication.

Interestingly, it was discovered that living things without a nervous system, such as plants, algae, and mushrooms also admit SELFOs. This suggests that living organisms without a brain and spinal chord are transmitting information throughout themselves. A paper published in 1995 showed that the mushroom species Pleurotus ostreatus and Armillaria bulbosa, transmitted SELFOs in response the changes in their external environment seemingly as a way to transmit data of the changes. You can read more about SELFOs here in this recent paper by Alison Hanson.

 

Image from Alison Hanson's recent paper https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2019.0763 

SELFOs are the signals I will be recording in my research project. I want to record the SELFOs when the mycelium intermingles with other bodies of mycelium. I want to discover whether or not the SELFOs are similar or different when the mycelium meets one of own species verse a different species.