Toby Kiers: Lessons from fungi on markets and economics

Lessons from fungi on markets and economics

Resource inequality is one of our greatest challenges, but it's not unique to humans. Like us, mycorrhizal fungi that live in plant and tree roots strategically trade, steal and withhold resources, displaying remarkable parallels to humans in their capacity to be opportunistic (and sometimes ruthless) -- all in the absence of cognition. In a mind-blowing talk, evolutionary biologist Toby Kiers shares what fungi networks and relationships reveal about human economies, and what they can tell us about inequality.

Hidden beneath our feet, fungi form sprawling underground networks that connect almost every plant on Earth, trading resources in a system older than dinosaurs. These fungal markets mirror human economies, with partners rewarding the best traders and punishing the worst, all without conscious thought. Experiments show that when faced with inequality, fungi increase their trading and even move resources to areas of higher demand, manipulating value like savvy capitalists. Nature’s underground trade teaches that cooperation, competition, and exploitation are fundamental strategies shaped by evolution rather than morality.