Fungi can do economics too.
Cossins describes three pieces of research that show that non-human organisms are as adept at economics as most humans. Maybe zoology needs to be updated to include animal economics. First up are some wily and double-dealing baboons. They prove to be able to weigh up different potential alliances within their troop and select the best depending upon the circumstances. Turning to fish, cleaner wrasse decide which level of service to provide to their ‘clients’, eg parrotfish, depending upon supply vs demand. The clincher are mycorrhizal fungi. They select the plants to which they will give their phosphorus resources in return for carbon on the basis of the best terms available at any given time. So-called thought and reasoning are simply not the exclusive province of human beings. Nor do they require language.
Link to article: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24032090-300-the-animal-economists-that-can-wheel-and-deal-as-well-as-any-human/
You may also like to browse other ethology posts: https://www.thesentientrobot.com/category/ethology/
