When I was studying the mycelium network, I learned that water moves through the mycelium that is spread throughout the soil. It doesn’t just move downwards due to gravity. Water also moves against gravity between clumps of soil and rocks, so the entire soil remains moist.
https://www.daiwa.com/jp/live_with_nature/genryu/1257783_11186
This is apparently made possible by the capillary effect, a physical phenomenon caused by the surface tension of water, in which a liquid tries to climb up the inside of a thin tube. With the exception of liquid metals such as mercury, water has the greatest surface tension of all liquids. This is due to water’s high electrical polarity. Surface tension is a force that tries to make the surface area as small as possible and solidify densely, and it is this force that causes round water droplets to form. Water striders repel water from the surface of the water with the fine hairs on the tips of their feet, and this surface tension allows them to float.
https://media.aqua-sphere.net/
Research shows that many living things make good use of surface tension (capillary action). We often hear that plants use surface tension in combination with transpiration from the leaves to draw water up from the roots. Some mosses seem to prevent drying by drawing water onto the outer surface of the leaves and stems rather than internally. Water that travels through gaps in the leaves and stems and accumulates at the base of the leaves travels up to the next leaf and is carried to the tip. Mosses require water for fertilization, and Physcomitrella patens in particular is said to fertilize using water that reaches the tip.
https://academist-cf.com/journal/?p=7068
If there are gaps or grooves of the right size for capillary action, water will be sucked up automatically. It seems that some amphibians and crustaceans also have this structure. The tiny hairs that run from the tips of the legs of the sea lice to their gills seem to suck up water continuously. Apparently, two types of tubes of different thicknesses combine to act as a pump. Also, the grooves in the thorny devil’s skin apparently suck up water when any part of its body comes into contact with water or mist, and it flows up to the corners of its mouth. It’s like an automatic water supply device.
https://www.nhk.jp/p/ts/YM3WKRZWZQ/blog/bl/pJN4zneEyV/bp/pRK45l80VA
When I look into surface tension, I feel like it’s a force that spreads water to every detail. It’s amazing that water can spread with such a simple mechanism without using external energy. The surface tension of water is amazing. Earth, the planet of water, is amazing.
