Evolution of fungi
The evolutionary history of fungi, from their early origins to the diversification of major lineages and their relationships with other organisms.
Opisthokonta: A eukaryotic supergroup containing animals, fungi, and several single-celled lineages. Fungi share this deep ancestry with animals, unlike plants.
Fungal phylogeny: The evolutionary relationships among fungi, represented as a branching history. It provides the framework for describing fungal origins and lineage splits.
Mycorrhiza: A close association between a fungus and plant roots, commonly involving nutrient exchange. Root partnerships helped fungi exploit land plants and shape terrestrial ecosystems.
Terrestrialization: The evolutionary transition of organisms from aquatic settings to life on land. Fungal and plant histories are intertwined in the colonization of terrestrial habitats.
Cryptomycota: A group of small, often poorly known fungi or fungus-related organisms discovered through molecular surveys. Its placement and diversity complicate simple accounts of early fungal evolution.
Nucleariids: A group of amoeboid protists that is among the closest known living relatives of fungi. Their position helps locate the fungal branch among early opisthokonts.
Chytridiomycota: A diverse fungal phylum whose members commonly produce motile, flagellated spores. Flagellated fungi illuminate traits retained near the base of fungal diversification.
Lichen: A stable association in which a fungus lives with a photosynthetic alga or cyanobacterium. Lichenization enabled fungi to inhabit exposed, nutrient-poor environments.
Devonian period: A geological period from about 419 to 359 million years ago, marked by major diversification of land life. Its ecosystems preserve clues to early fungal roles on land.
Rozellomycota: An early-diverging group of microscopic fungi, many of which are parasites of other microbes. Its reduced forms raise questions about ancestral fungal traits and evolutionary loss.