Evolutionary History of Fungi

           Fungi are some of the most interesting organisms on the planet, yet the western world has long lived in fear of them. In old English tradition, a phobia of mushrooms - or as they call them ‘toadstools’ - is deep rooted and normal, rather than the exception. For a very long time, they were all lumped together as killers and sources of evil, rather than productive members of the environment, providing key functions as recyclers of dead organic materials. It is said that one rotten apple can spoil a bunch, but not all mushrooms are deadly poisonous. In fact, of the many thousands of fungi in north america, less than 12 are known to be lethal upon ingestion. However, many can be sickening. On the other hand, many cultures have embraced the delicious, medicinal, and spiritual appeals of many types of fungi.

Around 100,000 species of fungi have been formally described by taxonomists, but we still do not fully understand the global biodiversity of the kingdom. Most grow in terrestrial environments, but others can live partially or fully in water. The vast majority of fungi grow as hyphae, which allow the decomposition and absorption of nutrients from organic materials.

Fungi have a rather shady evolutionary history, probably because of their soft, fleshy and easily degradable tissues being difficult to preserve in the fossil record. Despite this, scientists still have a good idea of what has happened.

The first fossils possessing features typical of fungi date to the Proterozoic era, roughly 1.43 Billion years ago. They were benthic filamentous structures capable of building hyphae-like bodies.

Fungi remained aquatic until the cambrian period- roughly 500 million years ago, when they became a major - if not dominant component of the terrestrial landscape. At this point in time, large pillar-like club mushrooms began to develop, predating trees by more than 100 million years. They were called prototaxis, and were up to 27 feet tall. Their physical dominance lasted at least 40 million years, 20 times longer than the genus Homo has thus far existed on earth.

Mycorrhizal fungi, which have symbiotic relationships with over 90% of all plant species. began developing at least 400 million years ago. They are crucial in providing plants with necessary minerals and nutrients and help plants ‘explore’ the soil around them.

The ‘mushroom shape’ that we see in the modern day came about roughly 200-130 million years ago, just after flowering plants developed into important parts of the flora that make the biosphere.

Modern analysis of fungi occurred after the invention of the microscope in the 16th century. This began with the first observations of fungal spores by Giambattista della Porta in 1588.

            Currently, fungal research is being developed for cancer treatments, drugs, and even the consumption of oil products. Perhaps future oil spills will be treated using the power of the fungus!