New research reveals fungi were the first ecosystem engineers, shaping Earth's continents and creating soil nearly a billion years before the first plants emerged.
Oct 1, 2025
Source:
Smithsonian Magazine
Fungi's Ancient Reign Redefined
New research has overturned the timeline of life on land, revealing that fungi colonized continents between 0.9 and 1.4 billion years ago. This finding predates the arrival of the first land plants by hundreds of millions of years.
The study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, repositions fungi from background organisms to the planet's first ecosystem engineers. They were not just present; they were actively shaping a barren planet, making it habitable for future life.
A New Timeline for Life
An international team of researchers, including scientists from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and the University of Bristol, established this new timeline. They moved beyond relying solely on the sparse fungal fossil record.
Methodology: Scientists integrated data from rare horizontal gene transfers with fossil calibration points.
Previous Estimate: Plants were believed to be the first terrestrial pioneers, emerging around 470 million years ago.
New Understanding: Fungi had a nearly billion-year head start, fundamentally altering terrestrial environments long before plants took root.
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Source:
ScienceDaily
Architects of a Habitable Planet
Long before complex life, fungi were performing critical functions that transformed Earth’s sterile, rocky continents. They were the primary architects of the planet’s early biosphere.
Creating the First Soils
These ancient organisms were masters of decomposition and nutrient cycling. By breaking down bare rock, they kickstarted the process of soil formation, a prerequisite for the eventual colonization by plants.
Pioneering Partnerships
The research suggests that early fungi formed symbiotic relationships with algae, similar to modern lichens. This partnership was crucial for survival on a barren planet.
Fungi provided algae with shelter and minerals extracted from rock.
Algae, in turn, provided fungi with energy through photosynthesis.
Together, this collaboration accelerated rock weathering and the creation of primitive soils, laying the literal groundwork for all subsequent terrestrial life.
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Source:
The Guardian
