Fungi are a major eukaryotic lineage studied across biological topics for their distinct cellular organization, ecological roles, and interactions with other organisms. They possess chitinous cell walls, typically form filamentous hyphae organized into mycelia, and reproduce via diverse sexual and asexual spores. Fungi function as principal decomposers of organic matter, key symbionts in mycorrhizal and lichen associations, and potent pathogens of plants, animals, and humans. Their metabolic versatility underpins numerous biotechnological and research applications, including model systems for genetics and cell biology, production of enzymes and secondary metabolites, and regulation of nutrient cycling in ecosystems.
If you walk through a forest and look down, you might think you're stepping on dead leaves, twigs and soil. In reality, you're walking over a vast underground patchwork of fungal filaments, supporting life above ground.
Plants & Animals
Jul 5, 2025
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170
When Entomophaga grylli infects locusts or grasshoppers, they climb to the tops of plants before their death. The zombie-ant fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis infects ants and controls their behaviors to benefit fungal transmission. ...
Ecology
Jul 1, 2025
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30
Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers report that fossilized entomopathogenic fungi from mid-Cretaceous amber reveal some of the oldest direct evidence of parasitic relationships between fungi and insects, suggesting that ...
A new study published in the Journal of Plant Ecology has found that temperate forest tree species, regardless of their root symbiosis with either ectomycorrhizal (ECM) or arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, consistently prefer ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 26, 2025
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17
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have shown that the "pacemaker" controlling yeast cell division lies inside the nucleus rather than outside it, as previously thought. Having the pacemaker in the same compartment ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 25, 2025
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19
A team co-led by a Purdue University researcher has found that groups of fungi influence global tree species in distinct ways, depending on latitude and aridity. The team's data underscores the importance of mutually beneficial, ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 25, 2025
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178
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and India's National Center for Biological Sciences have found that yeast clusters, when grown beyond a certain size, spontaneously generate fluid flows powerful enough to ...
Plant cell wall components such as cellulose are abundant sources of carbohydrates that are widely used in biofuels and bioproducts; however, extraction of these components from plant biomass is relatively difficult due to ...
Biotechnology
Jun 18, 2025
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47
The colorful pigment extracted from the lac insect may actually be produced by a symbiotic yeast-like organism living inside the insect, a new study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has found. The ...
Ecology
Jun 17, 2025
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38
Fungi are nature's recyclers and chemists, turning waste into useful products and creating an array of enzymes and compounds. By harnessing this potential through fungal biotechnology (using fungi to develop products and ...
Ecology
Jun 16, 2025
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25
