Mycologists tend to divide fungi into three ecological groups, the first of which includes saprotrophs that feed on the remains of dead creatures, the second includes parasites that live off other organisms and harm them, and the third includes closely interacting but harmless mutualists.
At the same time, the scientists demonstrated that in reality everything can be quite different, showing by the example of fungi belonging to the genus Mycenae that they, being saprotrophs, have acquired the ability to penetrate into living plants.
In the course of their work, the specialists analyzed databases that describe the DNA of fungi from mycorrhizal roots of 10 different plant species, from which, in turn, scientists were specially isolated fragments of the genome of Mycenae. The researchers then assessed the isotopic composition of the fruiting bodies of the fungus in five different habitats, which allowed the authors of the paper to recognize its nutritional type and assign it to one and category.
