Ecology & Biology

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Study

Ancient DNA Shows Fungi Built Soil After the Ice Age

Ancient DNA Shows Fungi Built Soil After the Ice Age

What they found

Ancient lake DNA shows lichens and mycorrhizal fungi built soils after glaciers melted.

Ancient lake DNA shows lichens and mycorrhizal fungi built soils after glaciers melted.

How solid is it?

Field study

Field study

Field/ecology

Field/ecology

Evidence ladder: Lab dish → Animal → Early human → Strong human. Reviews summarize earlier research.

At a glance

Latin name

Published in

Science Advances

Science Advances

Covered in Shroom Scan

Section

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

As it ran in Shroom Scan

Soil-Making Fungi

Soil-Making Fungi

Ancient DNA from a Siberian lake reveals how fungi and microbes helped build soil after the glaciers melted. Lichens first broke down basalt rock, then mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria took over, creating richer soils and cycling nutrients like nitrogen and sulfur. These findings help explain how forests grew after the Ice Age, and could inform future climate strategies like using fungi and rock dust to pull carbon from the air.

Ancient DNA from a Siberian lake reveals how fungi and microbes helped build soil after the glaciers melted. Lichens first broke down basalt rock, then mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria took over, creating richer soils and cycling nutrients like nitrogen and sulfur. These findings help explain how forests grew after the Ice Age, and could inform future climate strategies like using fungi and rock dust to pull carbon from the air.

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