Saumitra’s journal of Oakland ecology on Instagram: "Partnership with fungi has been central to the evolution of plants, from the first algae that ventured out of the water with the help of symbiotic fungi 800 million years ago to the vast majority of plant species alive on Earth right now. The typical mushroom-forming fungi are in the division Basidiomycota. These Basidiomycete fungi arose from a relatively recent ancestor that evolved to decay dead wood, meaning it had to wait until a tree was