As mushrooms evolve to live with trees, they give up DNA associated with decomposing cellulose
Wednesday, July 18, 2012 - 20:00
in Biology & Nature
New research finds that Amanita mushrooms' evolution has largely been away from species that help decompose organic material and toward those that live symbiotically on trees and their roots. More interestingly, scientists found that the transition came at a steep price -- the loss of the genes associated with breaking down cellulose.