Fungal impacts on Earth’s ecosystems

Nicola T. Case, Sarah J. Gurr, Matthew C. Fisher, David S. Blehert, Charles Boone, Arturo Casadevall, Anuradha Chowdhary, Christina A. Cuomo, Cameron R. Currie, David W. Denning, Iuliana V. Ene, Lillian K. Fritz-Laylin, Aleeza C. Gerstein, Neil A. R. Gow, Asiya Gusa, Iliyan D. Iliev, Timothy Y. James, Hailing Jin, Regine Kahmann, Bruce S. Klein, James W. Kronstad, Kyla S. Ost, Kabir G. Peay, Rebecca S. Shapiro, Donald C. Sheppard, Neta Shlezinger, Jason E. Stajich, Eva H. Stukenbrock, John W. Taylor, Gerard D. Wright, Leah E. Cowen (), Joseph Heitman () and Julia A. Segre ()
Additional contact information
Nicola T. Case: University of Toronto
Sarah J. Gurr: University of Exeter
Matthew C. Fisher: Imperial College London
David S. Blehert: U.S. Geological Survey
Charles Boone: University of Toronto
Arturo Casadevall: Johns Hopkins University
Anuradha Chowdhary: University of Delhi
Christina A. Cuomo: Brown University
Cameron R. Currie: McMaster University
David W. Denning: University of Manchester
Iuliana V. Ene: Université Paris Cité
Lillian K. Fritz-Laylin: University of Massachusetts
Aleeza C. Gerstein: University of Manitoba
Neil A. R. Gow: University of Exeter
Asiya Gusa: Duke University
Iliyan D. Iliev: Cornell University
Timothy Y. James: University of Michigan
Hailing Jin: University of California, Riverside
Regine Kahmann: Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology
Bruce S. Klein: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
James W. Kronstad: University of British Columbia
Kyla S. Ost: University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine
Kabir G. Peay: Stanford University
Rebecca S. Shapiro: University of Guelph
Donald C. Sheppard: McGill University
Neta Shlezinger: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Jason E. Stajich: University of California, Riverside
Eva H. Stukenbrock: Christian Albrecht University of Kiel and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
John W. Taylor: University of California, Berkeley
Gerard D. Wright: McMaster University
Leah E. Cowen: University of Toronto
Joseph Heitman: Duke University
Julia A. Segre: NIH

Nature, 2025, vol. 638, issue 8049, 49-57

Abstract: Abstract Over the past billion years, the fungal kingdom has diversified to more than two million species, with over 95% still undescribed. Beyond the well-known macroscopic mushrooms and microscopic yeast, fungi are heterotrophs that feed on almost any organic carbon, recycling nutrients through the decay of dead plants and animals and sequestering carbon into Earth’s ecosystems. Human-directed applications of fungi extend from leavened bread, alcoholic beverages and biofuels to pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics and psychoactive compounds. Conversely, fungal infections pose risks to ecosystems ranging from crops to wildlife to humans; these risks are driven, in part, by human and animal movement, and might be accelerating with climate change. Genomic surveys are expanding our knowledge of the true biodiversity of the fungal kingdom, and genome-editing tools make it possible to imagine harnessing these organisms to fuel the bioeconomy. Here, we examine the fungal threats facing civilization and investigate opportunities to use fungi to combat these threats.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08419-4

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