Sal@mander.xyz 1 year ago
That's super cool! Thanks for sharing!
I wonder why something like this would evolve.... It is as if they want to play in "Hard" mode for no obvious reason. They need not only one host to survive, but actually need two different hosts to be present within an area. What do they get out of this complex cycle?
setnorth@mastodon.social 1 year ago
@Sal
To venture a guess (or another way of thinking about it): Maybe it evolved from a fungi which infected a lot more different plant species before. But this combination proved to be the survivable strategy since all the other plant species died out or developed defences... I think it is easier to think about "how did it survive" than "what is the advantage". Unfortunately there is only very very little fossil record of fungi, so it might stay a secret how it became what it is today 😃