Is it true that fungi existed on earth long before plants and animals?

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Recent research has revealed that fungal organisms were on Earth long before the appearance of plants and animals on land.

According to Science Daily, research published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution estimates that fungal organisms first appeared on Earth between 900 million and 1.4 billion years ago.

This means that fungi, including molds, and single-celled organisms such as yeast, appeared on Earth before animals, which are believed to have appeared about 600 million years ago, and multicellular land plants, which are believed to have appeared about 500 million years ago.

Therefore, this research also breaks the traditional idea or view of the ancient Earth which was described as a barren planet until the appearance of plants around 500 million years ago.

The origin of the appearance of fungi on Earth is much older than scientists previously thought because, unlike plants and animals, fungi rarely leave fossils due to their soft, thread-like structure.

The research team then used a combination of methods, namely limited data on fungal fossils, genomic sequences of more than 100 fungal species, and horizontal gene transfer analysis, which is the process in which genes move between species to estimate their evolutionary age.

The research itself brought together experts from various countries and fields, such as evolutionists, paleontologists and molecular biologists, including Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) evolutionary biologist Eduard Ocaña.

According to Ocaña, the findings show that fungi existed in terrestrial environments at least 800 million years ago and likely had ecological interactions with the ancestors of multicellular land plants, which at that time were more similar to green algae.

Fungi are said to have helped algae and primitive plants adapt to Earth’s terrestrial conditions by obtaining energy sources in exchange for this cooperation.

With their ability to break down minerals, release nutrients and help create the first layers of soil, ancient fungi played a key role in making Earth a more hospitable place for future life.

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