Evolution of fungi

Fungi are a special group of living things. They split away from other life about 1.5 billion years ago. Scientists study their DNA to learn when different kinds of fungi first appeared. One group, called the glomaleans, split from higher fungi around 570 million years ago.

Fungi probably first came onto land during a time called the Cambrian, more than 500 million years ago. Some scientists think they might have appeared even earlier, around 635 million years ago, during the Ediacaran period. We find clear evidence that fungi lived on land during the Devonian period, about 400 million years ago.

Early evolution

Evidence from DNA analysis shows that all fungi came from a common ancestor that lived about 1.2 to 1.5 billion years ago. These first fungi probably lived in water and had special tail-like parts called flagella.

Some very old rocks from South Africa, about 2.4 billion years old, contain shapes that look like fungus. Scientists think these might be some of the earliest forms of fungus. The oldest fossils that look like fungi on land are from South China, about 635 million years ago. Around 250 million years ago, fungi became very common and might have been one of the most common life forms on Earth at that time.

Fossil record

See also: Paleomycology

Fungi are hard to find in fossils because they don't easily turn into stone. The earliest sure fossils of fungi are from the Devonian period, about 400 million years ago. Before that, it's hard to tell if any older fossils are really fungi or something else.

Scientists have found some very old possible fungi fossils, but they are not certain. One possible fungus may have lived over a billion years ago, even before plants were on land. Fungi probably lived in water at first and later moved to land. By the time plants were common on land, fungi were already there too.