01/25/2022
“Earth would be a messy place without the fungi. They are constantly at work in forests, fields, and garbage dumps, breaking down the remains of dead organisms (and even manufactured substances such as some plastics). For almost a billion years, the ability of fungi to decompose organic substances has been essential for life on Earth, chiefly because by breaking down carbon compounds, they return carbon and other elements to the environment, where they can be used again by other organisms.”
*Excerpt from chapter 31 Fungi: Recyclers, Pathogens, Parasites, and Plant Partners from the book Life: The Biology of Science-Purves, Sadava, Orians, Heller- 2004.
