The secret lives of fungi

You could say there’s something secretive about fungi. They often lurk about in dark, dank places and many are invisible without magnification.

In fact, when we can see them, the part we recognise is the fruiting body or reproductive structure, whose many forms and colours have evolved to maximise the dispersal of fungal spores.

In other words, they’re quite brazenly putting it about — with the help of the animals that feed on and spread them.

But if it seems to us that fungi lead secret lives, it’s not entirely their fault. We haven’t made