News

2026. 01. 28. magyar.aniko

Why are some animal and human signals honest, while others are deceptive?

A new, general theory argues it is not about costly or exaggerated show-offs but about the inherent trade-offs between investments and benefits animals (and humans) face when they signal. The work offers a clearer way to understand peacocks, people, and persuasion by accounting both for honest as well as deceptive signals.

For decades, scientists have tried to answer a simple question: why be honest when deception is possible? Whether it is a peacock’s tail, a stag’s roar, or a human’s résumé, signals are means to influence others by transmitting information and advantages can be gained by cheating, for example by exaggeration. But if lying pays, why does communication not collapse?
The dominant theory for honest signals has long been the handicap principle, which claims that signals are honest because they are costly to produce. It argues that a peacock’s tail, for example, is an honest signal of a male’s condition or quality to potential mates because it is so costly to produce. Only a high-quality birds could afford such a handicap, wasting resources growing it, demonstrating their superb quality to females, whereas poor quality males cannot afford such ornaments.
A new synthesis by Szabolcs Számadó, Dustin J. Penn and István Zachar (from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna and HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, respectively) challenges that logic. They argue that honesty does not depend on how costly or wasteful a signal is, but rather on the trade-offs between investments and benefits, faced by signalers.
They explain that signals are not honest because they are costly, instead, honesty evolves when it is beneficial and deception is costly. Previous studies inspired by the handicap principle (refuted by the authors in the paper) misleadingly focused on only the costs of signalling. Yet biological functions, like signalling, cannot be understood in the evolutionary context without their benefits, often realized in the long run.

Fig 00 Graphical
The new theory, called Signalling Trade-Off Theory, shifts the focus from absolute cost to choice in what to invest. In biology, every organism faces competing demands: investing more in one thing means having less for another. Time spent courting cannot be spent feeding; energy put into bright feathers cannot be used for immune defence. These are trade-offs. And these are also present in economic choices for humans. Crucially, they differ between individuals. A healthy, well-fed animal can afford different choices than a weak or starving one. According to several theoretical studies, signalling trade-offs and not absolute costs define whether deception or honesty evolves.
“Signals, in theory, can be absolutely cost free in terms of immediate energy investment.” – István Zachar, one of the authors explains – “Honesty does not come from how much a signal harms you but from what kind of cost-benefit ratio you can realize with it.” And this trade-off between investments and benefits is defined by the condition of the individual.
According to theory, honest signals arise when these trade-offs respect the true quality of the individual, i.e. are condition-dependent. High-quality individuals get more return from the same investment than low-quality ones. As a result, the best strategy for a strong individual is to signal more, while the best strategy for a weak individual is to signal less. “Both are behaving optimally,” the author says, “but because their trade-offs are different, their signals end up revealing who they are.” This is how honesty is defined.
This perspective helps clear up a long-standing puzzle. An increasing number of studies show that honest signals are sometimes cheap, cost-free, or even beneficial, to produce. Under the handicap view, this was baffling, because honesty was supposed to require wasteful costs. Under the trade-off view, it is what one would expect. What matters is not whether a signal costs something in absolute terms, but whether pretending to be better than you are would push you into a worse overall outcome. Trade-offs apply to cheaters as well, and while they can increase their reproductive success by a fake message, this may severely affect their survival.
The trade-off theory also explains why deception is common. If different quality individuals face the same trade-offs, then nothing stops them from using the same signal. In those cases, mimics, bluffers, and cheats can thrive. “Dishonesty is absolutely not a failure of nature,” – Zachar notes. “It is what you get when the trade-offs that normally separate the different quality individuals disappear or become identical.”
This idea helps make sense of cases ranging from harmless butterflies mimicking poisonous ones to animals that increase their sexual displays when they are near death. In such “terminal investment,” there is little future to protect, so the usual balance between today and tomorrow is gone, and exaggerated signalling becomes worthwhile.
Why does this matter beyond biology? Because the same logic applies to human communication, from advertising to cooperation based on reputation. We all operate under trade-offs (inherited or learnt) between short-term gains and long-term consequences. Signals are reliable when those trade-offs differ across people in ways that make bluffing unprofitable.
“The real question is not ‘how costly is this signal?’” – Zachar says – “It is ‘what would it cost this person, in terms of what else they could have done, to fake it?’”
By reframing honesty in terms of trade-offs rather than waste, the new theory brings signalling back in line with a broader understanding of evolution: organisms are not rewarded for squandering resources, but for allocating them efficiently under constraints. In that light, honest communication is not a miracle. It is a natural outcome of living in a non-quantum biological world where every choice closes off another.

Reference:
A general signalling theory: why honest signals are explained by trade-offs rather than costs or handicaps
Szabolcs Számadó^1,2, István Zachar^3,4 & Dustin J. Penn⁵Published in Journal of Evolutionary Biology
https://doi.org/10.1093/jeb/voaf144

¹ Department of Sociology and Communication, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Egry J. u. 1. H‑1111 Budapest, Hungary
² CSS-RECENS “Lendület” Research Group, HUN-REN Centre for Social Science, Tóth Kálmán u. 4., H‑1097 Budapest, Hungary
³ Institute of Evolution, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Konkoly-Thege Miklós út 29-33., H‑1121 Budapest, Hungary
⁴ Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. sétány 1/C, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
⁵ Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Savoynestrasse 1a, 1160 Vienna, Austria

News

2026. 01. 22. magyar.aniko

Traditional ecological knowledge without its holders: invisible stewards in global biodiversity policy

A new global study published with the defining authorship of HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany in Conservation Biology, the leading journal in the field, highlights that many governments still do not fully recognize the contribution of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and other traditional knowledge holders to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The researchers examined the two most recent national reports submitted by the 195 state Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, amounting to more than 400 reports in total—two reports in the case of some countries—and approximately 58,000 pages of material. Europe stood out in a negative sense: while countries frequently referred to traditional land use practices, many states considered the issues related to Indigenous Peoples and local communities and traditional knowledge to be irrelevant, due to terminological confusion. The timeliness of the study is primarily underscored by the next round of national reports due in 2026, as well as by the fact that the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework states that achieving its goals is impossible without the genuine involvement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Their findings underscore that biodiversity usually thrives in landscapes where communities holding local knowledge can exert real influence over land and resources, and that it often declines where their practices are ignored. Remarkable examples of community-based, careful land use generally remain hidden in official reports, such as Samoan community-managed fisheries, culturally protected forests in Liberia, and traditional hay meadows found across Europe.

“As countries prepare their next national reports due in 2026, genuinely recognizing the contributions of on-the-ground stewards to biodiversity conservation—and ensuring their meaningful involvement in implementation processes—will be crucial to achieving ambitious global biodiversity goals”, Kinga Öllerer, the study’s lead author summarizes.

Only 33 countries articulated clearly both the benefits of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and their traditional knowledge for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and explicitly referenced contributions to cultivation and domestication in their fifth national reports. By the sixth reporting cycle, this number had nearly tripled to 80, but still representing just over 40% of Parties. Despite this increase, recognition remains low. Moreover, acknowledgment often failed to name the people behind the practices, and direct involvement of IP&LCs in reporting remained rare.

At the largest biodiversity summit ever held, COP16, which took place in November 2024 in Cali, Colombia, Indigenous Peoples and local communities achieved a breakthrough after more than three decades of sustained efforts: they secured a permanent subsidiary body within the Convention, guaranteeing their formal role in its implementation. The event brought together more than 23,000 registered delegates from nearly 200 countries, alongside over 900,000 visitors. Representatives of Indigenous Peoples and local communities from the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania celebrated in traditional dresses, while European delegations included no other community representatives beyond the Sámi. They are Europe’s only officially recognized Indigenous People. At the same time, numerous traditional farming communities play a key role in maintaining Europe’s biodiversity.

cobi70205 fig 0001 m b resze — How Parties (i.e., ratifying countries) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) self-reported on the contribution of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IP&LCs) and traditional knowledge and practices (TK) to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in their (a) fifth and (b) sixth (b) national reports (basemap source: ArcGIS 10.1 [ESRI, 2012] with World Countries Generalized). Table 1 contains scoring details.

cobi70205 fig 0002 m — How Parties (i.e., ratifying countries) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) self-reported on the contribution of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IP&LCs) and traditional knowledge and practices (TK) to cultivation and domestication in their (a) fifth and (b) sixth national reports; (basemap source: ArcGIS 10.1 [ESRI, 2012] with World Countries Generalized). Table 1 contains scoring details.

The study’s findings mirrored the underrepresentation seen at the biodiversity summit. Europe proved to be a particularly revealing case in the analysis. Many countries documented in detail traditional land-use practices that are crucial for biodiversity—such as extensive grazing, mowing, and small-scale farming—while often denying the relevance of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Several governments stated that Article 8(j) of the Convention, which addresses traditional knowledge, did not apply to them, arguing that their countries have no Indigenous or “traditional” communities. This was despite their recognition that the ongoing abandonment of these practices has driven biodiversity loss, including shrub encroachment and declines in species richness in grasslands and wetlands. In essence, traditional ecological knowledge is acknowledged, while its holders are rendered invisible.

The study was initiated by Kinga Öllerer under the guidance of scientific advisor Zsolt Molnár (HUN-REN CER IEB Traditional Ecological Knowledge Research Group). Senior researcher Marianna Biró, a fellow member of the group, joined the work together with scientific advisor András Báldi (HUN-REN CER IEB Lendület Ecosystem Services Research Group, group leader), and several international collaborators.

In summary, the study shows that although governments increasingly recognize that local traditional communities and their knowledge make a significant contribution to biodiversity conservation, very few actually involve them in decision-making and reporting processes. The challenge is clear: the success of global biodiversity commitments depends not only on ambitious targets but also on fully acknowledging, respecting, and supporting the knowledge, practices, and roles of Indigenous Peoples and local traditional communities—and on genuinely involving these communities in implementation processes.

Foto credit:

Hungarian traditional herders maintain vast landscapes through extensive pastoral grazing, and their knowledge, experiences and proposals are attracting growing attention, though still not the recognition they deserve. This photograph was taken by a shepherdess, the leader of the Women in Pastoralism group, about her husband and their livestock, and won third prize in a national photography competition on traditional herding (credit: Ibolya Sáfián Lászlóné).

Reference:

Global overview of progress in respecting the contributions of traditional knowledge in biodiversity governance

Kinga Öllerer, Pernilla Malmer, Marianna Biró, Noor Noor, Polina Shulbaeva, Maurizio Farhan Ferrari, Suneetha M. Subramanian, András Báldi, Zsolt Molnár First published: 06 January 2026

https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.70205

News

2025. 12. 19. magyar.aniko

Exclusion of wild ungulates is not the Holy Grail

A recent study authored with the significant contribution of the HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany was published with this title in the D1-ranked journal Journal of Environmental Management. Based on a field experiment, the authors demonstrate that under moderate ungulate density, the effect of forest management interventions on woody regeneration is stronger than the effect of ungulate exclusion per se. Over time, within fenced areas, the regeneration of the light-demanding sessile oak is hindered by faster-growing, more shade-tolerant competitors such as hornbeam, whereas outside the fences, under moderate browsing pressure, interspecific competition may be less intense. The seven-year study was initiated by Bence Tóth, Biology–Chemistry Teacher (MA) at ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, and Bence Kovács (Forest Ecology Research Group, Institute of Ecology and Botany, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research), and was later continued by Eszter Lilla Szabó, PhD student (Doctoral School of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University), under the supervision of Péter Ódor. The study highlights the importance of harmonizing forestry and game management practices to ensure the natural regenerative capacity of forests.

Managing natural regeneration in oak–hornbeam forests requires balancing light availability, competition dynamics, and herbivory pressure. Although fencing is often considered indispensable for protecting oak regeneration, our seven-year experiment shows that the influence of browsing exclusion is frequently overestimated. Silvicultural treatments, particularly those altering canopy openness, exerted a stronger effect on the early/mid-term sapling growth than fencing. Yet the study also highlights that maintaining low to moderate ungulate densities is crucial – not only for long-term regeneration success but even for sustaining the conditions under which silvicultural treatments can outperform browsing.

The researchers used the research infrastructure of the Pilis Forestry Systems Experiment to test the interactive effects of forestry and exclusion treatments. Within the framework of this experiment established in 2014, treatments of conventional rotation forestry (namely, micro clear-cutting, retention tree groups and preparation cutting) and of continuous cover forestry (gap-cutting) was compared to control plots in the closed, two-layered oak–hornbeam stand in the Pilis Mts. (Hosszú hill). For seven consecutive years, the researchers followed the browsing probability, survival, and growth of pairs of fenced and unfenced saplings selected and consolidated in the autumn of 2014.

Infografika 1

Silvicultural treatments drive early regeneration growth more strongly than browsing – but only when ungulate densities remain controlled

The applied (micro)clear-cutting (which essentially represent areas of final cutting) and artificial gaps resulted in the greatest increases in shoot growth and estimated leaf area across all tree species. This effect is primarily attributable to enhanced light availability and soil moisture conditions. In these treatments, the extent of browsing and overall ungulate impact temporarily increased – as expected given the increased food availability –; however, the survival of the selected individuals remained stable, because ungulate density in the studied landscape is moderate, largely due to the comprehensive game management practices of Pilisi Parkerdő Ltd. Under low to moderate browsing pressure, individuals outside fenced areas have a higher chance of escaping browsing pressure.

Foto

According to Bence Kovács, the corresponding author of the article, it is important to emphasize that “this balance is fragile. The finding that forestry treatments had a stronger effect on individual growth depends on a controlled ungulate population.” In regions with higher densities and browsing levels comparable to those observed here (~60% of individuals browsed) can translate into severe growth reductions or regeneration failure. “Thus, the stronger effect of the treatments observed in this study does not mean that oak regeneration is better without fencing under the current landscape structure and browsing pressure, but rather demonstrates that browsing pressure can be managed if ungulate density remains within an ecologically compatible limits”, the researcher adds.

In the case of shrubs, however, forest management treatments and ungulate exclusion had effects of similar magnitude, which on the one hand indicates their sensitivity to browsing (a substantial difference in height growth between fenced and unfenced plots) and, on the other hand, highlights their role in shaping regeneration dynamics among tree species, especially of the target tree species.

Species-specific trajectories reveal competition as a dominant force

Oaks and manna ash benefited from initial browsing protection, but these advantages diminished due to intensified competition from faster-growing and typically shade-tolerant tree species – especially from hornbeam.

Hornbeam’s rapid juvenile growth and architectural plasticity allowed it to overtop oaks in both gaps and clear-cuts, and competitive effects were amplified inside exclosures. Consequently, in fenced areas where oak regeneration or restoration is a key objective, the suppression of competitor species is necessary, an area in which Pilisi Parkerdő Ltd. already has substantial practical experience. Based on the findings of the study, controlling competition is just as important as managing herbivory, and that fencing without subsequent tending is insufficient for ensuring long-term oak success under the framework of continuous cover forestry.

Shrubs, being highly palatable (and therefore most likely to be browsed) responded most strongly to ungulate exclusion, showing the largest differences in height growth between fenced and unfenced plots. As a result, their presence can substantially reduce browsing pressure on target tree species outside fenced areas and, and – under controlled ungulate densities – can indirectly facilitate oak regeneration.

Foto 2

Gap-cutting can rival clear-cutting for oak regeneration

Medium-sized gaps (cca. 1:1 gap diameter to tree height ratio) generated microclimatic conditions that supported oak survival and growth comparable to clear-cuts. This result challenges assumptions that large openings or extensive fencing are necessary for oak regeneration and supports the feasibility of continuous cover forestry approaches. However, the success of gap-based regeneration still assumes ungulate densities low enough to prevent disproportionate browsing pressure.

Temporal shifts: from browsing limitation to competition limitation

A clear transition in growth-reducing factors emerged over the seven years:

Years 1–4: browsing and light availability shape height increment.
Years 5–: interspecific competition – especially from hornbeam – becomes the dominant constraint, particularly in fenced plots.

infografika 2

infografika 3

This reinforces that ungulate exclusion alone is insufficient; regeneration ultimately hinges on managing competition for saplings to escape herbivore reach.

Management implications

The findings support an integrated, adaptive regeneration strategy:

Ungulate population control is fundamental. Only at low to moderate densities can browsing remain compatible with successful oak regeneration and allow silvicultural treatments to dominate growth responses.
Use moderate gap sizes to provide adequate light without excessively attracting herbivores.
Employ fencing strategically and temporarily – primarily to support the earliest regeneration stages.
Conduct targeted tending to reduce overtopping by shade-tolerant competitors.
Retain or support a shrub layer in the forest matrix, which contributes to browsing dilution and enhances stand structural complexity.

“Our study demonstrates that while ungulate exclusion is not the Holy Grail, neither can natural regeneration succeed without effective ungulate population management. Silvicultural treatments exerted stronger early influence on growth, but this advantage was only possible because browsing pressure remained at ecologically compatible levels. Integrating population control, canopy management, and competition regulation provides a robust pathway for achieving resilient oak regeneration under continuous cover forestry across Central Europe.” concludes Bence Kovács.

Photo credits: Bence Tóth

2025. 12. 09. magyar.aniko

Garden ponds as potential sources of plant invasions

As small aquatic habitats disappear at an alarming rate, private garden ponds may help compensate for the loss of natural habitats and support biodiversity in urban areas. However, as these ponds become increasingly popular, the spread of invasive species is emerging as a pressing issue.

Ponds, small (<5 ha) standing waterbodies, are among the most common freshwater habitats worldwide, but they are vanishing rapidly due to agricultural activities, urbanisation, climate change, and other human impacts. At the same time, we are creating new, secondary habitats in the form of garden ponds. These artificial ponds provide a range of ecosystem services, offering refuge for aquatic biodiversity, including protected amphibians, and supporting terrestrial species, especially during dry periods. In some regions, the number of garden ponds even exceeds that of natural waterbodies.

Yet the growing number of garden ponds may pose a new challenge for biodiversity. A wide variety of aquatic plants and animals are available through the ornamental trade, increasing the risk of invasive species introductions. Because these ponds are located on private property, researching and monitoring the species they contain, whether native or invasive, can be difficult. Citizen science, which involves the public in data collection, offers an effective way for researchers to gain access to these otherwise hidden habitats and to document their plant and animal communities.

Researchers at the Institute of Aquatic Ecology, HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research in Hungary, launched a citizen science project to uncover the hidden diversity of garden ponds — the MyPond project. Within this initiative, citizens provided information about the presence of invasive plants in their ponds. Out of 560 ponds surveyed, almost half contained at least one of the six targeted invasive plant species. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), considered the world’s worst invasive aquatic plant due to its environmental and economic impacts, was frequently reported. Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) and submerged species such as Elodea spp., Vallisneria spp., and Myriophyllum aquaticum were also common.

Inv novenyek

Some of these species originate from tropical regions, yet they have already established populations in several European countries. In Hungary, current climatic conditions may still limit their spread, but they can survive in thermal waters, and with climate change, the environment may become increasingly suitable for them. So far, it appears that these plants have primarily spread to natural waterbodies through human activity. However, garden ponds often attract waterbirds, which may also disperse seeds or plant fragments beyond garden boundaries.

“Most of these plants are on the EU’s list of invasive species, meaning it is illegal to keep them. Yet participants willingly reported having them,” said Barbara Barta. “Therefore, the main issue seems to be that the general public is not well informed about the threat posed by invasive species. Many people simply don’t realise that the plants they purchase are banned, and that keeping, growing, or exchanging them is an offence.”

The researchers emphasise the importance of environmental education and of engaging both buyers and sellers of aquatic plants used in garden ponds. “We need to take an active role in helping citizens make better choices for managing their ponds,” they said. “Providing a list of alternative, native plant species would be a good place to start.”

Reference:

Barta, B., Márton, Z., Szabó, B., Vad, C. F., Lukács, B. A. and Horváth Z. (2025) “Garden ponds: hidden sources of plant invasions?” Freshwater Biology, e70145. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.70145

DOI: 10.1111/fwb.70145

HUN-REN researchers and collaborators use genetic “swaps” to recalibrate the fungal tree of life, revealing a deep history that predates the first land plants.

The Five Paths to a Complex World

On a planet once dominated by single-celled organisms, a revolutionary change occurred not once, but at least five separate times: the evolution of complex multicellular life. This was not simply a matter of cells clumping together; it was the dawn of organisms where cells took on specialized jobs and were organized into distinct tissues and organs, much like in our own bodies. This leap required sophisticated new tools, including highly developed mechanisms for cells to adhere to one another and intricate systems for them to communicate across the organism. This profound evolutionary innovation arose independently in five major groups: animals, land plants, fungi, and two distinct lineages of algae (red and brown algae).¹ Understanding when each of these groups emerged is fundamental to piecing together the history of life on Earth.

A Timeline Written in Stone

For most of these groups, the fossil record acts as a geological calendar, providing anchor points in deep time. Based on this evidence, a chronological picture of life’s complexity emerges.

Group	Oldest Fossil Evidence	Age	Location & Significance
Red Algae	Rafatazmia & Ramathallus	~1.6 billion years ago	India. Currently the earliest known complex multicellular life, these fossils significantly push back the timeline for eukaryotes.
Animals	Sponge-like fossils	~890 million years ago	Canada. Microscopic structures resembling modern sea sponges suggest animal life began long before the Cambrian Explosion.
Land Plants	Microscopic spores	~475 million years ago	Oman. Fossilized spores provide the first definitive evidence of plants on land, predating whole plant fossils by 50 million years.
Brown Algae	Fossil interpretations	~450 million years ago	Global. Molecular and fossil evidence points to an origin during the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event in the oceans.³

There is, however, a notable exception to this fossil-based timeline: the fungi. The fungal kingdom has long been an enigma for paleontologists. Their typically soft, filamentous bodies mean they rarely fossilize well.⁵ Furthermore, unlike animals or plants, which appear to have a single origin of complex multicellularity, fungi evolved this trait multiple times from diverse unicellular ancestors, making it difficult to pinpoint a single origin event in the sparse fossil record.⁶ This is where a new study by researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and their collaborators makes a crucial contribution.

Reading the Genetic Clock

To overcome the gaps in the fungal fossil record, scientists use a “molecular clock.” The concept is that genetic mutations accumulate in an organism’s DNA at a relatively steady rate over generations, like the ticking of a stopwatch.¹⁰ By comparing the number of genetic differences between two species, researchers can estimate how long ago they diverged from a common ancestor.¹⁰

However, a molecular clock is uncalibrated; it can reveal relative time but not absolute years. To set the clock, scientists need to calibrate it with “anchor points” from the fossil record.¹² Given the scarcity of fungal fossils, this has always been a major challenge. The OIST-led team addressed this by incorporating a novel source of information: rare gene “swaps” between different fungal lineages, a process known as horizontal gene transfer (HGT).⁵ While genes are normally passed down “vertically” from parent to child, HGT is like a gene jumping “sideways” from one species to another. These events provide powerful temporal clues. If a gene from lineage A is found to have jumped into lineage B, it establishes a clear rule: the common ancestor of lineage A must be older than the point in time when the gene appeared in lineage B. By identifying 17 such transfers, the team established a series of “older than/younger than” relationships that helped to dramatically tighten and constrain the fungal timeline.⁵

rachel horton kitchlew FSLmk8OBhtg — Photo by Rachel Horton-Kitchlew on Unsplash

A New History for an Ancient Kingdom

This groundbreaking research was driven by a powerful collaboration between two leading Hungarian research groups from the HUN-REN network and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan. The study was co-led by first authors Lénárd L. Szánthó from the HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research and Zsolt Merényi from the HUN-REN Biological Research Centre in Szeged.⁵ Merényi is part of László G. Nagy’s group, a team renowned for its work on fungal evolutionary genomics and the evolution of multicellularity. This Hungarian expertise was combined with the cutting-edge computational approaches of the Model-Based Evolutionary Genomics Unit at OIST, led by Gergely J. Szöllősi (also affiliated with HUN-REN) and co-led by Dr. Eduard Ocaña-Pallarès.⁵

Here is what the team did:

Built a broad family tree of fungi from hundreds of conserved genes, analyzing 225 distinct markers across 110 fungal species.⁵
Dated that tree using the few available fossils plus this new, relative-age information gleaned from rare gene “swaps” between lineages, which tell us which branches must be older or younger and tighten the timeline.

The researchers asked a simple question with big consequences: when did today’s fungi start to diversify? By combining fossils with information on relative ages from rare horizontal gene transfers, their analysis points to the common ancestor of living fungi dating to roughly 1.4–0.9 billion years ago—well before land plants.⁵ That timing supports a long prelude of fungi–algae interactions that helped set the stage for life on land.

Why This Discovery Matters

Fungi run ecosystems—recycling nutrients, partnering with other organisms, and sometimes causing disease. Pinning down their timeline shows fungi were diversifying long before plants, consistent with early partnerships with algae that likely helped pave the way for terrestrial ecosystems.

This revised timeline fundamentally reframes the story of life’s colonization of land. It suggests that for hundreds of millions of years before the first true plants took root, fungi were already present, likely interacting with algae in microbial communities.⁵ This long, preparatory phase may have been essential for making Earth’s continents habitable. By breaking down rock and cycling nutrients, these ancient fungi could have been the first true ecosystem engineers, creating the first primitive soils and fundamentally altering the terrestrial environment. In this new view, plants did not colonize a barren wasteland, but rather a world that had been prepared for them over eons by the ancient and persistent activity of the fungal kingdom.

timothy dykes i qj PUmUY — Photo by Timothy Dykes on Unsplash

Publication Details

Title: A timetree of Fungi dated with fossils and horizontal gene transfers
Journal: Nature Ecology & Evolution
Authors: Lénárd L. Szánthó, Zsolt Merényi, Philip Donoghue, Toni Gabaldón, László G. Nagy, Gergely J. Szöllősi, and Eduard Ocaña-Pallarès
DOI Link: 10.1038/s41559-025-02851-z

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