Fire-loving Fungi

After a wildfire, mushrooms are some of the first organisms to add life back to the forest floor. In fact, some mushroom species are only seen after a fire.

But how do these fungi survive infernos? And where do they hide out in the years between burns?

I spoke with mycologists Karen Hughes and Andy N. Miller about their research on these cryptic fungi after the Chimney Tops 2 wildfire ran through Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2016.

Read my full story in The Scientist Magazine, published April 1, 2020.