Fungal biology: Growing into the air

For microorganisms to colonize terrestrial habitats they must evolve effective mechanisms to prevent water loss from their cells. This is imperative, not only for them to subsist in the same environment during changeable prevailing conditions, but also for their offspring to spread to new habitats. Considering the overriding importance of this evolutionary adaptation to living on land, we know remarkably little about the molecular mechanisms by which terrestrial microorganisms grow into the air.