T he fungal kingdom encompasses 1.5 million species (1) as diverse as single-celled yeasts, pathogens of animals/plants, and plant root symbionts. Fungi are eukaryotic, closely aligned with metazoans (2, 3). Animals and fungi diverged 1 billion years ago; their last common ancestor was unicellular, motile, and aquatic. Some fungi grow as unicellular yeasts, but most are filamentous multicellula...
