Morels and truffles: How scientists discovered their hidden evolutionary story

Morels and truffles are iconic, edible fungi, sought by food aficionados worldwide. Although they are part of the same phylogenetic family, Morchellaceae, their evolutionary relationships are not well understood. A new study explores this relationship by comparing the fungal genomes, and the results provide important new insights into the ecological roles performed by these fungi.

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Why this matters: Morels and truffles are not just iconic — they are expensive and the market for these culinary delicacies is estimated at half a billion dollars and growing. Understanding the diversity and evolution of trophic modes within the family — including details about which enzymes the fungi use to degrade biomass and how the various fungal species reproduce — could lead to better soil management for farmers wishing to grow these valuable crops.

What they did: To understand the diversity and evolution of Morchellaceae fungi, the large team, which included Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists, employed comparative genomics and a broad variety of fungal samples. Using high-quality genomes from cup, true, and false morels and truffles covering all the major clades in the family, the team developed a comprehensive and well-resolved phylogenomic tree.

What they learned: The high-quality genomes provided important new insights into the ecological roles performed by these fungi, indicating that a few Morchellaceae species are self-fertile and can produce fruiting bodies without needing to find a partner. 

• This work will benefit future efforts to cultivate members of this family that have high economic value as culinary delicacies.
• Fungi can enhance soil health by breaking down matter and releasing nutrients, reducing the need for fertilizer. Farming practices could benefit by using fungi for soil health while simultaneously producing valuable consumer products.

Funding: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Science Focus Area project on bacterial-fungal interactions led by Patrick Chain (Bioscience division at Los Alamos).

 LA-UR-25-30295