Predators, be they bobcat or spotted owl, snag the furry critters as they drop down to the forest floor to dig up stinky truffles. As they learned the answer, scientists shed light on a hidden world of microscopic soil fungi that are important to the health of small mammals and the spotted owl. They elevated a lowly fungus to its rightful role as equal partner in a forest food chain that benefits all players. And they added another rung on the ecosystem ladder to be managed to ensure owl survival. Fungi of one sort or another surround us, providing life-saving antibiotics, coaxing bread to rise, cheese to ripen and beer to ferment.
Fungi serve as architects of large-scale recycling.
Even termites and other wood-eating insects depend on fungi and bacteria for decomposing otherwise indigestible compounds. For spotted owls, a few specific types of fungi act as the great matchmakers, safeguarding the health of old-growth forests that the owls call home and attracting the passionate attention of squirrels that the owls call dinner. You have this very nice connection of the tree producing sugars that feed the roots that feed the fungi. The truffles are eaten by the flying squirrels, which, in turn, are eaten by the spotted owls. Those trees are also sending energy into another part of the ecosystem that directly connects back to the owl.