Spores are almost weightless and can float long distances on a light breeze. But not all spores travel with the wind. Flies, attracted to mushrooms that smell like rotten meat, carry spores to a variety of locations. Animals such as flying squirrels and the Florida mouse will eat mushrooms and the spores will pass, unharmed, through their digestive tracts. Spores can also travel in water.
Some mushrooms have a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship with tree roots.
The hyphae attach themselves to the roots and absorb sugars and amino acids stored by the tree. The tree roots, with the help of the attached hyphae , are able to absorb more water and minerals, such as phosphorus and nitrogen. This cooperative relationship is essential for plants in the Florida scrub. Without it, many plants could not survive in the nutrient poor sand . Mushrooms that are mycorrhizal are not decomposers.