Truffle fungi fruit underground and rely on diggers to spread spores
Unlike mushrooms that loft spores into the wind, true truffles mature as sealed underground lumps, so they cannot self-broadcast through open air.
Strong aromas lure mammals and insects to dig them up; eating and caching moves spores to new soil patches near tree roots. Many truffles also partner as mycorrhizae with those trees.
Hidden fruit is still public ecology. Truffles show fungi and wildlife habitats co-evolving — scent as a ticket that keeps subterranean biodiversity circulating.
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