Some of the oldest living trees on Earth are in the temperate rainforests of the Chilean Coast Range. Second only to the bristlecone pine in age, these endangered, slow-growing alerce trees (Fitzroya cupressoides) shelter an impressive assortment of hidden fungal life underground.1 In fact, a recent study investigates how these trees and fungi support one another.2
Mycorrhizal fungal communities are fungi that form important symbiotic (mutually beneficial) associations with plant roots. Researchers are finding that these networks are an important part of about 80% of land plants, especially in rainforests. Approximately a billion tons of carbon are moved into Earth’s soils by complex mycorrhizal communities. Alerce trees have such a symbiotic relationship with the fungi in their soil.
ICR scientist Dr. Jeff Tomkins explained,
Mutually beneficial relationships [exist] between plants and certain fungi that colonize the soil surrounding the plants’ root systems. These beneficial soil microorganisms are called “mycorrhizal fungi” and are known to promote overall plant growth and help them cope with insect attacks, pathogens, and drought stress. In fact, scientists had been aware of the possibility that mycorrhizal fungi could enable plants growing together in close groups to signal and prime each other’s chemical defense systems in response to attacks by insects.3
Indeed, ecologists from the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), writing in Biodiversity and Conservation, stated, “Soil fungi are key elements of ecosystem health and functioning through their roles in organic matter decomposition, biogeochemical cycling, and plant productivity, among other processes.”2 The mutualistic symbiosis between the mycorrhizal fungi and plant roots augments the acquisition of plant nutrients, improves plant resistance to stressors, and stabilizes the physical soil environment—all of which facilitate a healthy and stable environment.
Not only do the mycorrhizal fungi help the trees, but the trees foster diversity among the fungi. As part of the study, ecologists took soil samples from underneath alerce trees to determine how many species of fungus lived there. At over 2,400 years old, the alerce tree known as Gran Abuelo was the largest of the trees studied and had more than 300 fungal species. There are at least as many unnamed species waiting to be discovered, especially with the older, larger alerces. Truong et al. reported,
[Studies] repeatedly showed that old-growth trees harbor unique EcM [ectomycorrhizal] fungal communities in their rhizospheres [a biologically active region of soil that is directly influenced by plant root secretions] that change as the tree or the stand mature. Old, large-diameter trees can therefore act as drivers of belowground mycorrhizal diversity by accumulating adapted microbes in their rhizosphere during their long-life span [sic].2
How important is this research? The scientists stated in their paper that the loss of fungal diversity in the soil “can trigger cascading negative effects on multiple ecosystem functions.”2
This current research reveals how God has engineered alerce and belowground fungi with the ability to grow and adapt as they support one another. Clearly, the supportive processes under these massive trees are not the result of chance and time but purpose and design. And the incredible complexity seen in mycorrhizal fungal networks has existed since creation. As stated in the Journal of Creation, “God created complex cooperative systems with astounding complexity from the beginning. He initially created organism archetypes programmed for holistic relational interaction, which is an important element in proposed creation-based species concepts.”4
This fascinating research demonstrates sophisticated biochemical interactions between the old Chilean trees and the many hundreds of species of fungus found in the surrounding soils. The trees protect the diversity of the fungal species by acting as an “umbrella,” which contributes to the overall health of the forest via God’s interface design between the two different organisms.2 God’s providence and design in complex mutualistic symbiosis is clear even in our fallen world.
References
- Thomas, B. Why Aren’t Earth’s Oldest Trees Older? Creation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org April 12, 2010.
- Truong, C. et al. 2026. Large-Diameter Trees Disproportionately Contribute to Soil Fungal Diversity in a Coniferous Forest with One of Oldest Living Trees on Earth. Biodiversity and Conservation. 35, article 94.
- Tomkins, J. P. Plants Use Underground ‘Fungal Internet’ to Communicate. Creation Science Update. Posted on ICR.org August 5, 2013.
- Hennigan, T., R. Guliuzza, and G. Lansdell. 2022. Interface Systems and Continuous Environmental Tracking as a Design Model for Symbiotic Relationships. Journal of Creation. 36 (2): 97–105.
* Dr. Sherwin is a science news writer at the Institute for Creation Research. He earned an M.A. in invertebrate zoology from the University of Northern Colorado and received an honorary doctorate of science from Pensacola Christian College.
