Warming winters are disrupting the hidden world of fungi – the result can shift mountain grasslands to scrub

Over a three-decade experiment in the Rocky Mountains, fungi and plant life fundamentally changed. The result has consequences for cattle and wildlife.

By: Stephanie Kivlin, University of Tennessee; Aimee Classen, University of Michigan, and Lara A. Souza, University of Oklahoma, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: February 16, 2026

Words: 1,068

Last Updated: 3 weeks, 4 days ago

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By Stephanie Kivlin, University of Tennessee; Aimee Classen, University of Michigan, and Lara A. Souza, University of Oklahoma

When you look out across a snowy winter landscape, it might seem like nature is fast asleep. Yet, under the surface, tiny organisms are hard at work, consuming the previous year’s dead plant material and other organic matter.

These soil microorganisms – Earth’s recyclers – liberate nutrients that will act as fertilizer once grasses and other plants wake …

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