Study
Monophyletic origins of the metazoa: an evolutionary link with fungi
Wainright, P. O.; Hinkle, G.; Sogin, M. L.; Stickel, S. K.
Science, 1993
Ribosomal RNA sequences from animals, fungi, plants and several protist groups were compared to reconstruct the branching order of the major eukaryote lineages.
- Studied in
- Fungi, Metazoa, Choanoflagellata
- Sample size
- ribosomal RNA sequences across eukaryote groups
Animals and fungi grouped together, to the exclusion of plants, sharing a more recent common ancestor with each other than either does with the plant lineage.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Animals and fungi are sister groups, and the traditional placement of fungi with plants is not supported by molecular data.
How NatureHQ reads it
The basis for one of the genuinely surprising true facts on the site: a mushroom is a closer relative of yours than of the tree it grows on. It also explains things that otherwise look like coincidences — fungi store glycogen rather than starch, build chitin as animals do in their skeletons, and get their carbon by digesting other organisms. What made them look plant-like was that they do not move, which turns out to be the least informative thing about them.
- Based on one gene family; the conclusion has since been confirmed with genome-scale data, which is the stronger evidence.
- Resolves branching order, not the biology of the shared ancestor.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: American Association for the Advancement of SciencePublished in Science or Science Advances (AAAS).
doi.org/10.1126/science.8469985
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref on 2026-08-30.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-30.