TLDR
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Study in Current Biology finds native mycorrhizal fungi, some found nowhere else on Earth, are key to restoring Pisonia forests on Palmyra Atoll.
Key Takeaways
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Palmyra Atoll lost native forests to 19th-century coconut palm plantations; 1.5 million palms removed by 2022, black rats eradicated in 2011.
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Soil sampling beneath Pisonia trees revealed rare mycorrhizal fungi including several endemic species not found elsewhere globally.
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Researchers identified transplant sites where native fungi could be introduced alongside Pisonia seedlings to accelerate restoration.
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The dependency chain runs fungi > Pisonia trees > seabirds > guano > coral reefs > island sediment; breaking any link risks full system collapse.
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Coauthor Toby Kiers (Vrije University Amsterdam) argues restoration must pair native plants with native fungi, not plants alone.
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