In soils polluted with mercury, certain types of fungi like Aspergillus and Fusarium thrive because they can soak up and neutralize the toxic metal, helping the ecosystem survive despite the pollution.

The fungi Ascomycota and Basidomycota are more common in soils with higher levels of total mercury and methylmercury.

In places where the soil has been polluted with mercury for a long time, there are fewer types of bacteria living in the soil, especially when the pollution is really bad—but fungi don’t seem to be as affected, which means bacteria are more sensitive to mercury than fungi.

In soils with mercury contamination, the most common types of fungi belong to groups called Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.

The fungi Blastocladiomycota are more common in soils with higher levels of bioavailable mercury.

When mercury pollutes the soil, the tiny microbes living there change how they work—they turn on genes that help them deal with the poison, which might help them survive in dirty environments.