Humans are killing California Joshua trees. Can fungi save them?

"She parted some creosote branches to reveal a shriveled shrub, just ankle-high. This doomed seedling was part of a National Park Service planting effort to replace dozens of Joshua trees cut down by a Southern California Edison contractor tasked with protecting the company's power lines. But of the 193 babies planted here roughly five years ago, only 27, or 14%, are still alive, according to the Park Service. If researchers don't figure out why so few survived, an imperiled icon of the California desert may disappear even more quickly."

""Joshua trees are so resilient - they've been around for millions of years," said Anne Polyakov of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, who led the expedition. "But now they're facing too many stressors all at once." Described by some as spiritual guides or even family members, Joshua trees have inspired a wide range of artists and writers, from Indigenous people and pioneers to U2 and the creators of "Euphoria.""

""They kind of represent the whole spirit of the desert," she said. "It's beautiful and inviting, but it's also really tough and acerbic." Joshua trees also play a key role as a linchpin of the Mojave Desert ecosystem. They're typically the largest structures on the landscapes where they grow, and dozens of animals rely on them for food and shelter."

"But human development and the wildfires we create have destroyed swaths of their habitat, and climate change is threatening to make much of what r"

A scientist in the Mojave National Preserve searched for a baby Joshua tree that would not reach adulthood. A National Park Service planting effort aimed to replace Joshua trees cut down by a Southern California Edison contractor protecting power lines. Of about 193 seedlings planted roughly five years earlier, only 27 remained alive, leaving researchers to determine why survival is so low. Joshua trees are long-lived and resilient, yet face multiple stressors at once. Joshua trees hold cultural significance for many people and support the Mojave Desert ecosystem by providing major structure, food, and shelter for numerous animals. Habitat destruction from development and human-caused wildfires, along with climate change, further threatens their future.

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