How do northern flying squirrels help taiga trees through their relationship with fungi?

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Boreal forest in Alaska — Taiga Boreal forest, Alaska, U.S., dominated by spruce trees (*Picea*).

In the North American taiga, the northern flying squirrel plays a vital role in forest health through its diet. These squirrels consume the underground fruiting bodies, or sporocarps, of fungi that form mutualistic relationships with trees by colonizing their roots.1

By eating these fungi and subsequently dispersing their spores throughout the forest, the northern flying squirrel facilitates the spread of these beneficial organisms. This relationship is essential because the fungi provide significant advantages to the trees they colonize, ultimately benefiting the forest ecosystem as a whole.1