Biologists have long known mushrooms of the genus Mycena, commonly known as bonnet mushrooms, as fungi that live off of dead trees and plants. New research from the University of Copenhagen demonstrates that bonnets can also find their ways into young, healthy trees and plants, where they try to cooperate. In doing so, they have made an evolutionary leap which challenges our understanding of the ecological roles of fungi.
Wholly necessary. This is a case of symbiosis between trees and fungi. Fungi get sugars, trees get nitrogen - and possibly a social network.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48257315