This research investigated the microscopic organisms living in soil where wild pine-spike mushrooms (Chroogomphus rutilus) grow naturally. Understanding these soil microbes could help scientists figure out how to cultivate these valuable edible mushrooms commercially. The study found a diverse community of bacteria and fungi that may play important roles in helping the mushrooms grow. Impacts on everyday life: • Could lead to commercial cultivation of currently wild-only edible mushrooms • Advances understanding of how beneficial soil microbes support plant and fungal growth • May help develop more sustainable farming practices by understanding natural growth relationships • Could provide new sources of natural compounds for medicine and biotechnology • Demonstrates the importance of studying complete ecological systems rather than single species