Following decades in obscurity, the fungal realm — which ranks second only to animal life in terms of diversity — is now gaining attention. This newfound spotlight isn’t due to its crucial role in maintaining balanced ecosystems, but rather because it faces significant threats.
For the first time ever, over 1,000 fungal species have been included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species—a list commonly known as the “Barometer of Life.”
Similar to numerous living beings, these fungal varieties—which represent only a small portion of the estimated total—face threats from various elements such as forest clearance, urban expansion, and pollutants.
Lynne Boddy, a specialist in fungal ecology at Cardiff University, stated that fungi are highly susceptible to pollution, notably from fertilizers and emissions produced by burning fossil fuels.
She states that safeguarding them necessitates focused actions since they possess "unique requirements and should be evaluated based on their individual merit within conservation initiatives, rather than being grouped together with other species."
Is this not the least adorable creature in the woods?
However, making people aware of fungi – which are typically viewed as a pizza ingredient or an unwelcome sight on a moldy wall – can be quite challenging.
Many individuals are concerned for animals, especially when they are adorable, amiable beings with which people feel a connection, such as pandas," stated Boddy, noting that most fungi do not evoke similar emotions. "Perhaps humans find it difficult to empathize with them.
Fungi might not be contenders in cute competitions, yet they hold a vital position in maintaining the intricate network of life. These organisms can thrive in various habitats based on their kind—from soils and woodlands to fresh waters, oceanic systems, and sometimes even our own epidermis. Mycorrhizal fungi bolster forest communities by facilitating nutrient, water, and data exchanges among plants, forming beneficial partnerships with root structures across much of the vegetation world and playing an indispensable part in around 90% of all plant types' development.
To put it differently: "Fungi are essential for life on Earth," stated Gregory M. Mueller, who serves as the chief scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
They play an essential role in deaths on Earth. Referred to as nature’s decomposers, these organisms dismantle deceased or rotting timber, foliage, and various botanical debris. “In their absence, we would find ourselves submerged beneath heaps of organic refuse,” explained Mueller, who heads up the IUCN fungal initiatives and was part of the team behind the latest Red List.
The part fungi play in capturing carbon and ensuring food security
Although forests and grasslands are often cited as carbon reservoirs, it is actually fungi that aids in capturing carbon within the soil. According to Mueller, fungi play an essential role in long-term carbon sequestration—the process of storing carbon to prevent it from exacerbating global warming.
"He stated that without these organisms, climate change would be significantly more severe." These fungi play a crucial role by sequestering as much as one-third of yearly global fossil fuel emissions into the earth. This capability makes them the planet’s most effective natural carbon repository.
Simultaneously, fungi populations are influenced by climate change, primarily due to alterations in their water availability. Mueller provides an instance from Brazil, highlighting how mountainous cloud forests rely on specific humidity conditions that have been diminishing alongside shifts in precipitation trends.
He states that this not only alters the habitat but also "impacts the plants upon which the fungi rely; these plants dry up and hinder the fungi from completing their lifecycle."
A planet devoid of fungi wouldn’t just have harsher climates and increased extreme weather due to climbing global temperatures; it would also see trees and crops becoming feeble, growing at a sluggish pace, and succumbing more easily to illnesses and water scarcity.
This could affect the supply of food and medications. Approximately 40% of contemporary medicines in the West originate from plant sources. For instance, galantamine comes from Galanthus nivalis and is utilized to address Alzheimer’s disease; another example is apomorphine, a partly synthetic substance obtained from morphine found in Papaver somniferum, which is employed to manage Parkinson’s disease.
Fungi play such a crucial role in the tapestry of life that their disappearance would lead to the survival challenge for most organisms, including humans.
Aishwarya Veerabahu, a botanist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Botany, stated that 'If there weren’t fungi in the soil, I doubt life could exist on our planet. It's probable that plants spread across the land together with fungi, and without these organisms, our world may not have come into being.'
What needs to occur to safeguard endangered fungi?
It was only in 2021 that the IUCN began considering fungi alongside flora and fauna for conservation efforts. Boddy stated that this shift was a significant move," and he further noted that it is crucial now to determine which fungi are involved. at risk and look for methods to lessen the dangers they face.
So far, scientists have officially recognized around 155,000 types of fungi, but experts believe there could be as many as two to three million more waiting to be uncovered. This implies that we know very little about most of these organisms, and some might become extinct before we even find out they exist, according to Veerabahu’s statement for DW.
The management of forests and grasslands, involving deliberate actions within these environments, ought to consider fungi to avoid causing damage. For instance, this could involve “keeping sufficient numbers of trees and wood-based residues” when clearing land to support fungal growth. Additionally, it’s advisable to restrict “the use of fertilizer in both farmlands and natural meadows,” since adding fertilizers decreases the quantity and diversity of helpful fungi found in soil, according to Mueller.
We cannot afford to exclude fungi. Conservation efforts lacking fungi are inadequate.
Edited by: Tamsin Walker, Sarah Steffen
Author: Anna Chaika