The Impact of Biodiversity: Everything is Connected

Imagine a world where the forests are silent, the skies are empty, and oceans are contaminated. What you are picturing isn’t a distant future - it’s the reality that we are facing right now. Biodiversity is an intricate web that supports all life. Every species, from minuscule microbes to massive manatees, plays their own unique role in maintaining homeostasis on planet earth.

“I will argue that every scrap of biological diversity is priceless, to be learned and cherished, and never to be surrendered without a struggle.”
― E.O. Wilson

The focus of our labs are fungi, a kingdom of life which has been neglected by researchers. There is a vast black hole in our knowledge of fungi. We are working to collect fungi across the world, working to understand the biogeography. We help collect fungi, to further the science of mycology and our knowledge of biodiversity. Our community of volunteers is strong - we are soldiers in the fight against biodiversity loss.

Fungi represent an astonishingly diverse and largely unexplored component of Earth's biodiversity, with estimates suggesting there are between 2 to 3 million species globally, though over 90% remain unnamed. Tropical and temperate forests are hotspots for fungal richness, driven by environmental factors like climate and soil composition. Unlike plants and animals, fungi often display broader distribution ranges, with some groups showing island endemism while others do not. Conservation efforts for fungi are critically underdeveloped; only 625 species have been assessed for extinction risk globally, highlighting the need for targeted initiatives such as in situ habitat protection and ex situ storage in cryobanks. Given their ecological importance and unique distribution patterns, fungi deserve greater attention in biodiversity research and conservation planning.

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References

Niskanen, T., Lücking, R., Dahlberg, A., Gaya, E., Suz, L.M., Mikryukov, V., Liimatainen, K., Druzhinina, I., Westrip, J.R.S., Mueller, G.M., Martins-Cunha, K., Kirk, P., Tedersoo, L., & Antonelli, A. (2023). Pushing the Frontiers of Biodiversity Research: Unveiling the Global Diversity, Distribution, and Conservation of Fungi. Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 48(1), 149-176. https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-environ-112621-090937