“This is very similar to exploring the outer Universe.”
More than 2 million species of mushrooms that exist in nature are still unknown to science. Scientists say this is still “uncharted territory.” The researchers' report on the state of flora and fungi says that newly discovered plants should be listed as endangered by default.
More than 2 million species of fungi around the world are awaiting identification under what scientists have called “a new frontier of discovery” for life on Earth, writes The Guardian.
But the researchers also warn that the vast majority of new plant discoveries are endangered species that should be listed as endangered by default, warning that three-quarters of undescribed species are likely to become endangered.
From inhabitants of the human microbiome to the largest known terrestrial organism on the planet, fungi are second only to invertebrates in diversity – they are found in the air, inside plants and animals, as well as in the soil and ocean, in many shapes and sizes. More than 90% of these remain unknown to science, according to researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, who published a new assessment of fungal diversity as part of the State of the World's Plants and Fungi report, finding that there are likely to be around 2.5 million species, of which of which only 155,000 have been identified so far.
“This is uncharted territory, – notes Professor Alexander Antonelli, Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. – Over the past few years, we have seen a growing recognition of the role of fungi in… They support our life, our vegetation, they are absolutely necessary for every single species of animal. Now we have DNA testing, we're trying to push the boundaries. This is very similar to exploring the outer universe. Mushrooms – this is dark matter”.
Scientists' excitement about this undiscovered world has been tempered by concerns about the threat of extinction facing many newly discovered species, writes The Guardian.
Researchers found that of the vascular plant species identified in 2020, more than 77% already meet criteria for threatened, 59% of species are likely to meet criteria for threatened, and 24% are likely to meet these criteria later . Of the 350,000 species of vascular plants known to science, researchers believe about 100,000 remain to be identified, but a report from the Royal Botanic Gardens estimates that around one in three are likely to be threatened with extinction.
Scientists say all newly described species should be treated as endangered unless proven otherwise.
Researchers around the world are calling on the public to help with their identification efforts, which have been revolutionized by new DNA sequencing techniques that have revealed hundreds of species of fungi in a single teaspoon of soil. In the Netherlands, one scheme gives the public the opportunity to name any new fungal species found in soil samples they send to a laboratory.
Around 10,200 new fungal species have been officially described since 2020, but scientific advances mean researchers hope they can identify 50,000 new fungal species a year. This year, Kew researchers said they had discovered a new parasitic fungus that preys on trap spiders in the Brazilian rainforest.
Esther Gaia, a senior researcher at RBG Kew who specializes in fungi, said she was hopeful that identifying more species could lead to advances in medicine, agriculture and engineering, as well as help to better understand human diseases.
“DNA analysis techniques have revolutionized fungal research, far more than they have revolutionized plant and animal research. Initially, we only considered mushrooms and lichens, – she said. – Now we're talking about the gut microbiome. It has now been proven that many, many human diseases are caused by a fungus or an imbalance in our fungal community. Underground fungi connect trees and establish a symbiotic relationship with tree roots and exchange nutrients and water. Right now, you're inhaling fungal spores.
The report says identifying and characterizing new species of plants and fungi is a critical challenge for biodiversity science. The researchers identified 32 «dark spots» in plant diversity, where there are serious knowledge gaps, with the greatest gaps in Colombia, New Guinea and South-Central China.
“The problem is that we have a lot of knowledge gaps. We have many places around the world where we have not yet collected enough plants or have collected a very biased share of the biodiversity, – notes Antonelli.