Fungi Expert
Appearances
Global News Podcast
European leaders reaffirm support for Ukraine
Fungi are super important for the environment, and they're at risk for many of the same things that are problems for animals and plants. Loss of habitat, changes in climate, and overuse. And so those are all issues that fungi face. We're finding that fungi are challenged all over the world.
Global News Podcast
European leaders reaffirm support for Ukraine
We're seeing it in Western Africa, in Northern United States, in Sweden and Northern Europe and in South America. So every place fungi occur, they're seeing challenges.
Global News Podcast
European leaders reaffirm support for Ukraine
There's about 155,000 described species, but we estimate that there could be as many as 2 million out there. We just have a lot more work to do.
Global News Podcast
European leaders reaffirm support for Ukraine
Almost every plant depends on an intimate relationship with these fungi. The fungi bring in nutrients and water that the plants need. So without these fungi, we're not going to have our plants. We're not going to have our forest, our grasslands, or even our crop plants. And also, they're super important for sequestering carbon. So they would be a major impact on climate change.
Global News Podcast
European leaders reaffirm support for Ukraine
That's very correct. So the plants depend on these fungi and everything that depends on the plants, therefore, depend on the fungi as well.
Global News Podcast
European leaders reaffirm support for Ukraine
In some cases, it's just better land management. It's reducing loss of habitat. It is setting up preserves where they might be protected. So those are some of the actions that are really needed. We just need to think about fungi and include them in our conservation actions. Currently, they're usually not considered, and we need to change that.
Global News Podcast
European leaders reaffirm support for Ukraine
Until recently, we didn't think fungi were under threat. The idea was that they're doing fine. And so the results we just put out shows that fungi do need attention. They are under threat and we need to do something about it.
Global News Podcast
European leaders reaffirm support for Ukraine
The fungi bring in nutrients and water that the plants need. So without these fungi, we're not going to have our plants, we're not going to have our forest, our grasslands or even our crop plants.