On the importance of fungi …
Jonathan Cazabonne, a PhD student at the University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, and I wrote a correspondence about the need for fungal taxonomy (and funding) for Nature. However, apparently, (even) correspondences are hidden behind a paywall and authors are not offered the option to pay an open-access fee. This is sad, and the reason that I copy-pasted the correspondence here in this post so everyone can read it without having to pay a ridiculous $4.99 for 48-hour online access.
‘Invisible and uncharismatic’ fungi need taxonomy champions, too
Dasheng Liu observes how taxonomy teaching and research has declined, with devastating consequences for biodiversity conservation (D. Liu Nature 633, 741; 2024). He refers to how “credit hours for botany and zoology modules have halved at many universities in China”. We would like to make a plea for mycology — the study of fungi — to be put on an equal footing with botany and zoology. The teaching of mycology is rare in university curricula. When taught, it is often subsumed into botany courses, despite fungi forming their own taxonomic kingdom. This plea is more than a mycologist’s quibble. Unlike many animals and plants, most fungi are invisible to the naked eye, uncharismatic and evoke fear or disgust. As a result, mycology is underfunded, struggles to attract young scientists and is under-represented in conservation. A mere 0.5% of described fungal species have been assessed for the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. Promoting mycology as a standalone discipline is urgent, as are efforts to render fungal taxonomy more appealing as a field. Otherwise, integrating one of the most hyperdiverse and ecologically important areas of biodiversity into global conservation agendas will remain illusory. Jonathan Cazabonne The University of Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, Canada. Danny Haelewaters Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budéjovice, Czech Republic. danny.haelewaters@gmail.com
Citation: Cazabonne J, Haelewaters D. 2024. ‘Invisible and uncharismatic’ fungi need taxonomy champions, too. Nature 635: 39. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03612-x
