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Experts said mushrooms could help solve some of the world's biggest challenges, such as finding clean fuels and fighting plastic waste.
A new report estimates that there are about three million species of mushrooms, but little is known about this kingdom of nature "Jekyll and Hyde".
Many species may already be threatened by habitat loss, nitrogen pollution and climate change.
According to the first study on the state of mushrooms in the world, this could have greater impact on wildlife and the natural systems that depend on it.
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Mushrooms could help tackle some of the world's biggest challenges, such as the search for clean fuels and the fight against plastic waste, experts said. A new report estimates that there are about three million species of mushrooms, but little is known about this kingdom of nature "Jekyll and Hyde".
The study was conducted by researchers at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and their report talks about a mushroom found in a landfill in Pakistan, capable of degrading plastics, such as polyester polyurethane.
This is done in a few weeks – rather than hundreds of years – raising hope for new ways to combat global plastic pollution.
Fungi living in plants can also break down molecules in plant cell walls directly into chemicals with properties similar to diesel.
It could also help make biofuels more economical and sustainable than they are now.
Fungi that can grow in extremely acidic conditions and tolerate high levels of gamma radiation could help clean up sites contaminated with radioactive waste, the report says.
Many species could be threatened by habitat loss, nitrogen pollution and climate change. Penicillium mushrooms are used for the production of the first penicillin antibiotic
Kew's science director, Professor Kathy Willis, said, "The potential of fungi to solve clearly critical problems is very strong.
"This report represents the first time that understanding of mushrooms is brought together in one document. It's an incredibly diverse, yet hidden kingdom.
"Our knowledge of mushrooms is so low compared to plants and animals.
"And yet, with regard to future global challenges, mushrooms may well answer many questions."
This could have wider impacts on wildlife and the natural systems that depend on it, warned the first study on the state of mushrooms in the world.
Kew experts also warned that only 56 species were assessed for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, compared to 25,452 plants and 68,054 animals.
More than 2000 new species of mushrooms were found last year, in the soil, forests and caves.
However, new micro-species have also been found in various places, including under fingernails, on a baby carrier and on oil paints.
The analysis of a bunch of ceps from the supermarket even revealed three new species, Kew experts said.
They are extremely important for life, with fungi that grow around the roots and help the plants absorb more water and nutrients, helping 90% of the world's plants grow.
The Beard Mushroom is protected from picking in Britain and is a priority species for conservation
A new species identified in the desert soils of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could help lime, pomegranate and grape plants survive in difficult conditions.
But they can also be among the most dangerous organisms, responsible for problems such as ash dieback and honey fungi.
Humans eat about 350 species, mushroom truffles, meat substitutes and blue cheese, as well as products like beer and bread that need yeast.
The market is worth 32 billion pounds ($ 42 billion) a year.
They also provide medications, such as penicillin, statins and immunosuppressive drugs needed for transplants and speed up the chemical processes in the industry.
Afungus found in a landfill in Pakistan that is capable of degrading plastics, such as polyester polyurethane. Lichens such as Rhizocarpon Geographicum are also part of the mushroom kingdom
Professor Willis added, "These are the Jekyll and the Hyde because they are important to all aspects of life on Earth, but they are also among the most devastating organisms in life on Earth."
She warned that, as many mushrooms were not easily visible, they were not valued, and therefore not conserved, while habitats such as wood edges and wetlands where they are found are disappearing.
"We have to change this because with the climate change many mushrooms become very stressed, they like the rain, they like wet and humid environments, things get drier and hot, things get lost".
Climate change could harm beneficial species, affecting plant survival and reducing carbon storage, while rising temperatures could also mean the spread of fungal pathogens.
But they could also help factories mitigate some of the effects of climate change, such as increased drought and flooding, according to the report.
Professor Willis added that there was a significant lack of knowledge about the threats to fungi or how they were changing due to climate change, and that more research was needed.
WHAT ARE THE OLDEST MUSHROOMS DISCOVER?
For many years, mushrooms have been grouped together or confused with plants.
It was only in 1969 that they officially got their "kingdom", alongside animals and plants, although their distinct characteristics were recognized well before that.
Yeast, mildew and mold are fungi, as are many forms of large, mushroom-like organisms that grow in moist forest environments and absorb nutrients from dead or living organics.
Unlike plants, fungi do not photosynthesize and their cell walls are devoid of cellulose.
Geologists studying samples of lava from a drilling site in South Africa discovered fossilized gas bubbles, which contained what may be the earliest fossil record (photo) of the branch of life to which humans belong.
Geologists studying samples of lava from a drilling site in South Africa discovered fossilized gas bubbles 800 meters (2,600 feet) underground.
In April 2017, they revealed that they contained the oldest mushrooms ever found.
The researchers examined samples taken from rock drill holes buried deep underground, when they discovered microscopic creatures dating back 2.4 billion years ago.
It is thought to be the oldest fungi of about 1.2 billion years old.
The Earth itself is about 4.6 billion years old.
The Earth itself is about 4.6 billion years old and the earliest examples of eukaryotes – the "super-habit" of life that includes plants, animals and fungi, but not the bacteria – date back 1.9 billion years. Fossils have thin filaments grouped like brooms (photo)
They could be the oldest evidence of eukaryotes – the "deception" of life that includes plants, animals and fungi, but not bacteria.
The oldest examples of eukaryotes – the "super-habit" of life, which includes plants, animals and fungi, but not bacteria – date back 1.9 billion years. This makes this sample 500 million years older.
It was believed that the first mushrooms had appeared on Earth, but newly found organisms lived and thrived under an ancient seabed.
And the dating of the discovery suggests that not only do these mushroom-like creatures live in a dark, cavernous world devoid of light, but they also lack oxygen.
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