New edible fungi among thousands of newly discovered mushrooms | Environment

New species of porcini mushrooms, chanterelles and portobello mushrooms were among the 2,000 new species of mushrooms discovered in 2017, which scientists say shows just how little is known about organisms.

More than 30 billion pounds of edible mushrooms are sold each year, according to a report released Wednesday by scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in the UK. But life forms are even more vital for plants – 90% depend on fungi to grow – and many human drugs such as penicillin are derived from fungi.

Other fungi, from mold fungi to yeasts, also kill many plants and the global trade is pushing diseases into new countries, such as the ash dieback that has spread in the UK . However, only 144,000 species are known to science, out of a total estimated at about three million.

"Their ability to play the roles of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in their environment is unparalleled [but] historically, they have remained in the shadow of research on plants and animals, "said Professor Kathy Willis, Kew's director of science. "We have just started to discover the secrets of this amazing and diverse group of organizations."

New species of mushrooms have been discovered all over the world. Three species of golden chanterelles were found in Canada – all edible – while other new chanterelles were found in the Central African Republic and South Korea. A new porcini mushroom – also confirmed as edible – has been found in India. However, scientists have not always needed to go until now – Kew scientists found three new species of porcini in a pack of dried Chinese mushrooms bought in London in 2013.

New discoveries include two new species of musk truffle from Hungary and 33 new species of Agaricus from China, Thailand, Brazil, Spain and Italy. The genus Agaricus includes the commonly consumed button mushroom, also sold as portobello mushrooms when corks are fully developed or chestnut mushrooms when corks are closed.

Among the inedible groups, there were 179 new fibrecap species from Australia, Europe and India. Fungi of this genus, called Inocybe, produce compounds such as hallucinogen psilocybin and muscarine toxin. Other notable discoveries include a bright orange, salt-tolerant fungus native to the Andes in Chile.

New molds have been found in an extraordinary range of environments, with 37 new species of Aspergillus mold discovered in soils, plant tissues, a biofilm of rock walls, a baby carrier backpack, an oil painting, a fingernail and house dust.

The Kew report involved more than 100 scientists from 18 countries and reported fungi that can help plants survive drought and others that can break down woody plant residues into fuel. "As the foundation of the world's ecosystems, mushrooms are potentially the answer to everything from food security and biofuels to desertification and advances in medicine," Willis said.

But she also warned that more research is needed on dangerous fungi: "Worldwide, the spread of fungal pathogens that devastate crops and communities of wild plants is a major concern, a threat that seems to increase with change. climate.