Fungi database now online

January 26, 2002

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New Zealand has a very high number of native fungi species and a web site

launched last year will attempt to collate them all.

Hosted by Landcare Research, http://nzfungi.landcare.cri.nz holds details of

about 5500 named and currently-accepted species of fungi from New Zealand, a

figure thought to represent about 30% of this country's fungi. The remaining

70% has yet to be recorded.

To encourage ease of use, the database includes alternative names the

identified fungi are (rightly or wrongly) known by. It also makes available

the 68,000 records of fungi held in the New Zealand Fungal Herbarium,

Landcare Research, Auckland. About 42,000 of those are New Zealand native

species.

Landcare Research mycologist Dr Buchanan says the web site is geared

for use by professionals or keen amateurs.

" The general public would get the most use out of it if they know the

scientific name of a fungus and want to find out more about it. "

Although main users were expected to be agencies like the Ministry of

Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Conservation, Crown Research

Institutes, and universities, illustrated information and education for the

general public was planned, Dr Buchanan said.

There were good reasons for finding out more about New Zealand's relatively

unexplored fungal biodiversity, he said.

The country's economy was based on plants, many plant diseases were caused

by fungi or bacteria and fungi in the roots of 90% of plants helped them

absorb nutrients from the soil. " Millions of plants could not grow without

them. "

Fungi also had major roles in biosecurity.

- Landcare Research

Friday, 25-January 2002

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