Fungal numbers: global needs for a realistic assessment

Abstract

Estimates of global fungal diversity have varied widely, suggesting a range from fewer than one million to over 10 million species, with each of the estimates drawing data from various criteria. In 2022, Fungal Diversity published a special issue on fungal numbers. It had been hoped that the editorial would provide a more accurate account of the numbers of fungi. Instead, it was concluded that this was not possible based on present evidence and, some of the data necessary for accurate assessments was put forward, and the present paper expands on this short article. The review first looks at estimates of fungal numbers and what these estimates are based on. It then presents future research needs that will help us to gain a more accurate estimate of fungal numbers. This includes work that needs to be done in tropical rainforests, where the greatest diversity is expected, where whole rainforests, canopy diversity, and palm fungi are addressed. Case studies for lichens and associated fungi, soil and litter fungi, evidence from particle filtration, freshwater fungi, marine fungi, mushrooms, and yeasts will also be given. Once we have such information, we can obtain a more accurate estimate of fungal numbers.