The Fungal Dimension of Biodiversity : Magnitude, Significance and Conservation.

By D. L. Hawksworth

 

The research was done by D.L. Hawksworth who was a mycologist and interested in classifying the fungi. The intention of this research done is actually to understand about the characteristics of the fungi and their interactions with the external environment. The fungi is a very dynamic component of the ecosystem. Its importance towards the environment and the diverse interesting characteristics, enables the mycologists to do this research to identify the fungi species. The diverse characteristics of the fungi makes them difficult to be identified and classified. This is due to the fact that the fungi imposes both plant and animal characteristics. Thus, numerous consideration was done in fungal dimension of biodiversity. This consideration of the fungal dimension of biodiversity presents numerous scientifically exciting new research opportunities, but also major organizational and structural challenges. Besides, t is considered conservative as it is based on the lower estimates of world vascular plants, no separate provision is made for the vast numbers of insects now suggested to exist, ratios are based on areas still not fully known mycologically, and no allowance is made for higher ratios in tropical and polar regions. The research was done by studying cconservation in terms of in situ and ex situ at the environment towards the fungi colony. This step enables the mycologists to understand about the conservative characteristics of the fungi colony. The significance of culture collections was also stressed to do this research successfully. International collaboration was required to develop a world inventory, quantify functional roles, and for effective conservation of the fungi. From this research, we can know that the fungi are the second largest group of organisms in the world after the insects.The quantification of the importance of fungal biodiversity in both ecosystem function and to the maintenance of Gaia poses many challenging questions. The destruction of tropical and temperate habitats yet not or inadequately explored for fungi, makes conservation a key issue for mycologists. The increasing realization of the widespread nature of mutualismms involving fungi, and evidence for their co-evolution, raises questions in regard to both the origin of land plants and to the subsequent evolution of them and their dependent organisms.