Everyday fungi

You will find fungi in your everyday life, even if you don't know they're there. Here are a series of articles demonstrating the impact of fungi on your day-to-day, and the vitally important role they play in the natural environment and in our lives:

Fungi's essential role in carbon storage
The influence of fungi around town
Life saving impact of fungi on cardiovascular disease
Ever wondered what it's like to go on a fungal foray?
Antifungal medications that relieve our pains, and how the fungi are becoming resistant to them
What could fungi have to do with the LGBTQ community?
Sustainable insulation for our homes using fungal mycelium
The love-hate relationship of fungi and insects
What climate change does for fungi and the subsequent risks to coffee and bananas
The use of fungi in archaeology

How much do you know?

Download our fungus-themed quiz here and test your knowledge, or take it to your pub to incorporate into an autumn pub quiz, or just have fun at home and find out what you do or don't know. NOTE: The answers are on the last page so don't look ahead if you want to test yourself!

Belowground carbon and fungi

The primary carbon sequestration of fungi is through their symbiotic relationships with plants. Approximately 90% of plant species worldwide can form mycorrhizal associations, that influence seedling survival, plant nutrition, growth, and resistance to disease, pollutants and droughts through more efficient water uptake and extended reach. Plants rely on mycorrhizal fungi to survive.

Image: Mycelium in forest floor

Fungi about town

On a brief mycological journey through Falmouth town centre we probably spent 5-10 minute outside each shop / location and we were able to discuss the relevance of fungi in our everyday lives without stepping into a forest, or travelling more than 2 minutes walk from the urban centre. Fungi are all around us and there is always an opportunity to showcase this amazing group.

Image: Falmouth town centre

Fungi and statins

Statins were discovered by a Japanese biochemist, Akira Endo, who was inspired by Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin to look for other useful fungal compounds. Since then, other statins have been produced either directly from fungi such as Aspergillus terreus or synthetically and have massively reduced cardiovascular disease. The most commonly prescribed statin is Atorvastatin and this is produced synthetically from mevalonate, a secondary fungal metabolite.

Image: Aspergillus terreus

Meet a field mycologist

Stephen Plummer has been going to fungus forays for a number of years, having bought a microscope and joined a local fungus group. Stephen explains that getting into fungi is not the easiest thing and has suggestions for how to get involved.

Antonio_e_Biagio_e_Cesare_Arrigo_Aspergillus_fumigatus.jpg

The rising threat of fungal diseases and antifungal resistance

You may think of fungi just as mushrooms in the forest, or moulds on food, but there are probably over 5 million different species of fungi and some of them can infect us and cause serious disease. For a long time we have had a small number of antifungal medications that have been used quite effectively to treat fungal infections, from simple athlete's foot creams, medicated shampoos, or powerful injected drugs used to treat life-threatening fungal diseases in hospitals. But now, fungi are becoming increasingly resistant to many of our antifungal drugs.

Image: Aspergillus fumigatus

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What's queer about fungi?

What could fungi have to do with the LGBTQ community and queerness? Many queer people like to look to nature for examples of queerness, and when we do this, fungi tend to stand out. When we talk about nature being ‘queer’, it is not necessarily that there is anything in fungi that would ever be directly related to an LGBTQ identity. However, they can remind us that some of our widely accepted, but overly simplistic ways to understand sex, gender, reproduction, and identity are not universal in the natural world. Fungi not only live outside our concepts, but do so in a multitude of different ways!

Image: Schizophyllum commune

Fungi as sustainable insulation for homes

With a considerable portion of energy in homes going towards heating and cooling, the need for effective insulation has never been more critical. This is especially true as temperature extremes become more frequent and severe, compounding the current problem. Traditional insulation like expanded polystyrene and mineral wool are effective insulation materials but come with unignorable environmental costs. They're energy-intensive to produce, take thousands of years to degrade, can be toxic and flammable, and drain natural resources. Enter fungi- specifically, fungal mycelium.

Image: Mycelium based composite

Fungal-insect relations

Some insects form mutualistic relationships with fungi where the fungi provide nutrients or shelter, and the insects contribute to spore dispersal. However, fungi are not always beneficial to insects; they can act as pathogens, significantly influencing insect population dynamics and community structure. A notable example are Cordyceps species, which infect and manipulate insect behaviour to increase spore dispersal.

Image: Tree cricket with multiple white cordyceps fruiting from it (credit Max Mudie)

Fungi, coffee, bananas and climate change

Coffee rust (a disease caused by the fungus Hemileia vastatrix). along with additional pressure from climate change and wider global trade increasing the geographical spread of pathogens, threatens crops (and cups) of coffee. Likewise, bananas are sensitive to temperature rises, and the warming world helps the spread of Fusarium oxysporum, a fungal infection deadly to banana trees.

Image: Coffee leaf rust defoliation

The hidden world of fungi in archaeology

Fungi are incredibly resilient. Viable fungal spores have been found preserved in Antarctic ice-cores dating to over 3 million years ago. This extraordinary longevity means that fungi can provide a biological window into the distant past, offering clues about ancient environments and ecosystems. With modern sequencing technologies that can be used to detect and identify fungal DNA, and biochemical techniques that can detect trace quantities of fungal metabolites, it is possible to identify species present at archaeological sites and build up a better picture of distant lives and cultural practices.