Biodiversity of microfungi in north Queensland

Abstract

Whereas about 85% of Australian higher plants are either named or known, as few as 5–10% of fungi are named or known. This is compounded by the fact that there are few taxonomic mycologists (32 working on up to 250 000 species of fungi) compared with higher plant taxonomists (e.g. 25 taxonomists working on 600 Eucalyptus sp.). Part of the reason for this is related to the size of the plants. Microfungi can only be seen with a microscope and are often overlooked. Fungi from three habitats are discussed: rainforests, freshwater streams and mangroves. Important reasons for research into these fungi are reported.