Port Angeles (AFP) – Enthusiasts and experts collect mushrooms during a field trip near Port Angeles in Washington state, but the dozens of species they found represent just a tiny fraction of life that is neither flora nor fauna. Of the at least 2.5 million species of fungus thought to exist on Earth, scientists have described around 150,000 — six percent — says mycologist Amy Honan. There is a burgeoning awareness of the importance of fungi, whose role is also set to come up for discussion at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP16 meeting in Colombia, which kicks off on Monday.
