export_ofoct.com

[00:00.40] Fungi play an important role in ecosystems, are a source of food, and make key contributions to the world of medicine.

[00:11.30] So, why do we know so little about them?

[00:15.81] An estimated two million fungal species – more than 90% of all fungi – have yet to be described by science, according to Rebecca Morelle, science reporter for the BBC.

[00:32.28] In the UK alone, there are thought to be around 25,000 species of fungi – five or six times more than plants.

[00:44.23] Scientists are trying to find out more about this largely unexplored world, but it is challenging.

[00:52.99] Dr Martyn Ainsworth, a senior researcher from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London, says: 'We can grow a certain number in the lab, but there is a whole host of fungi that we cannot grow in the lab. This has held back a lot of research.'

[01:12.91] The fact that we know so little about the world of fungi leads many of us to misunderstand them.

[01:22.22] 'A lot of people are afraid of poisonous mushrooms', says Dr Jassy Drakulic, a plant pathologist, 'but only a very small proportion of the thousands of species of fungi in the world can cause disease'.

[01:37.62] Most are harmless and often beneficial, called by some 'the hidden helpers of our environment'.

[01:46.92] Some fungi provide food and shelter for wildlife, help plants absorb water and nutrients and recycle waste and dead matter.

[01:58.87] Other types of fungi grow on the roots of trees and plants, forming a huge underground network that helps nourish trees.

[02:09.50] 'Fungi are really the behind-the-scenes team that are doing all the work', adds Dr Ainsworth.

[02:18.00] So, next time you add mushrooms to your dinner, take a painkiller for a headache, or go for a walk through the woods, remember to thank the living things that made it all possible – fungi.