Why fungi are important

These fungi are very specific to the insects they attack; they do not infect animals or plants. Fungi are currently under investigation as potential microbial insecticides, with several already on the market. For example, the fungus Beauveria bassiana is a pesticide being tested as a possible biological control agent for the recent spread of emerald ash borer.

Fungal Insecticides : The emerald ash borer is an insect that attacks ash trees. It is in turn parasitized by a pathogenic fungus that holds promise as a biological insecticide. The parasitic fungus appears as white fuzz on the body of the insect.

The mycorrhizal relationship between fungi and plant roots is essential for the productivity of farm land. Without the fungal partner in root systems, 80—90 percent of trees and grasses would not survive. Mycorrhizal fungal inoculants are available as soil additives from gardening supply stores and are promoted by supporters of organic agriculture.

Fungi figure prominently in the human diet. Morels, shiitake mushrooms, chanterelles, and truffles are considered delicacies. The meadow mushroom, Agaricus campestris , appears in many dishes. We would effectively be lost under piles many metres thick, of dead plant and animal remains. Mycorrhizae and plant growth Fungi are vitally important for the good growth of most plants, including crops, through the development of mycorrhizal associations.

As plants are at the base of most food chains, if their growth was limited, all animal life, including human, would be seriously reduced through starvation. Food Fungi are also important directly as food for humans. Many mushrooms are edible and different species are cultivated for sale worldwide. While this is a very small proportion of the actual food that we eat, fungi are also widely used in the production of many foods and drinks.

These include cheeses, beer and wine, bread, some cakes, and some soya bean products. While a great many wild fungi are edible, it can be difficult to correctly identify them. Some mushrooms are deadly if they are eaten. Fungi with names such as 'Destroying Angel' and 'Death Cap' give us some indication that it would not be a terribly good idea to eat them!

In some countries, collecting wild mushrooms to eat is a popular activity. It is always wise to be totally sure that what you have collected is edible and not a poisonous look-a-like. Significant increases in the yield of crop plants following inoculation with AMF have been observed in numerous experiments Thilagar and Bagyaraj, ; Bagyaraj and Ashwin, The diseases of crop plants can be controlled by some antagonistic fungi such as Glomus sp. Species of Trichoderma T.

Other positive effects of fungi on soil quality and plant health include inoculation by microbial consortia of AMF together with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria PGPR and others such as N-fixing and P-solubilizing microorganisms Bagyaraj and Ashwin, TABLE 1. Fungal community composition in different soil ecosystems and their function. Besides beneficial fungi, agri- and horticultural ecosystems contain also plant pathogens. The major groups of soil-borne root pathogenic fungi and oomycetes constitute of genera Fusarium Michielse and Rep, , Verticillium Klosterman et al.

The soil fungal diversity and methods of increasing it, particularly the populations of beneficial fungi within ecosystems should be used in practice for more sustainable plant production, decrease of chemical applications and protection of the soil environment. Soil microorganisms, including fungi are an important component of grassland ecosystems due to their biochemical activity and engagement in nutrient cycling Dengler et al. Grasslands provide many forms of ecosystem services including: supporting, provisioning, regulatory, and cultural services.

Importantly, the role of biodiversity has been established as fundamental in ensuring the performance of ecosystem functioning. Grazing activities influence soil fungal community structure by changing edaphic conditions and the vegetation biodiversity in plant communities Yang et al. It has been proven that moderate grazing sustains plants diversity while heavy grazing results in species loss Joubert et al.

Furthermore, plant-fungal interactions can inhibit biodiversity in grasslands due to the production of different root exudates such as enzymes, organic compounds, and polysaccharides Huhe et al. Plant pathogenic fungi also have a large impact on plant diversity in grasslands by limiting the abundance of their hosts, affecting biomass production. The study by Allan et al.

Soil fungal communities in grasslands can also be influenced by human activities and the components of long-term fertilization and other treatments Cassman et al.

Unlike in agricultural soils, where ascomycetes dominate, in grasslands, basidiomycetes are major decomposers of dead organic matter Deacon et al. Knowledge of the soil chemical and physical properties has always been of interest to foresters to evaluate the capacity of sites and to increase forest productivity Schoenholtz et al.

Ectomycorrhizal associations are created by a specific group of plant families that includes the Pinaceae, Fabaceae, Betulaceae, and Fagaceae Phosri et al. During the processes of thinning, the transfer of nutrients from aboveground biomass to forest soil takes place Tian et al.

A higher concentration of nutrients comes from the green litter of thinned trees than litter returned to the forest floor after senescence Girisha et al. Consequently, the quality and quantity of organic substrates presented to the soil fungal community by thinned and non-thinned forests may vary to a great extent. Soil organic matter is of key relevance in maintaining soil resistance and stability, although it is uncertain how deterioration of soil properties and changes in fungal communities affect the functional stability of soils.

Degradation of soil properties followed by deforestation may lead to decreases in soil fungal diversity and functional stability Chaer et al. Soil health conditions have a tremendous impact on environmental sustainability including sustainability in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. Moreover, soil health is directly connected with the production of healthy food which impacts public and animal health. More research is required to find the best way to maintain fungal biodiversity in soil, taking into consideration fungal functions and ecosystem services, including disease control, contamination detection, and bioremediation.

Having the right tools, and being able to both identify species and characterize their role in the environment is important. The ability to compare functional structures between ecosystems and predict responses to environmental changes and interventions would be a useful advance.

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The authors greatly thank Dr. Abawi, G.

Impact of soil health management practices on soilborne pathogens, nematodes and root diseases of vegetable crops. Soil Ecol. Allan, E. Foliar fungal pathogens and grassland biodiversity.

Ecology 91, — Arnolds, E. Moore, M. Nauta, S. Evans, and M. Rotheroe Cambridge: Cambridge University Press , 64— Applying mycorrhiza biotechnology to horticulture: significance and potentials. Bagyaraj, D. Soil biodiversity: role in sustainable horticulture. Crops 5, 1— Baldrian, P.

Interactions of heavy metals with white-rot fungi. Enzyme Microb. An Illumina metabarcoding pipeline for fungi. Bastida, F. The impacts of organic amendments: do they confer stability against drought on the soil microbial community? Soil Biol. Baum, C. Increasing the productivity and product quality of vegetable crops using arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: a review.

Behnke-Borowczyk, J. Molecular methods used in studies of diversity of the soil microorganisms. Sylwan , — Google Scholar. Blagodatskaya, E. Active microorganisms in soil: critical review of estimation criteria and approaches. Cai, X. Grassland degradation decrease the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi species in Tibet Plateau.

Horti Agrobot. Cardoso, E. Soil health: looking for suitable indicators. What should be considered to assess the effects of use and management on soil health? Cassman, N. Plant and soil fungal but not soil bacterial communities are linked in long-term fertilized grassland.

Metagenomic analysis exploring taxonomic and functional diversity of soil microbial communities in Chilean vineyards and surrounding native forests.

PeerJ 5:e Chaer, G. Comparative resistance and resilience of soil microbial communities and enzyme activities in adjacent native forest and agricultural soils. We also eat some types of fungi. Mushrooms figure prominently in the human diet. Morels, shiitake mushrooms, chanterelles, and truffles are considered delicacies [link].

The humble meadow mushroom, Agaricus campestris , appears in many dishes. Molds of the genus Penicillium ripen many cheeses. They originate in the natural environment such as the caves of Roquefort, France, where wheels of sheep milk cheese are stacked in order to capture the molds responsible for the blue veins and pungent taste of the cheese.

Fermentation—of grains to produce beer, and of fruits to produce wine—is an ancient art that humans in most cultures have practiced for millennia. Wild yeasts are acquired from the environment and used to ferment sugars into CO 2 and ethyl alcohol under anaerobic conditions. It is now possible to purchase isolated strains of wild yeasts from different wine-making regions.

This was one of the first examples of biotechnology patenting. Many secondary metabolites of fungi are of great commercial importance. Antibiotics are naturally produced by fungi to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria, limiting their competition in the natural environment. Important antibiotics, such as penicillin and the cephalosporins, are isolated from fungi. Valuable drugs isolated from fungi include the immunosuppressant drug cyclosporine which reduces the risk of rejection after organ transplant , the precursors of steroid hormones, and ergot alkaloids used to stop bleeding.