Microbial and Fungi Biodiversity

Microbial:

Microbial secondary metabolites that include organic substances, food additives, bio-pesticides enzymes, etc. are just a few examples of what we should invest in both economically and scientifically.

Microorganisms include all living organisms other than plants and animals and are mostly microscopic cellular organisms that include bacteria, mycoplasmas, protozoa, fungi and some algae. The non-cellular replicative agents such as viruses and viroids are metabolically inactive but genetically active and usually included in microbial studies.

Lack of information regarding the current situation of microorganism diversity is also combined to lack of research programs related to their role in ecosystem functions. The combined effects result in under-utilizing practical monitoring systems. Such systems would provide information about environmental functions or ecosystem changes. It is difficult to detect early changes in ecosystems without proper techniques. One example is drinking water testing for microbial contamination.

Fungi:

Fungi are among the most important organisms in the world, not only because of their vital roles in ecosystem functions but also because of their influence on humans and human-related activities. Fungi are essential to such crucial activities as decomposition, nutrient cycling, and nutrient transport and are indispensable for achieving sustainable development (Palm and Chapela 1998). Some species are important plant and animal pathogens; others form obligate mutualistic symbioses with sundry species of plants, algae, cyanobacteria, and animals. Fungi are also of great economic importance, having both positive and negative effects on human activities. They have been domesticated for use in the brewing, baking, industrial fermentation, pharmaceutical, and biotechnical industries, and other species are cultivated or collected for use as food. At the same time, fungi cause many millions of dollars in damage each year through food spoilage, destruction or degradation of materials used by humans, and diseases of plants and animals (including humans). Because of the diversity and abundance of fungi, and the vital roles they play in both natural and altered ecosystems as well as human-related activities, we believe that fungi must be included in considerations of biodiversity conservation, land-use planning and management, and related subjects. They frequently have been ignored, however, because of their perceived intractableness.

Fungi (Kingdom Fungi) and fungus-like groups (e.g., water molds, Kingdom Straminipila; slime molds and relatives, Kingdom Protista) encompass an astounding breadth of taxa, morphologies (ranging from amoebalike protists and single-celled aquatic chytridiomycetes to large basidiomycete mushrooms), ecologies, and life history strategies, yet only limited and incomplete information is available for most species. Current estimates of species numbers for fungi differ significantly (e.g., Hawksworth 1991; May 1991), but the 1.5 million species hypothesized by Hawksworth is a commonly used figure. If his estimate is correct, then less than 5%of the fungi have been described. To further complicate matters, fungi tend to form symbiotic relationships with plants and animals, necessitating consideration of the plant or animal host when treating obligate plant mutualists, such as mycorrhizal fungi and endophytes, plant pathogens, and animal-associated fungi.