A book nearly 10 years in the making is lifting the veil on a “mostly invisible but vital” part of Kings Park’s biodiversity.
Mycologists Roz Hart and Sapphire McMullan-Fisher have released Fungi For Land: A Practical Guide For Land Managers, which serves as a manual to Australia’s fungi.
They collaborated with more than 25 top Australian scientists and have delivered a book suitable for farmers through to home gardeners.
Hart, a former University of WA microbiology teacher and passionate Kings Park volunteer guide, said Fungi for Land grew from frustration after they could not find a suitable book for reference in fungi workshops they were running.
“We wanted people at our fungi workshops to understand how and why fungi are so different to plants and animals while having such important interactions with them,” she said.
“We were looking for an easy-to-understand guide, explaining what roles fungi play in the environment. All the fungi books we previously used were focused on identification.”
She said the book would help people understand how to co-operate with most fungi instead of hindering or destroying them, believing fungi should be included in conservation.
“Fungi quietly and invisibly go about performing their roles. It doesn’t matter to them if people care or not,” she said.
“However, if we make things too hard for fungi to survive, and they are threatened by damaging human actions including land clearing, climatic warming, pollution and the like, then without fungi lots of ecosystems will fall apart and it will be much harder for humans to survive on Earth. Sadly this is happening now.”
Camera IconSapphire McMullan-Fisher and Roz Hart pictured in 2018 with a pamphlet they launched detailing the fungi and mushrooms in the South West. Credit: Manjimup-Bridgetown Times/Tari Jeffers
Hart said fungi were a mostly invisible but vital part of Kings Park’s biodiversity, with attendees at her tours given a first-hand look at their role including their importance in helping Pink Fairy orchids grow in the botanic garden.
“Mycorrhizal fungi interact with the trees in Kings Park; they have a symbiotic relationship together, feeding and aiding each other to live,” she said.
“Fungi are essential partners with WA’s lovely terrestrial orchids that many people love to see and enjoy in spring.
“Recycling fungi do exactly that, making nutrients that would otherwise be locked away, available for use.
“Even pathogens are important to remove or modify weak plants, making gaps and space for new plants to colonise.”
According to Hart, they were rarely harmful if treated appropriately so encouraged people to not eat fungi found in the bush and wash their hands after handling them and before eating.
She said there was much more still to learn about their interactions with plants, animals and humans, and Australia needed more scientists and mycologists.
Fungi For Land is available via UWA Publishing and volunteers run free guided walks from the Kings Park visitor centre daily at 10am and 1pm.