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https://www.theguardian.com/science/ng-interactive/2026/jul/13/mushroom-trip-a-mycologists-tour-of-the-tarkine>
"Revered as one of Australia’s last true wilderness areas, Takayna/Tarkine is a
place of legends. Freshwater crayfish that can reach almost a metre in length
lurk in the shade of 2,000-year-old Huon pines, and every few years a rumour
emerges that thylacines still prowl the dense Gondwanan rainforest of
north-west Tasmania.
For 65m years, this landscape has sheltered all manner of astonishing
creatures. But some of the most fascinating life forms found here are even
older. Before animals walked the Earth or trees began converting carbon dioxide
into oxygen, fungi helped to create the conditions necessary for complex life
on our planet. “People often say that fungi grow in the forest,” Dr Alison
Pouliot, a mycologist, tells me as we inhale cool air perfumed with the gentle
spice of sassafras. “But there wouldn’t be a forest without fungi. Fungi are
the ecosystem engineers that created the foundation for the forest.”
Joining me on a three-day fungi workshop led by Pouliot are toxicologists,
botanists and ecologists, but everyone seems united by a sense of wonder when
it comes to fungi. After a few hours in their company, it’s easy to see why.
Long considered plants by taxonomists, fungi were finally given their own
kingdom about 50 years ago, but they remain woefully understudied. Researchers
estimate that there are 2-3m species, of which just over 205,000 have been
identified, and mushrooms are merely the most visible part of complex organisms
connected by vast webs of underground threads called mycelium. These networks,
all 100 quadrillion kilometres of them, allow fungi to form life-sustaining
symbiotic relationships with as many as 70% of plant species on the planet."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
