What is Fungi ?
Fungi are an old and diverse lineage which is more different than plants, animals, and bacteria. As decomposers, symbionts, and pathogens, they are essential elements of the ecosystems. Fungi degrade complex organic compounds, recycles chemicals and keeps the soil healthy. Numerous are mutually beneficial with plants (mycorrhizae), promote water and nutrient absorption and many are natural biocontrol agents or providers of antibiotics and other medicinals.
Table of Contents
Read About: Effect of Air Pollution in India | How Pollution is Damaging Education in India 2025
The Hidden Majority: Indian Fungal Diversity
The scientists expect to discover between 2.2 and 3.8 million fungal species worldwide, yet fewer than 150,000 fungus species are described (Hawksworth & Lucker, 2017). Approximately 28,000 species are officially documented in India; estimates of the number of undocumented species in the country, however, may be more than 350,000 (Manoharachary et al., 2005). Such an immense dark diversity is a challenge as well as an opportunity to science and conservation.
Why Fungi Are Not Well-Studied In India?
There are a number of reasons that result in underemphasis upon fungi among studies on Indian biodiversity:
| Temporary existence: Several Fungi develop fruiting bodies merely over short spaces of opportunity in particular seasons. | Taxonomical complexity: It is hard to identify morphologically and would need skilled applied knowledge. |
| Scarcity of resources: There are not a lot of institutions that specialize in mycology and there is little money. | Policy gaps: Fungi do not feature in most conservation schemes, or red lists. |
| Hotspots of Bio-diversity: Western Ghat, Similipal and Garhwal Himalaya |
Best Locations to Research For Bio-Diversity In India
The Western Ghats
The western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the longest mountain range in India with a series of western plains extending 1,600 km. The area is in tropical rainforests, montane grasslands and has a lot of rain which form a mosaic of microhabitats suitable to fungal growth. It has also been shown that studies have recorded high rates of endemism and turnover of species especially among the macrofungi (Pradeep et al., 2016). Its high dimensional topography, gradients in climate, allow distinct fungal communities to develop, of which many remain undescribed.
Similipal Biosphere Reserve
Similipal, at Odisha, is a large area of wet deciduous forest with interspersing grass lands and riverine areas. A wide variety of wood-decaying, soil and endophytic fungi grows in its rich flora. New genera and species were recently discovered through surveys with the most prominent representatives being polypores and other fungi living in wood (Das et al., 2022). The remoteness as well as diverse microclimates of Similipal contribute to fungal endemism.
Garhwal Himalayas
The Garhwal Himalayas which is part of the greater Himalayan ranges have many diverse ecosystems, including subtropical forests and alpine meadows. Altitudinal gradients and extreme climatic conditions contributed to a development of specialized taxa of fungi such as cold and psychrophilic fungi. There has been promising potential of endophytic fungi isolated Himalayan plants as potential medicinals (Rawat et al., 2019). Nevertheless, the fungal diversity of the region is not well documented because of logistical difficulties as well as inadequate research.
The Approaches and Problems
Forest Zones- Seasonal Sampling
The sampling of fungal diversity in field should be systematic and should be repeated. Fungi are very responsive to environmental signals and moisture and temperature are the greatest indicators. The monsoon season is in India when most macrofungi spring into being, so this season forms an important time of the year to work in the field. Mostly,
Repeat visits: Surveys done during, before and after the monsoon to reflect time variation.
Habitat stratification: random sampling leaf litter, decayed log, soil, tree bark and live plants.
Meticulous metadata: GPS coordinates, elevation, type of habitat, substrate and allied plant species of each specimen.
BioMedical Research & Challenges
| Accessibility: A large number of hotspots can be only distant and can only be accessed with much difficulty during the rain period. | Temporary fruiting: There are also fungi that can only be seen after a few days and thus they need to be monitored very often. |
| Taxonomic difficulty: Morphologically, similar species appear and there are cryptic species, which make field identification difficult. | Preservation: The decays of the specimen and degradation of DNA should be prevented, and this will be achieved through proper drying and storage of the specimen. |
| DNA Barcoding: A game changer in Fungal Identifications |
The Molecular Tool Requirement The need to develop molecular tools to engineer biology is fundamental in biomedical research. For example, the development of molecular tools has played a critical role in the elucidation of the nature of various processes in the human body, such as how recombinant proteins can develop antibodies against viruses [r Hudson-Kelly Crampton 2009, 232].
Morphological characteristics are used extensively in traditional fungal taxonomy, but may be very variable or lacking, particularly in microscopic or sterile fungi. DNA barcoding is a sound, standard species identification and discovery protocol.
How to Identify Fungi?
Fungi The main barcode system in fungi is the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA (Schoch et al., 2012). It is very species-specific but not species-variant, and thus is perfect to differentiate taxa between.
Barcoding workflow:
| Sample collection: They obtain fruiting bodies, spores, or mycelium and preserve them. | DNA extraction: Commercial kits or the CTAB method is used to process tissue. |
| PCR: The ITS is then amplified by means of universal primers. | Sequencing: PCR products are sequenced and the data obtained compared to known databases like GenBank and UNITE. |
| Species identification: The sequences are compared against the known species or marked as a possible new taxa. |
Indian Case Studies About Fungi
Western Ghats: A cryptic diversity or high 16S sequences have been identified by Barcoding even in mushrooms and other macrofungi where a considerable percentage of mushroom sequences do not have more than 97 percent similarity to known species (Pradeep et al., 2016).
Similipal: ITS sequencing of wood-decaying fungi resulted in the discovery of novel fungi genera and species and part of the distinctive fungal flora of the studied area (Das et al., 2022).
Garhwal Himalayas: Endophytic fungi of high value medicinal plants have been characterized by barcoding loci which led to new lineages that have been shown to have antimicrobial and anticancer agent (Rawat et al., 2019).
The Limitation and Future Suggestions
Strand gaps: There is no reference record as to many Indian fungal species.
Resolution problems: ITS might not differentiate close relatives; more markers (e.g. LSU, TEF1) might be required.
Integrative taxonomy: Molecular, morphologically and ecological data must be integrated to provide a strong evidence in species separation.
Data Analysis: Richness and Distribution mapping:
Quantifying Fungal Diversity
The alpha diversity is the number of species located in a specific site or a habitat. Most often it is estimated through such indices as:
Shannon Index: Takes into consideration the abundance and evenness of species.
Simpson Index: It determines the likelihood that two individuals chosen in random sample will form part of the same species.
Beta diversity is an assessment of species turnover between environments or across environments. It is measured by such indices as:
Jaccard Index: Is founded on common species across sites.
Bray-Curtis Dissimilarity: Abundance data are taken into consideration.
Gamma diversity: Gamma diversity represents the sum of species abundance covering a larger area or landscape.
Multivariate Analysis and Spatial Analysis
To combine the use of advanced statistical techniques like the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) in order to:
Imagine textures of species abundance between locales and offenses. Evince environmental forces of diversity (e.g., altitude, moisture, vegetation type). Identify zones of endemism, rarity, or high turnover of species.
They are able to map the distributions of species, find conservation prioritisation and model the effects of changing the environment using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Trends taking place in Indian Hotspots
Western Ghats: A wide range of species richness and endemism has been observed and defined community types at different elevations and different forest types.
Similipal: The composition of fungal communities is radically changed in patchy moist forests and dry forests because of the microclimatic difference.
Garhwal Himalayas: Fungal community structure depends on altitudinal gradients and there may be an indication that climate change could also lead to changes in species distributions.
Threat Assessment: IUCN Criteria in the case of the Indian Fungi
What Can Be A Threat to Fungal Diversity?
Habitat loss and deforestation: Extensive agricultural, plantation and urbanization processes eliminate important fungal habitats.
Pollution: Pesticides, fertilisers and industrial waste affect microbial communities and decrease fungal diversity in soil.
Climate change: Rainfall patterns, temperature extremes and vegetation zones change, which will affect fungal phenology and distribution.
Overharvesting: The unsustainability of harvesting edible and medicinal fungi poses risks to the local communities, in particular, Himalayas and Western Ghats.
Invasive species: Importation of foreign flora and pathogens has the capability of interfering with the native fungal population.
IUCN Red List Criteria of Fungi
The IUCN Red List is a schema of evaluating extinction threat of species founded on:
Population trends and size: Is the population on a decreasing/stable level or it is growing?
Geographic distribution: How limited are the distribution of the species?
Habitat quality: Is quality or extent of the habitat deteriorating?
Reported losses: Are there recorded losses of population or habitat ?
The Indian Context The Atlantic The Atlantic The Atlantic
At this point, India has no national fungal red list. Only a few species have been regionally evaluated e.g. Ophiocordyceps sinensis (the Himalayan caterpillar fungus). Majority of the endangered fungi go unnoticed by policymakers and conservation scientists. This has made the fungi not to be given any attention in environmental impact studies or when managing their protected areas.
Conservation Gap: Obstacles to Fungal conservation in India
The lack of a National Fungal Red List
Majority of India conservation models are centered on charismatic megafauna and vascular flora. The Fungi are not very well represented in the Wildlife protection act, Biodiversity act, and red lists in the country. These legal invisibility has devastating effects:
No protection under law: There is no protection under the law of threatened fungi.
No Funder: Fungi does not enjoy any funding when it comes to conservation and research.
No management: Fungi are neither used in the management of habitat restoration nor it is used in the management of protected areas.
Poor Research and Taxonomic Infrastructure
Lack of mycologists: Very few universities provide high-level training in mycology, fungal taxonomy or fungal ecology.
Underfunded herbaria: Fungal collections do not include complete coverage, are poorly maintained and not generally accessible.
Scanty molecular facilities: Most of the research institutions do not have the conductivity and expertise in DNA based studies.
Fractured research: Mycological research is uncoordinated, and the data are not shared across institutions.
Deficiency of Policy and Awareness
Neglected in conservation planning: Fungi are poorly represented in the assessment of the biodiversity of the protected areas and the relevant protected area management.
Absence of public involvement: Fungi are therefore considered as pests or not considered at all even though they have ecological and economic significance.
Small citizen science: There are not many programs in which people are involved in fungal documentation or conservation.
Final Conclusion
Fungal diversity in India is a poorly explored unexplored frontier, of enormous ecological, evolutionary and biotechnological interest. Western Ghats, Similipal and Garhwal Himalayas are a case in point: various treasures that are yet to be found. However, until something is done right now to record, evaluate, and preserve these species, numerous of them will disappear prior to scientists as well as the common man taking into account their presence.
To resolve the conservation gap, a paradigm shift is needed; that which involves accepting fungus as part of the biodiversity, funding into taxonomic and molecular work, and making policies which guard both the seen and the unseen forms of life. In discovering and protecting lost fungi in India, we do more than save a unique natural asset to the country when we take its diversity. We also open the door to a new future in science, medicine and sustainable growth.
References
- Hawksworth DL, Lücking R. Fungal Diversity Revisited: 2.2 to 3.8 Million Species. Microbiol Spectr. 2017 Jul;5(4):10.1128/microbiolspec.funk-0052-2016. doi: 10.1128/microbiolspec.FUNK-0052-2016. PMID: 28752818; PMCID: PMC11687528. Locey KJ
- Lennon JT. 2016. Scaling laws predict global microbial diversity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 113:5970–5975 10.1073/pnas.1521291113. [PubMed] – DOI – PMC – PubMed
- Mora C, Tittensor DP, Adl S, Simpson AGB, Worm B. 2011. How many species are there on Earth and in the ocean? PLoS Biol 9:e1001127 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001127. [PubMed] – DOI – PMC – PubMed
- Gerdemann, J. W. and Bakshi, B. K., Endogonaceae of India: two new species. Trans. Br. Mycol. Soc., 1976, 66, 340–343.
