The facts and figures contained in the pages of this report and accompanying website will probably come as a total revelation to many people. The first of its kind outlining the state of the world’s fungi, the report highlights just how important fungi are to all life on Earth.
The Fungarium at Kew is the largest in the world and now has over 1.25 million specimens, a number that is growing daily as the global significance of this kingdom becomes more and more apparent. It therefore seemed appropriate that Kew should lead this endeavour to examine the current status of knowledge of Kingdom Fungi. In devising this volume, Kew worked extensively in global partnership to pull together leading mycological researchers from across the world to provide an up-to-date synthesis of our current knowledge of the state of the world’s fungi. The report presents an understanding of current knowledge of the diversity and distribution of fungi, new discoveries and evolutionary relationships. The report also examines some of the key and potential uses of fungi for everyday life and looks at the global impact of positive plant–fungal interactions, and reviews the vast insights gained from knowledge of their genomes.