Fungi belong to a
separate kingdom to both plants and animals, and are quite
different to both. It is a large kingdom, with over 15000
species believed to occur within the United Kingdom. As well
as the more familiar mushrooms and toadstools, the fungal kingdom
includes a wide range of life-forms including yeasts and
pathogens. Fungi play a large number of roles in ecosystems,
and are critical for ecosystem function; for example they are the
principal decomposers in many ecosystems, form vital mycorrhizal
associations with plants, and provide specialised habitats for a
range of other organisms.
The award-winning Checklist of the
British and Irish Basidiomycota has been published by Royal Botanic
Gardens Kew. Other groups of fungi lack recent
checklists. The list of fungi used in the
Fungal Records Database of
Britain and Ireland (managed by the British Mycological Society
and hosted by CABI) is also provided to the
National Biodiversity Network Species
Dictionary.
Lichens are stable combinations
between an alga and a fungus. Most of the algae found in
lichens can occur as free-growing species, but the fungal partner
is never found growing alone. It is the fungal partner which
provides the scientific name for the lichen combination, and hence
they are often referred to as ‘lichenised fungi’.
Lichenologists also tend to study lichenicolous fungi; these are
fungi that parasitise lichens.
The
British Lichen Society maintain a
checklist of lichens for Britain and Ireland. This checklist
is also provided to the
National Biodiversity Network Species
Dictionary.