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IUCN Species Survival Commission Aquatic Fungi Specialist Group

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2024

Isabel Fernandes Open the ORCID record for Isabel Fernandes [Opens in a new window] ,
Sally Fryar Open the ORCID record for Sally Fryar [Opens in a new window]  and
Monika Böhm Open the ORCID record for Monika Böhm [Opens in a new window]
Isabel Fernandes*
Affiliation:
Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal IUCN Species Survival Commission Aquatic Fungi Specialist Group
Sally Fryar
Affiliation:
IUCN Species Survival Commission Aquatic Fungi Specialist Group College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
Monika Böhm
Affiliation:
Global Center for Species Survival, Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA IUCN Species Survival Commission Freshwater Conservation Committee
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

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Type
Conservation News
Information
Oryx , Volume 58 , Issue 3 , May 2024 , pp. 282
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC BY 4.0.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International

The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) launched a new Specialist Group in October 2023: the Aquatic Fungi Specialist Group, focusing on both freshwater and marine fungi. This group developed from FUNACTION, which was funded through Biodiversa+ (funaction.eu). The new Specialist Group will develop the scientific and coordination basis for conservation assessment, planning and action for aquatic fungi, and disseminate appropriate monitoring and assessment methods to practitioners, researchers and conservationists. Aquatic fungi are a polyphyletic group defined by their ecology (growing and reproducing mainly in the sea or freshwater). They belong mainly to the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota and Microsporidia, but include representatives of 13 phyla.

There is limited knowledge of the diversity and distribution of aquatic fungi and of any threats to them. Threats in aquatic environments in general are habitat decline, pollution, eutrophication, invasive species, ocean acidification, freshwater salinization, river regulation and climate change. These are also likely to be threats to aquatic fungi, but few researchers are working on the ecology and conservation of this polyphyletic group.

There are more than 5,700 known species of aquatic fungi, with > 3,800 freshwater species and c. 1,900 marine species, but these numbers are likely to be underestimates. Existing taxonomic and distribution data are in non-integrated databases and, unlike terrestrial fungi, no aquatic fungus has yet received a conservation assessment.

The Aquatic Fungi Specialist Group will collaborate with other fungi Specialist Groups and the IUCN SSC Fungal Conservation Committee to adapt and develop conservation assessment methods and coordinate assessments of both freshwater and marine aquatic fungi. The Group will also collaborate with the IUCN SSC Freshwater and Marine Conservation Committees to focus on conservation planning for aquatic fungi, and undertake and inspire actions to conserve these species in the face of the multitude of threats affecting aquatic ecosystems. If you are an expert on aquatic fungi, please join us in this venture.