Fungal Inventory

News that the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew are to attempt to produce a genetic classification of the UK's fungi is interesting (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15726717). The claim is that, without a clear understanding of the species we currently have, we will never know what we have lost to climate change, pollution events and urbanisation etc. It is clearly felt that relying on spore patterns produced by fruiting bodies only gives a partial picture. The fungi are incredibly important in natural recycling of carbon etc. The wax-caps are first on the agenda but it sounds as if the tiny soil fungi are not due for study any time soon.