two people with ground level contraptions in a wooded setting

New method revealed for detecting new global fungi species

We have named and identified only a fraction of nature's diversity, and this is especially true for insects and fungi, both of which have millions of species still unknown to science.

We have named and identified only a fraction of nature's diversity, and this is especially true for insects and fungi, both of which have millions of species still unknown to science.

At the same time, we are losing species and their habitats at an unprecedented rate, and researchers are racing against time to discover and conserve new species.

Researchers at Bangor University, working with colleagues at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland and writing in Nature, report  that the key to a quick and cost-effective  mapping of biodiversity has been right in front of our eyes, and yet invisible, all along- that is, in the air that surrounds us.

The air that surrounds us is a treasure trove- it is full of DNA from plants, fungi, bacteria, insects, mammals and other organisms, says Nerea Abrego of the University of Jyväskylä.

She led a study, with contribution from Professor Simon Creer of Bangor University.

Air samples collected around the world and analysed using DNA sequencing revealed ground-breaking information about the spread and seasonal variation of both previously known and unknown fungi. This knowledge is essential not only to understand where and when different fungal species thrive, but also to predict their fate under the ongoing global change.

Professor Simon Creer,  Professor of Molecular Ecology
Man in blue frame
Professor Simon Creer


The team are convinced that such new biodiversity sampling techniques will revolutionize biomonitoring and biodiversity forecasts already in the coming years.

One particularly interesting subject for further research is a more detailed review of the sequences for fungi that are important to humans. These include, for example, fungal diseases of humans, crops and production animals, as well as fungi that indicate the progress of the loss of nature and the weakening of natural ecosystem processes.