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Fungal Foray
The second annual Mycoblitz will be Friday and Saturday, September 18 and 19, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Rocky Mountain National Park. This is a collaborative effort with the Colorado Mycological Society to survey the park's fungal distribution. Last year was the first ever mycoblitz survey and about 90 participants were involved. The survey last year significantly increased the known number of mushrooms that grow in the park. There were 280 collections of approximately 200 distinct species. This year's quick biodiversity assessment is designed to sample fungi from habitats throughout the park at a different time of the year to help expand our understanding of fungal distribution and biodiversity. Last year the collection took place on August 23 and 24. Rocky Mountain National Park is typical of most national parks with a good inventory of its animals and flowering plants, but with little knowledge of its fungal biota. The goal of the Fungal Foray is to address this need and produce a useful database for ecologists and park managers while making basic knowledge of the region's fungi publicly accessible. Park staff and volunteers will participate in the study with experts from the Colorado Mycological Society. Those participating will be targeting only macrofungi (i.e., those that produce macroscopic fruiting structures such as mushrooms). Identifications of the collections will be done in two steps; 1) sorting into major groups, and identification of the most common and easily recognized species and 2) more careful scrutiny of the specimens in a lab where microscopes and reference books will be available. Fungi are important components of the park's environment. They are the primary recyclers of wood and other lignified plant material; they are typically the most abundant and important group of plant pathogens; they form mutualistic interactions with most plants; they are crucial components in soil food webs; they associate with insects in a huge diversity of symbiotic interactions. Macrofungi are a group of organisms that inspires much interest from the public for their unusual and diverse forms. However, park staff remind visitors that collecting fungi, and other items from the park, is not allowed without a research permit. Mushroom collecting for personal consumption is not allowed within the park. DatesExplore!
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