Mushroom pickers discover species that became extinct more than 10 years ago

Mushroom lovers help science find species that have disappeared “from the face of the planet.”

The first and only mushroom on the “most wanted” list has been discovered in the mountains of Chile, almost 40 years after it was first recorded. The mushroom in question is the puma, which is actually quite small and, despite being on the list, is unremarkable, being no bigger than a shiitake mushroom.

Thanks andinitiative to preserve endangered species, Many amazing species of plants and animals have been discovered in collaborative scientific missions to search for life forms that had not been seen for decades.

The Great Puma Mushroom (Austroomphaliaster nahuelbutensis), an enigmatic species found underground in the Nahuelbuta Mountains of Chile, has only been found in the wild once. Expedition team Mushroom Foundation in Chile traveled to the Nahuelbutas forests in May 2023 to follow in the footsteps of Chilean mycologist Norberto Garrido, who discovered the great puma mushroom and described it to Western science in 1988.

They organized the expedition to coincide with the exact dates in May when Garrido climbed the mountain more than 40 years ago. The expedition was captured in the documentary film, “In Search of the Lost Mushroom,” in which viewers can see how a last-minute mountaineering expedition near the local community of Nahuelbutas led to the discovery of a large puma mushroom.

On the final day of the mission, the foundation organised a workshop and mushroom-hunting trip in a nearby forest, during which two local participants found a group of four mushrooms matching the description of the large mushroom.

The team carefully collected the mushrooms and tested them in a special lab. Although they matched the physical and microscopic description of the large puma mushroom, DNA analysis conclusively confirmed that the team had found the right species.

“It was a really unique moment to be in the right place at the right time and see a species of fungi that had gone extinct. Understanding the biodiversity that exists and interacts in an area helps us understand its behaviour, its ability to adapt to changes and major threats.”

Source link