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About 155,000 species of fungi have been formally described, yet the true number is estimated at 2.2 to 3.8 million. That means more than nine in ten fungal species have never been named.

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That range comes from a 2017 review by two fungus specialists, David Hawksworth and Robert Lücking. They combined several lines of evidence: how fast new species are still being described, how often one familiar-looking species turns out to be several once its DNA is checked, and the ratio of fungi to plants at well-studied sites. A 2023 study put the likeliest total at about 2.5 million. Most fungi never form mushrooms. They live as microscopic yeasts or as networks of fine threads called hyphae, in soil, inside plants, in lichens and in water, and many are known only from DNA found in soil or water samples. Around 2,500 new species are named each year; at that pace, scientists at Kew Gardens in London estimate, naming them all would take 750 to 1,000 years.

Türkçe oku
Bugüne kadar yaklaşık 155.000 mantar türü bilimsel olarak tanımlandı; oysa gerçek sayının 2,2 ile 3,8 milyon arasında olduğu tahmin ediliyor. Yani mantar türlerinin onda dokuzundan fazlasının henüz bir adı bile yok.

Bu aralık, mantar uzmanları David Hawksworth ile Robert Lücking'in 2017'de yayımladığı bir değerlendirmeden geliyor. İkili farklı kanıtları bir araya getirdi: yeni türlerin hâlâ ne hızla tanımlandığını, tek bir tür sanılan mantarın DNA'sı incelenince kaç ayrı türe ayrıldığını ve iyi incelenmiş bölgelerde mantar türlerinin bitki türlerine oranını. 2023'te yayımlanan bir çalışma ise en olası toplamı 2,5 milyon dolayında buldu. Mantarların çoğu hiç şapka oluşturmaz. Toprakta, bitkilerin içinde, likenlerde ve suda, mikroskobik mayalar ya da hif denen ince ipliklerden oluşan ağlar hâlinde yaşarlar; pek çoğu yalnızca toprak ya da su örneklerinde bulunan DNA'dan biliniyor. Her yıl 2.500 kadar yeni tür adlandırılıyor. Londra'daki Kew Botanik Bahçeleri'nin bilim insanlarına göre bu hızla hepsine ad vermek 750 ila 1.000 yıl sürer.

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Background reading: Fungus
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