Exploring a tapestry of forgotten fungi

ECOLOGIST and environmental photographer Alison Pouliot wants to introduce the community to some of its natural “unruly renegades.”

Ms Pouliot will explore the fungi of Woowookarung Regional Park at an upcoming interactive and illustrated Eureka Centre presentation.

Fungi is a huge but often unseen and unsurveyed part of the Park’s ecosystem, and there are hundreds of species that live throughout the green space.

Some are microscopic, while others are clearly visible, and not all types of fungi appear like a toadstool with a stalk and cap.

“Biodiversity has traditionally been seen as just flora and fauna, but actually fungi is a big part of nature,” she said.

“In Woowookarung, there’s been a big move to track the koalas, grass trees and orchids, but fungi are pretty much the forgotten tapestry that hold it all together.

“The roots of almost every plant in the Australian landscape are intimately entwined with fungi.

“When we see a mushroom or fungus pop up, that’s just the reproductive bit connected to the actual underground organism itself. Connective fibres that link up trees, shrubs and provide food for digging mammals.”

Ms Pouliot said fungi aerates soils, assist plants to access nutrients and water, like the eucalypts and acacias in Woowookarung, and helps them to be more disease and drought-resistant.

“Unruly fungal renegades might inspire the innovative thinking needed to navigate an uncertain future,” she said.

The seminar will take place on Wednesday, 30 March at 7pm at the Eureka Centre. Book at bit.ly/3KyG1Dm.