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Mushrooms: Warmer, wetter UK weather means more fungi!
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The UK's warmer and wetter weather this year has been great news for wild mushrooms.
Experts at Kew Gardens and the Royal Horticultural Society say there has been a big increase in the number of people finding, and sending in pictures and samples of unusual mushrooms they have discovered in their gardens.
Kew Garden's Fungarium curator Lee Davies, said: "This year has been particularly busy for people seeing fungi and sending them in to us.
"If climate change means warmer and wetter summers, we are going to get fantastic years for weird and wonderful fungi fruiting in people's gardens..." he added.
Read on to find out more about marvellous mushrooms and try our quiz just below!
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Currently there are around 15,000 species of fungi here in the UK - that's around 5-6 times more than the number of plant species! This number is increasing each year as more species are discovered.
The scientists at Kew Gardens are using the mushroom samples sent in by volunteers to help them to identify new species by using something called DNA sequencing.
"There's a big push being funded to get every single species of animal, plant and fungus in Britain sequenced, to understand the genomes of every living thing in Britain so we know what things are," said Lee Davies.
"You can collect 10 specimens from what you think are the same species, but you sequence the DNA and find out you have multiple different species."
Five reasons to love fungi!
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- They can help to heal us - Penicillin is a type of antibiotic that comes from the fungus Penicillium rubens. It can help the body to fight off infections. Other types of fungus are used in medicine to help lower cholesterol and to help with organ transplants.
- They are the ultimate recyclers - Fungi are VITAL to life on Earth. This is because they help to break down dead plant material like leaves and branches, and turn them into oxygen and important nutrients, like phosphorus, that can help plants grow.
- They're a huge part of our food source - As well as being able to eat some species of mushroom, fungi are also used to make chocolate, bread, fizzy drinks and some types of cheese.
- They could tackle the world's plastic problem - New research by scientists has shown that some fungi might be able to break down plastic in weeks, and use it as a food source.
- They help us to build things - Fungi can be used as a replacement for things like polystyrene foam, leather and other building materials. Synthetic rubber and Lego are also made using an acid found in a fungus.
Did you try our fungi quiz? Let us know how you got on in the comments.