About This Project

Biodiversity surveys often overlook fungi despite their importance. California’s Fungal Diversity Survey is changing this, but habitats like vernal pool grasslands are not yet well-surveyed. My project asks: what fungi occur at the vernal pools of the Jepson Prairie Preserve? I expects its diversity to mirror other grasslands, but there may be unique species. I will collect voucher specimens to generate baseline data for the preserve and provide insight on grassland fungi across the state.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Fungi are a vastly important but poorly understood part of Earth's biodiversity. Recent estimates suggest there may be 2-3 million fungal species, over 90% of which are still undescribed. Given the ecological importance of fungi and the rate at which habitat loss is occurring globally, it is important to continue uncovering this hidden diversity so that it can be protected before it is lost. This is especially important for fungi, as they lag behind other groups of organisms in terms of conservation.

More narrowly, it is important for stewards and researchers of protected lands like Jepson Prairie to have a complete understanding of their lands' biodiversity. The beginnings of a fungal species list exist for Jepson Prairie, but it is nowhere near as rigorous or comprehensive as lists of plants or birds. We will be able to better understand the ecology of unique habitats like Jepson Prairie with a more accurate understanding of all the biodiversity present, including fungi.

What is the significance of this project?

Documenting fungal diversity is an important step towards a more complete understanding of ecology at both local and global scales. My project will generate biodiversity data for land stewards and researchers at Jepson Prairie and produce voucher specimens to be deposited in collections for future study. It will also contribute to our understanding of fungal diversity in vernal pools grassland habitats of western North America, which have been less-surveyed that forested and mountainous habitats (see the CA FUNDIS iNaturalist project here and compare the number of records from mountains like the Sierra Nevada to flatter or drier parts of the state). Surveys may uncover unexpected taxa, improving our knowledge of California's grassland fungal diversity. In addition, our grasslands are heavily invaded by nonnative plants; my work will help determine whether this holds for fungi, developing our understanding of the history of ecological change in our state.

What are the goals of the project?

The primary goals of this project are to collect specimens of as many fungal species that occur on the preserve as possible, create a list of fungal taxa present, and preserve the specimens in natural history collections. To do this, I will make roughly monthly trips to Jepson Prairie through the rainy season (October-March) and into later spring to collect fruiting bodies or other macroscopic structures of fungi (including lichens). All physical specimens will be accompanied by iNaturalist observations and detailed descriptions when fresh. Specimens will be dried in a food dehydrator, labeled properly with archival materials, and stored in dry conditions in my personal collection before being sent to institutional collections such as the HAY Fungarium and the UC Davis Herbarium. Lastly, extra funds will be put towards ITS barcoding of as many fungal specimens as possible. I plan to publish this project's resulting fungal flora in a regional natural history journal.