h species is which. This can be done by examining DNA, but it's a time-consuming process. McLaughlin, a specialist in the fungal group that includes mushrooms and toadstools, is helping improve the identification process by searching for structural traits that correspond to specific species as determined by DNA analysis.

The evolutionary line leading to fungi split from lines leading to plants and animals more than 1.5 billion years ago, said McLaughlin. The best guess is that only 5-10 percent of the fungi are known. Still, that's 80,000 to 85,000 species out of what may be 1.5 million species worldwide.

Fungi, like other organisms, are threatened by pollution. In particular, the rain of nitrogen from agricultural and industrial sources may harm fungi that nourish plant roots. Understanding how different species are affected and how they may be protected is another potential outcome of the fungi project, McLaughlin said.

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Contact: Deane Morrison
morri029@umn.edu
612-624-2346
University of Minnesota
17-Jan-2003

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