Bio-diversity of Wild Mushrooms and their Future Perspectives

Abstract

Mushrooms are ubiquitous and cosmopolitan in distribution covering tropics to poles and mountain tops to the deep oceans, and can colonize, multiply and survive in diversified habitats, viz., water, soil, air, litter, dung, foam, etc. Geographic location, climatic conditions, micro-habitat, substrate type, distribution of fauna, and flora are all important factors contributing to mushrooms distribution worldwide. Mushroom belongs to the group of organisms known as macrofungi under the phylum Ascomycotina and Basidiomycotina. The mushroom is the fleshy and spore-bearing organ of the fungi that is called as the fruiting body. Mushrooms are seasonal fungi, which occupy diverse niches in forest and territory ecosystems. They mostly occur during the rainy season, particularly in forests, where the dense canopy shade from trees provides a moist atmosphere and decomposing organic material such as leaf litter and favors the germination and growth mushrooms.