Are flora like mushrooms affected by climate change?

Yes, whilst much more is known about bigger species’ responses to climate change scientists are now also beginning to discover how mushrooms are affected.

Mushrooms are a type of fungus. Fungi (plural of fungus) are a group of living things that also include mould and yeast. Fungi like to eat organic material such as fallen trees and old fruit (think of the kinds of environments you have seen mushrooms growing. Fungi can't move on their own so they reproduce by spreading their spores. Many types of mushrooms and other fungi also spread their spores by producing fruiting bodies during autumn. The “fruiting body” is actually the mushroom that you and I can see.

Climate change is now affecting when and for how long these fruiting bodies are produced. Scientists don’t understand everything yet – but they are learning that climate change is making some mushrooms produce their fruiting bodies either earlier or later than normal. Scientists also don’t know what this might mean for ecosystems, but it is likely that there will be changes in how some animals and birds and insects can feed on mushrooms as their growth timing changes.

Fungi may also play a big role in helping to reduce climate change! Some fungi live in symbiosis with trees. Symbiosis means that a tree and fungus have a close relationship to each other and may provide each other with benefits such as food or habitat. We all know trees can help sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – but some species of fungi are help trees to absorb CO2 even faster.