JON MacGillivray says that without fungi, humans would eventually drown in their own waste.
“Fungi break down macronutrients and make them accessible to plants. If we removed them from the environment, plant and animal material would cover the planet, and we would eventually drown in our own waste,” says MacGillivray.
According to the mycologist, fungi eat dead skin cells on our bodies, clean our eyebrows, hair and our internal systems.
ALSO READ: Highway Mail 28 October 2022
MacGillivray says, “They are an integral part of the environment. If we could paint all the spores in the air white, we would be sitting in smoke – that’s how many spores of different species are floating in the air.”
Fungi are species of organisms that include mushrooms, yeast and moulds. The mycologist entices people into the wild, through mushroom talks, forays or in-person talks in nature, online presentations, and myco-expeditions where local mushrooms are documented and categorised. MacGillivray is the president of the Mycological Society of South Africa, which has more than 3 000 members and 23 chapters in the African sub-continent.
“The thing about mycology is that amateurs can find a new species in their garden the same day they start with the hobby. It’s a pioneering space within biology; in fact, I believe it’s the final frontier of biology.”
MacGillivray, the recipient of a university grant, undertakes myco-expeditions to hunt for local mushrooms, documenting and categorising them.
“We DNA-sequence the new and interesting finds and check them against international databases to establish new species. What fuels these myco-expeditions is the acquisition of new genetics for us to cultivate and understand. We’ve been fortunate to find and categorise many new species,” says MacGillivray.
ALSO READ: Write a whole book in November with NaNoWriMo
MacGillivray says there is no substitute for experience and knowledge when identifying edible mushrooms.
“Just as humans can be varying shapes and sizes, mushrooms of the same species are the same. In South Africa, we have 10 species of poisonous mushrooms, which is not many considering we have 17 000 species of fungus. The way to avoid poisoning or intoxication in the wild is through knowledge. This isn’t an interest you can learn in days. It is a journey – a lifelong journey of learning,” says MacGillivray.
To learn more about identifying or foraging for mushrooms, MacGillivray recommends joining a mycological society in your area, an FB group or attending a foray or presentation.
For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram
