The FunDiS Biodiversity Database collects high quality observations from community scientists for science and conservation across North America. If you contribute your observations of fungi to FunDiS, they'll become a part of a database of high quality observations that can be used by scientists and conservationists to better understand and protect fungi all across North America.
Knowing what species are threatened and which ones are doing OK enables the conservation community to prioritize efforts and resources. Distribution and abundance data are critical pieces of information for assessing the threat status of a species. There is a lot of fungal observations posted on iNaturalist and Mushroom Observer, but the quality, and thus utility, of these data varies greatly. The Biodiversity Database is an importance source of the high-quality data needed for evaluating the status of North American macrofungi.
What’s in it for you? You're contributing to a worthwhile ...more ↓
The FunDiS Biodiversity Database collects high quality observations from community scientists for science and conservation across North America. If you contribute your observations of fungi to FunDiS, they'll become a part of a database of high quality observations that can be used by scientists and conservationists to better understand and protect fungi all across North America.
Knowing what species are threatened and which ones are doing OK enables the conservation community to prioritize efforts and resources. Distribution and abundance data are critical pieces of information for assessing the threat status of a species. There is a lot of fungal observations posted on iNaturalist and Mushroom Observer, but the quality, and thus utility, of these data varies greatly. The Biodiversity Database is an importance source of the high-quality data needed for evaluating the status of North American macrofungi.
What’s in it for you? You're contributing to a worthwhile cause. And if your find hasn’t already been definitively identified, our expert identifiers will help with identification or give feedback on making your observations even more valuable.
Thank you for your help! Check out https://fundis.org for more information and community science resources.
---Project parameters:
🍄The FBD is for high quality macrofungi observations. Put simply, macrofungi are distinguished by having spore-bearing structures visible to the naked eye (mushrooms, brackets, puffballs, false-truffles, cup fungi, etc.).
🍄No lichens (while important to biodiversity, FunDiS focuses on fungi).
🍄No slime molds (a different kingdom entirely; Protista).
---Criteria for high quality mushroom observations:
🍄 Images need to be clear, well-lit, in focus, and the mushroom needs to be relatively large in the picture so its details can be seen clearly.
🍄 No immature, old, or damaged specimens.
🍄 We want to see all of the morphological features of the mushroom that you can show -- the cap, the pore/gill surface, the stipe including the base, bulb, or volva (if applicable). Any staining, discoloration, or milk/latex should also be shown.
🍄 Include a habitat shot showing the mushroom in situ. There should at least be a clue to the host or substrate (e.g. if it grows under a specific tree, show the leaf or needles of that tree next to the mushroom, or take a separate picture).
🍄 Brownie points for including all of these important features in one image.
🍄 Please add habitat data in your observation notes (e.g. what kind of trees were growing nearby and what is the fungus growing on?).
---How the FBD works:
🍄Curators
We have a support system of wonderful Curators who monitor the FBD by welcoming new members (check your inbox!), remove poor quality observations, carry out general upkeep, and communicate with observers to help them make better mushroom observations.
Curators:
@mandymushii @justin_loucks @fungi_fanatic
🍄Identifiers
The FBD has a network of Identifiers who vet IDs, helping maintain data quality. This means that your observations that you add to the FBD can be identified by professional mycologists and highly-ranked amateur identifiers.
Identifiers:
@alan_rockefeller @else @fungee @pucak @johnplischke @sigridjakob @mycowalt @biglaughinggym @maricel-patino @noah_siegel @komille277 @sarahduhon
🍄
---How to bulk upload your high quality observations to the FBD: https://fundis.org/component/sppagebuilder/119-inat-bulk-add
---Check out the FunDiS West Coast Rare Fungi Challenge https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fundis-west-coast-rare-fungi
---Have a question? Email inat-admin@fundis.org
---Consider making a donation to FunDiS: https://www.every.org/fundis/
We look forward to seeing the fungi you're finding!
spores
-Gabriela D'Elia
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Fungal Diversity Database
