Fungi

FROM:
http://www.fungibank.csiro.au/topic_3_2_4.htm

"What happens if fungi are not present in revegetation soils?

The diverse and unique array of symbiotic and decomposer soil fungi in Australia’s native woodlands play a large role in the woodlands - preventing rundown in soil nutrient supply and ensuring sustainability of soil nutrient cycling processes.

Absence of fungi in woodland revegetation soils may correspond with increased risk of:
Rundown in plant available nutrients in the soil.
Loss of plant vigour.
Loss of soil quality.
Inadequate food supply for some small mammals.
Low levels of biodiversity.

If soil diversity and processes similar to those of natural woodlands are not establishing then management of productivity in revegetation for the long term may be reliant upon inputs of fertilizer. The landscapes may have decreasing prospects of sustainable agricultural productivity. The financial and environmental cost of artificially maintaining productivity of land may climb with time. The high cost of upholding productivity artificially is increasingly turning attention to an economic preference for re-establishing the natural ecosystem services and functions in revegetation."


Check out the images above illustrating the fungi invasion of my garden! It amazes me that it all happens overnight and then they are gone by 10:00 AM - only to cover the area again the next morning!