研究人员们首次对世界上真菌的生存状况开展了大规模的评估调查。他们发现，真菌王国对于地球万物来说至关重要，尽管目前世界上约有三百八十万种真菌种类，但仍有超过 90% 是科学未知的。

 

From foods to medicines, to recycling nutrients¹ – fungi² are vital for life on Earth. But with many hidden away in the soil, or invisible to the naked eye, they're often overlooked.

从食物到药材，到再生营养物质，真菌对地球上的生命来说至关重要。但由于很多真菌都被埋在土壤里或用肉眼无法看到，所以人们经常会忽视它们的重要性。

 

Scientists have pulled together information on these curious organisms to highlight gaps in our knowledge. DNA³ studies suggest there may be almost four million different fungi, but science has identified less than ten per cent of them. And only about 50 species have been evaluated for the extinction⁴ Red List compared with thousands of plants and animals.

科学家们收集了有关这种奇异有机体的信息，从而引起人们对这一知识空白的注意。DNA 研究显示，世界上可能有近四百万种不同的真菌，但科学仅能辨别出不到10%。和成千上万的植物和动物相比，科学家们只对约五十个真菌物种是否能列入世界自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录中进行了评估。

 

Director of Science at Kew, Professor Cathy Willis, says we ignore fungi at our peril⁵. Fungi have potential for breaking down plastics and generating new types of biofuels and medicines. But they have a negative side – destroying crops and wiping out trees such as the ash and the elm.

英国邱园的科学总监凯西·威利斯说，忽略真菌的重要性会给我们带来危险。真菌有分解塑料和创造新生物燃料及药品种类的潜能。但它也有负面影响，即破坏庄稼、摧毁如白蜡树和橡树等树木。

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