“Bioprosprecting” scientist sleuthing for crop-aiding fungi brings their spectacular beauty to life

Posted on: 18 February 2025

This rare fusion of science and art (https://www.fungalgalaxies.com) is designed to open eyes and minds to the wonderful world of fungi, which is largely invisible to the naked eye. The project also celebrates the diversity of life on Earth and underlines how little we know about Mother Nature and how valuable some of her mysterious creations may be.

"The Big Bang!" An unknown species. Credit: Diego Bianchi.

The project has been led by Diego Bianchi, a PhD Candidate in the School of Natural Sciences at Trinity College Dublin. He said: “We believe only around 10-15% of fungi have so far been characterised, mainly because most do not grow under laboratory conditions. This project offers an exclusive manifesto of a mere smattering of the fungal biodiversity out there, while simultaneously unveiling the hidden beauty and complexity of filamentous fungi that live within plants, from the roots to the seeds. 

“We know that many of these fungal species engage in symbiotic relationships with plants, helping them survive and thrive while profiting themselves from the unique ‘ecological deals’ they have brokered, as both plants and fungi have evolved together. I hope this work will be used as a powerful tool to inspire awareness and engagement in ecosystem conservation, where fungi play vital roles in maintaining ecological balance.

“Crucially, we believe there are countless more species out there that have yet to be uncovered, but which could help crop productivity and – potentially – minimise the use of pesticides and fertilisers to help us live more sustainably.”

"Sweat!" A penicillin fungus. Credit: Diego Bianchi.

In his work, which took him from Killiney to Balbriggan with special permission during the COVID-19 pandemic, Diego isolated many different species of filamentous fungi from wild relatives of cereal crops to explore their symbiotic properties and enhance plant growth and resilience against pathogens in commercial crops (with a current focus on barley).

Diego screens the fungi for symbiotic properties in the lab and in glasshouse trials, assessing their impacts on barley growing in optimal and stressed conditions (limited water and nutrients) deficit.

He added: “Interesting preliminary results have come from additional work where we have tested mixtures of fungal compounds with strong antifungal activity against some common agricultural pathogens of barley in Ireland, particularly Ramularia collo-cygni.

"We need to characterise these compounds now and it’s super interesting to shift into the chemistry of what’s going on. Experiments like this, where naturally occurring compounds are employed, might develop so-called ‘biopesticides’, which are used in integrated crop management under reduced synthetic chemical inputs.”

"A dance around the centre of the Universe". An unknown species. Credit: Diego Bianchi.

Having successfully isolated hundreds of fungal species with extremely diverse traits, Diego’s passion for fungi evolved from their scientific applications to an artistic appreciation of their natural beauty as well. This shift inspired him to create Fungal Galaxies to also showcase the purely aesthetic value of filamentous fungi.

Specific fungi in the collection include:

• Ophiocordyceps sinensis (“caterpillar fungus”), famous in traditional Chinese medicine, and known for parasitizing ghost moth larvae
• Beauveria bassiana,commercially used on crops, as it infects pests such as thrips, whitefly, spider mites, and aphids that can develop resistance to insecticides
• Sarocladium species, which can produce toxic, insecticidal and antibacterial compounds
• Chaetomium species, which protect against and even cure plant disease as well as promoting plant growth, protecting plants against things like durian and black pepper rot

Epicoccum nigrum, which put the brakes on various plant pathogens and pests, as well as helping to mobilise nutrients and increase tolerance to external abiotic stresses

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