For two years, mycologists and mushroom hunters have been trekking through California's forests, mountains, and remote canyons with a singular mission: find every fungus they can. The California Fungal Diversity Survey (CA FUNDIS) is the first statewide effort of its kind in North America, and what they're uncovering is reshaping how we think about the state's hidden biodiversity.
At The Cedars, a preserve in Sonoma County with serpentine soil rich in heavy metals, the team identified more than 100 new fungal species in a single location. Twenty-five of them exist nowhere else on Earth. These aren't distant abstractions — researchers are photographing them, uploading the images to iNaturalist (a crowdsourced biodiversity database), extracting their DNA for sequencing, and storing dried specimens at UC Berkeley and UCLA. Thousands of fungal species have been collected across California, most of them still undescribed by science.
This matters because fungi are essentially invisible infrastructure. They decompose dead matter, cycle nutrients through soil, and form symbiotic relationships with plants that make forests possible. Yet they barely register in conservation conversations, which tend to fixate on mammals and birds — the charismatic megafauna that fit into funding proposals and fundraising campaigns.
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Start Your News Detox"Fungi are the unsung heroes of the natural world," said Harte Singer, who leads the genetic research for CA FUNDIS. "They're critical to nearly every terrestrial ecosystem, yet we know so little about their diversity and distribution, let alone their ecological roles."
The survey is designed to change that. By mapping where California's fungi actually live, the team can identify biodiversity hotspots, track shifts over time, and flag species that might be at risk. It's foundational work — the kind that doesn't make headlines but quietly reshapes what conservation priorities should be.
The logistics are brutal. Remote terrain, extreme weather, and the simple fact that many fungi are difficult to identify even for experts means this project requires both meticulous planning and genuine persistence. The CA FUNDIS team is leaning on citizen scientists and a network of collaborators to spread the workload, turning what could be an impossible task into a distributed effort.
Singer frames it plainly: "This is just the beginning. With continued support and participation, we can unlock the secrets of California's fungi and ensure their conservation for generations to come." The survey is still underway, and each season brings new discoveries — a reminder that even in a state we think we know well, there are entire kingdoms of life waiting to be properly seen.
