2026 Lecture Programme

Abstract: Fungi are everywhere: in our soils, food, homes and even our bodies, yet most remain unknown to science. Only around 150,000 of an estimated 2.5 million species have been named, and South Africa, despite being a global biodiversity hotspot, is no exception. This talk introduces MUFASA (Mapping Unseen Fungi Across South Africa), a programme that combines field surveys, living culture collections, DNA-based identification and genomics to ask which fungi occur where, and why. Using familiar moulds such as Penicillium as an example, I show how modern taxonomy turns this hidden diversity into knowledge that can benefit agriculture, health and the bioeconomy.