What is a Grassland Habitat?
Grasslands are the product of centuries of human agricultural
activity and represent the dominant habitat type in the UK,
covering some 65 % of the total land area.
Semi-natural grasslands in the form of herb-rich meadows
also represent a significant but largely neglected reservoir
of indigenous biodiversity for the British Isles. However,
over the past 50 years it is reliably estimated that in excess
of 95 % of haymeadow habitats have been destroyed (Lovegrove,
Shrubb & Williams, 1995), partly through urban or suburban
building programmes but mainly through agricultural intensification
in the form of ploughing and increased fertilizer input.
The resultant loss of biodiversity among plant and animal
species (e.g. orchids, birds, butterflies) has received some
public attention but only in recent years has there been a
recognition that the distinctive mycota of these unimproved
grasslands is also under threat.
Types of Grassland Fungi:
There are many types of fungi associated with grassland's,
but the ones associated with waxcaps are; Geoglossaceae
(the earth tongues), Clavarioid species (fairy clubs) and
Entolomatcaeae (pink gills).
|