Category: Wildlife

DNA Barcoding Fungi THE FUNGI KINGDOM Fungi are one the largest and most diverse groups of organisms in the world. As we have the plant and animal kingdoms, fungi make up a kingdom of their own. From just talking a look at them, you would probably assume that fungi and plants are very similar, when in fact fungi are actually biologically closer to animals. Fungi are responsible for important environmental processes such as nutrient cycling and plant, animal and soil health. Humans also rely on fungi in food production, including items such as cheese, bread and chocolate and the manufacture of drugs and biofuels. Not forgetting that there is a huge market for edible mushrooms all over the world. Mycology is the study of fungi. For something that is so important to ecosystems and biodiversity, fungi are under-studied when compared with animals and plants. There are estimated to be at least six times as many species of fungi than plants, anywhere between 2 and 11...

With very early autumn conditions being labelled as a “false” autumn at the end of August, followed by almost spring-like conditions and then the big freeze last week, it’s fair to say that British wildlife is probably very confused right now.After being followed round the garden by a winter favourite, the robin this weekend, one of the chXout® team decided to look into what they could do for garden birds in this weather. With no bird seed and not a whole lot to choose from in the kitchen, it seemed like this might be a bit of a challenge.We should note that with the prevalence of bird flu at the moment, interaction with wild birds should be kept to a minimum and it is important to wash your hands before and after replacing food.As more people seem to be aware of now, the last thing we should really be feeding any type of birds is bread. Although it is not...