Chiang Mai Journal of Science

Special Issue Editors:
Prof. Dr. Samantha C. Karunarathna, Dr. Nakarin Suwannarach and Dr. Jaturong Kumla

Fungi represent one of the world’s largest eukaryotic kingdoms, with the latest estimate of 2.5 million species on our planet. However, only 155,000 species have so far been discovered and described. Recently, new fungal species have been described using a combination of morphological and molecular approaches. Nevertheless, the question of how many fungal species actually exist remains a topic of great interest. Additionally, fungal diversity is essential for maintaining ecosystem function and stability as a decomposer, symbiotic associations, and parasitic lifestyles. Several fungi also produce enzymes and secondary bioactive metabolites of biotechnological importance for commercial applications and related industries, as well as for environmentally friendly agricultural processes. Global change has had an increasingly significant impact on the environment. It has also increased global temperatures, atmospheric CO2 levels, and seasonal climate changes. Moreover, global change poses significant challenges to fungal diversity, potentially affecting ecosystem function and stability, agricultural productivity, and biodiversity. Therefore, it is of timely importance to highlight the significant advancements that have recently been made in the understanding of how global change impacts fungi, their interactions with other organisms, and their role in ecological functions. This Special Issue welcomes groundbreaking contributions on fungal diversity (taxonomical, phylogenetic, and evolution results), ecological studies (community, geological distribution, and life mode findings), and fungal utilization in agriculture, biotechnology, and medicine.