Tropical mycology and biotechnology

Abstract

The relevance of tropical mycology to biotechnology rests on mycodioersity and the enormous fungal power that such mycodioersit.y implies. The strateqies, techniques and priorities in harnessing fungal power for human needs are outlined. The author explains the urgent need Jar a Jungal inventory oj the tropics, for a combing of special microhabitats and ecological niches for mycogenomes, the maintenance in culture and conservation of these genomes and the study oj their secondary metabolites and other attributes, and co-evolution with other genomes. These genomes are irreplaceable and must therefore be conserved.