Contribution of the Survey Establishing Baseline Data. There currently is no reference, or baseline, data available for the macrofungi of any tropical country. Without baseline data, changes in the composition of species cannot be monitored. Once these data are collected and made available, changes due to pollution, forest destruction or other factors can be monitored and properly studied. Data from this Costa Rican survey will be used throughout the tropics. Developing New Research Methods and Tools. The specimens and data obtained through this inventory are being used by Greg’s team and other scientists from around the world to better understand the diversity, distribution, and ecology of fungi from around the world; investigate how organisms interact; determine how forest systems were formed and how they work; and more fully document the impact of global change. continue >>