Outcomes of the National Science Foundation supported CLIMUSH project

May 14, 2026 Andrew Wilson , Associate Curator of Mycology

2025 was our final year of support from the National Science Foundation funded CLIMUSH project. This project – named from a portmanteau of “climate” and “mushroom” – sought to understand how the environment affects the diversity and reproduction of macrofungi: the fungi that produce mushrooms and other macroscopic reproductive structures. This collaboration consisted of five other institutions and principal investigators that studied plots in eight ecoregions across North America (See Map). The goal was to examine fungal diversity using DNA sequencing techniques from oak, conifer and grassland habitats by sampling soil, litter, roots, leaves and spores in the air after rainfall.

At Denver Botanic Gardens, our role involved plot sampling and sample processing for two of the nine sites: Niwot Ridge, the primary research site of CU Boulder’s Mountain Research Station, and the Konza Prairie Biological Station at Kansas State University.

To access the Colorado site, we took a four-wheel drive vehicle five miles up to Niwot Ridge, then hiked more than a mile to our plot at 11,000 feet, above tree line in the alpine zone. Early season sampling involved snowy fields and inclement weather, but on sunny days the view was hard to beat.

In Kansas, our plots consisted of oak woodland or grasslands representing both undisturbed and disturbed (controlled burn) habitats. Mycology graduate students Justin Loucks and Jess Loeffler assisted in sampling these sites for soil, litter, root and leaf tissue and spore samples. We also received additional help from volunteers and fellow mycologists from the region who joined us to collect mushrooms during the growing season.

As this project nears the end, volumes of data still need to be analyzed. One scientific paper documenting the importance of science like ours has already been published and several more are currently being reviewed. We are currently working on a paper to document the mushroom diversity out of Konza, which would be the first of its kind. Our lab has also been exploring the diversity and distribution of the Thelephorales across North America.

The CLIMUSH project is one of the most ambitious studies of macrofungal diversity ever undertaken and has given us the best dataset to examine the patterns of diversity for all kinds of fungi across this continent.
Although Denver Botanic Gardens has completed its part in this project, our part in the ongoing effort to document fungal diversity continues.

Gallery

Map of ecoregions for the CLIMUSH project. Each ecoregion samples available habitats and used a standard plot design to collect samples from soil, litter, plant material and from spore traps.

Three men on snowfield with one in foreground taking selfie

Hiking to our field site on Niwot Ridge sometimes involved traversing snow fields. From L to R: Jess Loeffler, Andrew Wilson, Justin Loucks.

Group of people doing field work on mountain with man kneeling and pointing

Project principal investigator, Dr. Andrew Wilson, estimates the direction of the wind (maybe?) at the project plot on Niwot Ridge as volunteers wonder if he knows what he’s doing.

man kneeling in forested foliage collecting mushroom samples

At Konza Prairie Biological Research Station, Justin Loucks samples soils in the oak woodland plot.

In sampling our plots it’s best to work as a team. Konza Prairie Biological Station team: (L to R) project principal investigators Dr. Andrew Wilson and Dr. Bitty Roy (University of Oregon), along with graduate students Jess Loeffler and Justin Loucks.

CU Boulder Research Station, 2023: Natalie Hyde, Sara Branco (CU Denver), Carlyn Pudwill, Ikuko Lubow, Justin Loucks, Stephen Mondo (Joint Genome Institute), Ed Lubow, Alex Merryman, Pat Bedinger, Andrew Wilson, Alissa Iverson, Ken Kassenbrock (CSU).