science

MycoBank

MycoBank is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MycoBank rather than just read about it. In short: MycoBank is an online database, documenting new mycological names and combinations, eventually combined with descriptions and illustrations. It is run by the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute in Utrecht.

Key takeaways

MycoBank belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MycoBank to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MycoBank from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MycoBank is an online database, documenting new mycological names and combinations, eventually combined with descriptions and illustrations. It is run by the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute in Utrecht. Each novelty, after being screened by nomenclatural experts and found in accordance with the ICN (International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants), is allocated a unique MycoBank number before the new name has been validly published. This number then can be cited by the naming author in the publication where the new name is being introduced. Only then, this unique number becomes public in the database. By doing so, this system can help solve the problem of knowing which names have been validly published and in which year. MycoBank is linked to other important mycological databases such as Index Fungorum, Life Science Identifiers, Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and other databases. MycoBank is one of three nomenclatural repositories recognized by the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi; the others are Index Fungorum and Fungal Names. MycoBank has emerged as the primary registration system for new fungal taxa and nomenclatural acts. According to a 2021 analysis of taxonomic innovations in lichen and allied fungi between 2018–2020, 97.7% of newly described taxa and 76.5% of new combinations obtained their registration numbers from MycoBank, suggesting broad adoption by the mycological community. The system serves as a critical infrastructure for tracking valid publication of new fungal names, though it operates alongside other repositories like Index Fungorum and Fungal Names. While MycoBank is widely used for obtaining registration identifiers as required by the International Code of Nomenclature for fungi since 2013, it maintains a complementary role to Index Fungorum, which continues to serve as a commonly used system for querying general nomenclatural information about fungal names. Registration numbers must be obtained after manuscript acceptance but before publication for new names to be considered validly published.

References

Further reading Crous, Pedro W.; Gams, Walter; Stalpers, Joost A.; Robert, Vincent; Stegehuis, Gerrit (2004). "MycoBank: an online initiative to launch mycology into the 21st century" (PDF). Studies in Mycology. 50: 19–22. Crous, Pedro W.; Gams, Walter; Stalpers, Joost A.; Cannon, Paul F.; Kirk, Paul M.; David, John C.; Triebel, Dagmar (2004). "An Online Database of Names and Descriptions as an Alternative to Registration". Mycological Research. 108 (11). Elsevier BV: 1236–1238. doi:10.1017/s0953756204221554. ISSN 0953-7562.

External links

Official website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MycoBank

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MycoBank claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MycoBank before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MycoBank ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MycoBank

In research: MycoBank appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MycoBank in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MycoBank is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Mycology databases, Online taxonomy databases, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MycoBank outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MycoBank in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MycoBank means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MycoBank out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MycoBank in simple terms?

Why does MycoBank matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MycoBank?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MycoBank.