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Uses and importance of wild fungi: traditional knowledge from the Tshopo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Overview of attention for article published in Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, February 2018
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6 X users
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35 Dimensions

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113 Mendeley
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Title
Uses and importance of wild fungi: traditional knowledge from the Tshopo province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Published in
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, February 2018
DOI 10.1186/s13002-017-0203-6
Pubmed ID
Authors

Héritier Milenge Kamalebo, Hippolyte Nshimba Seya Wa Malale, Cephas Masumbuko Ndabaga, Jérôme Degreef, André De Kesel

Abstract

Wild mushrooms constitute an important non-timber forest product that provides diverse substances and services, especially food and income for local communities from many parts of the world. This study presents original ethnomycological documentation from the dense rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ethnomycological surveys were made within local communities near the biosphere reserve of Yangambi and the Yoko forest reserve. The interviews involved 160 informants from six different ethnic communities (Bakumu, Turumbu, Topoke, Lokele, Ngelema, and Ngando). Specific reported use (RU), the relative importance (RI), and the cultural significance (CS) of wild edible fungi were calculated using quantitative data from enquiries. The people from Tshopo use 73 species of wild mushrooms either for food (68 species), as medicine (9 species), in a recreational context (2 species), or related to myths and beliefs (7 species). Women are more involved in harvesting and are the main holders of cultural aspects related to fungi. The results show that knowledge of useful mushrooms differs between ethnic groups. The Ngando people have the highest ethnomycological expertise, which is expressed in their extensive cultural and practical use of fungi. Pleurotus tuber-regium is the most important species (MCSI = 1.9 and p value < 2.2e-16) as it is being used for food, as a medicine, and more. Daldinia eschscholtzii is the most important (MUI = 0.86 and p value < 2.2e-16) for medicinal applications, while Schizophyllum commune, Auricularia cornea, A. delicata, Marasmius buzungolo, and Lentinus squarrosulus are mostly appreciated for food. The latter five species are all wood-decaying saprotrophs. Despite the presence of edible ectomycorrhizal taxa in the dense rainforests of Tshopo, local people only seem to have an interest in saprotrophic taxa. Some mushroom pickers deliberately cut down host trees to promote the development of saprotrophic taxa. Inducing forest degradation is considered beneficial as it promotes the development of saprotrophic taxa. The domestication of locally appreciated saprotrophic lignicolous fungi is proposed as a mitigating measure against fellings.

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X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 6 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 113 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 113 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Researcher 20 18%
Student > Bachelor 11 10%
Student > Ph. D. Student 10 9%
Student > Master 10 9%
Professor 6 5%
Other 20 18%
Unknown 36 32%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 22 19%
Environmental Science 13 12%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 12 11%
Medicine and Dentistry 3 3%
Engineering 3 3%
Other 23 20%
Unknown 37 33%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 4. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 18 February 2018.
All research outputs
#7,365,392
of 24,520,187 outputs
Outputs from Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine
#277
of 765 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#144,448
of 453,971 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine
#10
of 13 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 24,520,187 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 69th percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 765 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 6.0. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 63% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 453,971 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 68% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 13 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 30th percentile – i.e., 30% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.