This dataset was developed during the implementation of the project "Data Mobilization and long-term conservation of Wild Edible Fungi (WEF) in Benin", coordinated by the Research Unit Tropical Mycology and Plants–Soil Fungi Interactions (MyTIPS) of the University of Parakou. The project aims to improve knowledge on the diversity, distribution, and conservation status of wild edible fungi in Benin through the mobilization, standardization, and publication of occurrence records. This resource brings together data collected in the forests of Benin between 2023 and 2025. Sampling covered the three main ecological zones of Benin, including protected forests and woodlands in the southern, central, and northern regions of the country. Each occurrence record is supported, whenever possible, by taxonomic identification, geographic coordinates, collection date, habitat information and if possible voucher specimens deposited in the Mycological Herbarium of the University of Parakou (UNIPAR). The dataset contributes to filling one of the largest biodiversity knowledge gaps in West Africa, where fungal diversity remains severely underrepresented in global biodiversity databases. It provides open-access occurrence data to support biodiversity research, species distribution modelling, conservation planning, sustainable management of wild edible fungi, and evidence-based policy development. The dataset also contributes to strengthening fungal biodiversity documentation in Benin and supports the integration of fungal conservation into national biodiversity strategies.
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Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/3dpeqr accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-10-12.","citationProvidedBySource":false},"contactsCitation":[{"key":7080168,"abbreviatedName":"HOUDANON R D","firstName":"Roël Dire","lastName":"HOUDANON","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":[]},{"key":7080169,"abbreviatedName":"Codjia J E I","firstName":"Jean Evans Israël","lastName":"Codjia","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":[]},{"key":7080170,"abbreviatedName":"Boni S","firstName":"Souleymane","lastName":"Boni","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":[]},{"key":7080171,"abbreviatedName":"Yorou N S","firstName":"Nourou Soulemane","lastName":"Yorou","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":[]}],"lockedForAutoUpdate":false,"createdBy":"e67232c3-376e-472a-833e-06449de6c3dd","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-07-16T12:19:53.326+00:00","modified":"2026-07-20T10:50:04.993+00:00","contacts":[{"key":7080168,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":true,"userId":[],"salutation":"Dr","firstName":"Roël 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dataset covers the Republic of Benin, West Africa, and includes occurrence records of wild edible macrofungi collected across the country's three main climatic and ecological zones. Field surveys were conducted in protected forests and surrounding woodlands representing southern, central, and northern Benin, complemented by historical records from fungarium collections and published literature.\n\nSampling sites include the Pahou, Lama, Dogo-Kétou, Niaouli and Adakplame Forest Reserves in southern Benin; the Bassila and Monts Kouffé-Wari Maro Forest Reserves in central Benin; and the Ouémé Supérieur, N'Dali, Ouénou-Bénou Forest Reserves and gallery forests of Kota and Koussoucoingou in northern Benin. These sites encompass a wide range of vegetation types, including semi-deciduous forests, gallery forests, woodlands, and Sudanian savannas, providing representative habitats for the country's macrofungal diversity.","boundingBox":{"minLatitude":2.563472,"maxLatitude":10.226627,"minLongitude":1.678489,"maxLongitude":10.30185,"globalCoverage":false}}],"temporalCoverages":[{"@type":"range","start":"2024-08-07T00:00:00.000+00:00","end":"2024-08-07T00:00:00.000+00:00"}],"keywordCollections":[{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type_2015-07-10.xml","keywords":["Benin","West Africa","Macrofungi","Tropical forests","Wild edible fungi","Biodiversity","Occurrence"]},{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Subtype Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_subtype.xml","keywords":["observation"]}],"project":{"title":"Data Mobilization and long-term conservation of Wild Edible Fungi (WEF) in Benin (Project 70030 JRS - University of Parakou)","identifier":"https://jrsbiodiversity.org/grants/univ_parakou/","contacts":[{"type":"PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR","primary":false,"userId":[],"salutation":"Dr","firstName":"Roël Dire","lastName":"HOUDANON","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"CONTENT_PROVIDER","primary":false,"userId":[],"salutation":"Dr","firstName":"Jean Evans Israël","lastName":"Codjia","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"CONTENT_PROVIDER","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"Souleymane","lastName":"Boni","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"CONTENT_PROVIDER","primary":false,"userId":[],"salutation":"Prof","firstName":"Nourou Soulemane","lastName":"Boni","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]}],"funding":"This dataset was developed within the project \"Data Mobilization and Long-term Conservation of Wild Edible Fungi (WEF) in Benin\", implemented by the Research Unit Tropical Mycology and Plants–Soil Fungi Interactions (MyTIPS), University of Parakou (Benin). The project was financially supported by the JRS Biodiversity Foundation through its Biodiversity Data Mobilization Program. The funding supported field surveys, fungarium specimen curation, biodiversity data digitization and standardization, capacity building in biodiversity informatics, molecular characterization of fungi, and the publication of occurrence data through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and other international biodiversity data repositories.","awards":[],"studyAreaDescription":"The study was conducted throughout the Republic of Benin, West Africa (6°10′–12°30′ N; 0°45′–3°55′ E), encompassing the country's major phytogeographical and bioclimatic regions. Benin extends from the humid Guineo-Congolian zone in the south to the Sudanian savanna zone in the north, providing a broad range of environmental conditions favourable to macrofungal diversity.\n\nThe principal sampling localities between 2023 - 2025, include the Pahou Forest Reserve, Pobè Forest Reserve, Niaouli Forest, Ouedo Forest, Adakplamè Forest, Okpara Forest, Ouémé Supérieur Forest Reserve, Warimaro Forest, Mont Kouffé Forest, and the Ouénou-Bénou Forest Reserve. These forests encompass diverse vegetation types, including semi-deciduous dense forests, gallery forests, Isoberlinia-dominated woodlands, Uapaca woodlands, Monotes woodlands, teak (Tectona grandis), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), and acacia plantations, as well as wooded savannas and forest–agricultural mosaics. This ecological diversity provides habitats for a wide range of macrofungal species with different ecological strategies.\n\nThe dataset focuses on wild macrofungi, belonging to the phyla Basidiomycota and Ascomycota. It includes ectomycorrhizal species associated with native forest trees, saprotrophic fungi growing on litter and dead wood, and other macrofungi characteristic of tropical forest and woodland ecosystems. All field collections were georeferenced using handheld GPS receivers, and voucher specimens were prepared and deposited in the Mycological Herbarium of the University of Parakou (UNIPAR) to ensure long-term preservation and taxonomic verification.\n\nBy integrating historical and contemporary occurrence records across Benin's principal forest ecosystems, this dataset provides a comprehensive baseline for documenting fungal diversity, assessing species distributions, identifying biodiversity hotspots, supporting conservation planning, and monitoring the effects of environmental and climate change on tropical macrofungal communities.","designDescription":"The dataset focuses on wild macrofungi, belonging to the phyla Basidiomycota and Ascomycota. It includes ectomycorrhizal species associated with native forest trees, saprotrophic fungi growing on litter and dead wood, and other macrofungi characteristic of tropical forest and woodland ecosystems. All field collections were georeferenced using handheld GPS receivers, and voucher specimens were prepared and deposited in the Mycological Herbarium of the University of Parakou (UNIPAR) to ensure long-term preservation and taxonomic verification.\n\nField surveys were conducted in representative forest ecosystems across Benin's major phytogeographical zones. Sampling sites were selected to capture the country's ecological diversity, including humid semi-deciduous forests, gallery forests, woodland savannas dominated by native tree species. Within each study site, fungi were surveyed along 5 to 10 belt transects measuring 500 m × 20 m, depending on the size and accessibility of the forest. Fruiting bodies encountered within the transects were collected, photographed when possible, georeferenced with handheld GPS receivers, and documented in accordance with standard mycological collection protocols.","relatedProjects":[],"abstract":"This dataset was developed within the project Data Mobilization and Long-term Conservation of Wild Edible Fungi (WEF) in Benin, coordinated by the Research Unit Tropical Mycology and Plants–Soil Fungi Interactions (MyTIPS) of the University of Parakou. The project aims to improve knowledge on the diversity, distribution, and conservation status of wild edible fungi in Benin through the mobilization, standardization, and publication of occurrence records.The resource brings together historical occurrence records from fungarium collections, published literature, and institutional databases, together with newly collected field observations obtained through systematic mycological surveys conducted between 2023 and 2025. Sampling covered the three main ecological zones of Benin, including protected forests and woodlands in the southern, central, and northern regions of the country. Each occurrence record is supported, whenever possible, by taxonomic identification, geographic coordinates, collection date, habitat information, collector details, and voucher specimens deposited in the Mycological Herbarium of the University of Parakou (UNIPAR).The dataset contributes to filling one of the largest biodiversity knowledge gaps in West Africa, where fungal diversity remains severely underrepresented in global biodiversity databases. It provides open-access occurrence data to support biodiversity research, species distribution modelling, conservation planning, sustainable management of wild edible fungi, and evidence-based policy development. The dataset also contributes to strengthening fungal biodiversity documentation in Benin and supports the integration of fungal conservation into national biodiversity strategies."},"samplingDescription":{"studyExtent":"The data were collected in the targeted forests, including the forest reserves of Ouénou-Bénou, Bassila, N'dali, Kilibo, Pobè, Niaouli, Adakplamè, Lama, and Pahou as well as the gallery forests of Kota and Koussoucoingou","sampling":"The project involved field surveys and the examination of fungarium collections. Macrofungi were collected from previously under-sampled habitats across Benin. Fruiting bodies were sampled along five (5) to ten (10) transects measuring 500 m × 20 m, depending on the size of each forest reserve. Geographic coordinates of all collections were recorded using a Garmin GPS receiver. Collected specimens were dried, labeled, and deposited as voucher specimens in the Mycological Herbarium of the University of Parakou (UNIPAR), where they are preserved for future taxonomic and biodiversity research.","qualityControl":"Several quality control procedures were implemented to ensure the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of the dataset before publication.\n\nFirst, all occurrence records were visually inspected by projecting the geographic coordinates onto a digital map using Geographic Information System (GIS) software. This verification ensured that sampling locations fell within the expected study areas and allowed the detection and correction of potential errors resulting from inaccurate GPS recordings, coordinate transposition, or incorrect coordinate formats.\n\nSecond, taxonomic names were standardized and validated against the Index Fungorum database to ensure that all scientific names followed the currently accepted fungal nomenclature. Synonyms, spelling errors, and outdated names were corrected using the most recent taxonomic information available.\n\nTo further improve taxonomic consistency and interoperability with GBIF, all scientific names were verified using the GBIF Species Matching tool. This procedure confirmed the accepted names and their hierarchical classification (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species) according to the GBIF taxonomic backbone. Records that could not be matched automatically were manually reviewed.\n\nFor specimens presenting ambiguous morphological characteristics or uncertain taxonomic identification, molecular analyses were performed. DNA was extracted, amplified, and sequenced using standard fungal DNA barcoding protocols. The resulting sequences were compared with reference sequences to confirm species identity, and selected sequences were deposited in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank to support the taxonomic reliability and reproducibility of the dataset.","methodSteps":["N/A"]},"countryCoverage":[],"collections":[],"dataDescriptions":[],"dataLanguage":"eng","purpose":"This dataset was established to mobilize, standardize, and publish occurrence records of wild macrofungi in Benin in order to address the significant knowledge gap on fungal biodiversity in West Africa. Despite their fundamental ecological roles in nutrient cycling, forest ecosystem functioning, and symbiotic interactions with plants, fungi remain among the least documented groups of organisms in the region and are severely underrepresented in global biodiversity databases.The primary purpose of this dataset is to provide a reliable baseline for biodiversity research, taxonomy, biogeography, ecological modelling, and conservation planning. The occurrence records support the identification of fungal diversity hotspots, the assessment of species distributions, and the development of evidence-based strategies for the sustainable conservation and management of wild edible fungi. In addition, the dataset provides valuable information for monitoring changes in fungal diversity under land-use and climate change, supporting ecological restoration initiatives, and informing national biodiversity policies.This resource also aims to strengthen fungal biodiversity data mobilization in Africa by encouraging open data sharing, facilitating international scientific collaboration, and increasing the visibility of African fungal diversity within global biodiversity information systems. It represents one of the most comprehensive openly accessible datasets on macrofungi currently available for Benin and provides a foundation for future taxonomic, ecological, molecular, and conservation studies.
","acknowledgements":"This dataset was funded by the JRS Biodiversity Foundation through the project \"Data Mobilization and Long-term Conservation of Wild Edible Fungi (WEF) in Benin\", implemented by the Research Unit Tropical Mycology and Plants–Soil Fungi Interactions (MyTIPS), University of Parakou, Benin. The grant supported biodiversity data mobilization, field inventories, specimen preservation, capacity building, and the publication of fungal occurrence data through GBIF.
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