Pembrokeshire Fungus Recorder Issue 3/2013

Published quarterly by the Pembrokeshire Fungus Recording Network www.pembsfungi.org.uk

Contents

Fungus records (DJH) Podosordaria tulasnei ---- a life in poo (PAJ) Conservation news UK Fungus day West Wales DNA barcoding project New book on Ascomycetes

Fungus fruit bodies on rabbit dung © Mike Crutchley

Introduction

Rainfall for this quarter was below average for 2012/2013 rainfall (mm) 200 each month. The latest forecast suggests a sun- Average 2012 ny July - so fungus records may be in short 2013 supply in the forseeable future. 150

Interesting point is that, provided the rain 100 comes at a sensible time in the autumn, good waxcap seasons sometimes follow good sum- 50 mers. We shall see. 0 (Weather data courtesy of FSC, Orielton) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

The focus of this edition is very much on rusts and rabbit droppings. Vicky Tomlinson continues to build the rust list for Pembrokeshire with expert guidance from Nigel Stringer, whilst rabbit dung features in a fascinating article by Philip Jones and, quite separately, in some remarkable close-up images from Mike Crutchley.

The newsletter concludes with a round up of mycological matters of general and conservation interest including an update on UK Fungus Day.

Finally - a reminder to photography enthusiasts that they should be on the lookout for good subject material for our 2013 photographic contest. The closing date for entries is 1st December 2013 and details can be found in the last issue of our newsletter (Issue 2/2013).

David Harries, PFRN coordinator ([email protected]) July 2013 Records

Basidiomycetes

The second quarter of the year turned out to be relatively quiet - especially as far as larger fungi were concerned. Perhaps the cool start to the season resulted in late production of fruit bodies for some species, mirroring the late flowering and leaf burst observed on many plants this year? The first (and only) Pembrokeshire record for Calocybe gambosa (St. George's Mushroom) was reported from Am- bleston on the 9th May. Philip Jones recorded a nice collection on the public footpath boundary at Ffrwd (Carmarthenshire) in grass under Blackthorn on 12th May (pictured right).

Again in mid-May, Kevin Mason reported this fine collection (pictured right) of Coprinopsis atramentaria (Common Inkcap) from Canaston woods, whilst Mike Karpaty found fresh specimens on Polyporus squamosus (Dryad's Saddle) at Carew and Auricularia auricula-judae (Jew's Ear) on an unusual substrate, Laurel, at Milton.

Perhaps the most unusual find came in late June from woodland near Milton where Mike Karpaty collected specimens of a brown-spored, scaly/floccose-capped fungus on dead wood. The specimens measured up to 30 mm. across, and were connected to the substrate by a short, off-set stem. A clue to the identitity of the species came from the cap structure which had distinct gelatinous, peelable, layer which suggested Crepidotus mollis (The Peeling Oysterling). Further inspection of the keys (Funga Nordica 2012) brought us to the less widely recorded C. mollis var. calolepsis which has the additional character of a scaly cap surface compared with the smoother surface of the more widely recorded variety (C. mollis). [Note: references vary as to the status of this taxon with views ranging from a species in its own right through to just a scaly form of C. mollis.]

Collection of images showing different aspects of C. mollis var. calolepsis © Mike Karpaty

Rusts

Vicky Tomlinson produced a steady flow of rust records including the rust Puccinia umbilici on Navelwort (Umbilicus rupestris) near the entrance to Pentre Ifan farm on the north slopes of the Preseli hills. Nigel Stringer confirmed the identification and advised that the species is quite widely distributed in Wales but well worth looking for.

2 Vicky's records continued with more finds from home territory at Freshwater East including Puccinia urticata on Nettle. Nigel notes that the photo (P. urticata detail, below right) shows the aecial stage very clearly with its characteristic coronet shape and advises that this rust alternates with species of Sedge (Carex). Another find was the rust Puccinia phragmitis on Dock (Rumex) - this species alternates with Phragmites, the tall reed found in abundance at Freshwater East.

5 mm.

Left: Puccinia umbilici Centre: Puccinia urticata Right: P. urticata detail A rust found on Arum maculatum (Wild Arum/Lords and Ladies) at Somerton was confirmed by Nigel Stringer as Puccinia sessilis, as was a similar rust on the related species Arum italicum - a possible garden escape. Subsequent inspection of the Fungus Records Database shows that whilst the rust has been widely recorded on A. maculatum, there were only 2 previous records on A. italicum - both involving Nigel as either recorder or verifier. Now he has a third to add to the list!

One rust which makes a regular appearance in the county is Puccinia smyrnii which forms yellow, powdery blotches on Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum).

Left: Alexanders plant Right: Puccinia smyrnii (© Mike Crutchley)

Alexanders is an edible plant, related to Celery, believed to have been introduced to Britain by the Romans. Also known as Black Lovage, it was extensively used through the middle ages. Now rarely cultivated, it naturalises readily, especially in relatively mild western districts. Robin Crump recently noted that this species appears to have become much more widespread in recent years, and is now a common site on many hedgebanks. In earlier years it tended to be restricted to sites of old dwellings.

The name olusatrum comes from olus, meaning 'pot herb' and atrum meaning ‘black’ in reference to the colour of the seeds and roots.

3 Ascomycetes

Ascomycete (spore shooter) fungus recording was well represented this quarter thanks to a return visit by Peter Thompson (see Conservation News for details of his book).

The list of species is still being compiled and is likely to include several new records for Wales. Orbilia rubrovacuolata (illustrated right) was photographed at Pwllcrochan and is a rarely recorded species with just 2 previous UK records (both from Kent) according to the Fungus Records Database.

This species is found on dead herbaceous stems and typically measures 0.5 to 1.7 mm. in diameter.

....and finally...some images from rabbit droppings...

Mike Crutchley collected rabbit droppings from Freshwater West dunes in late May and incubated them on moist kitchen paper for several weeks. He was rewarded with an abundance of tiny ascomycetes and myxomycetes (slime moulds) which provided good photo-opportunities.

Many of the fungi measured between 0.1 and 1 mm in size - so proved well suited to Mike’s specialist photomacrography skills. Determination of the species is taking a little longer, but the list already includes Iodophanus carneus (the yellow cushions, measuring 1 to 2 mm across, shown in the inset photograph), and two of the black ascomycetes, Schizothecium tetrasporum and Delitschia winteri, which are the small black objects protruding through the surface of the dung. Examples of these can be seen in the image below, but are more obvious in the front page image.

1 mm.

4 Podosordaria tulasnei - a life in poo (Philip Jones)

The NBN Gateway distribution map for this species, although lacking some records, is interesting as it shows records are mainly from Scotland with western isles having the majority of collections. The map says more about the collector than about the fungus which, as it is such a frequent component of incubated rabbit pellets, must surely be present wherever rabbits are found. Of the 70 records on FRDBI just nine have not been collected or identified by Mike Richardson, the undoubted ‘Arch- Druid’ of coprophilous (fimicolous) fungi, whose Podosordaria tulasnei finds result from incubating rabbit pellets collected on his travels including walking holidays around the Scottish coast (pers. comm.).

The perithecial head of P tulasnei is only about 2-3mm in diameter, brownish and sits directly on the soil surface so it is not surprising that it is seldom collected. The FRDBI note by Andy Burnham with his collection of 12/09/07 says ‘Fertile structures present, just tips protruding from the sand’. It is probably most easily found around rabbit latrines on sand-dunes where vegetation is sparse and the small brown perithecial heads are more easily seen against the yellow sand. Small brown specks are often bits of dried seaweed or flower seeds which soon move if touched but Podosordaria tulasnei has a buried rhizomorph about 40mm long so is fixed. Plunging a broad bladed knife into the sand next to this and tilting, easily extracts the specimen.

When the perithecial head is cut the small flask-shaped perithecia containing asci can easily be seen as the outer ectostromal cells are brown with a white medulla (as with some other members of the Xylariaceae such as Xylaria polymorpha, Dead Man’s Fingers).

David’s splendid microphotography shows interesting features. The spores, 20-26x11-15 µm with a germ slit, are dark brown and covered with a mucilaginous coat. The dark spore colour is said to protect them from ultraviolet light while stuck to vegetation, Ingold (1971). The asci have a prominent apical ‘apparatus’ with the tip staining blue in Iodine. The ascus pore diameter is less than the spore diameter so must stretch and contract as spores are shot out. It has been shown, Ingold (1971), that the asci of several coprophilous ascomycetes are positively phototrophic, discharging their spores around midday and aiming towards the sun. The spores then have a better chance of

5 being shot to a higher elevation to catch air currents and, landing on vegetation, the mucus coat cements them onto this as it dries. Rabbits eating such vegetation ingest spores which pass through the gut to be already in pellets as these are excreted. Some coprophilous fungal spores do not germinate unless these have passed through the gut of a herbivore but I do not know if this applies to P tulasnei.

It is easy to visualise this sequence of events, common to many coprophilous fungi, (spores on vegetation eaten by herbivores pass through the alimentary canal where germination is stimulated by temperature and enzymes to be excreted with poo where they develop to produce more spores) with rabbits and many other herbivores such as hares, goats, sheep and cows but reading about Podosord- aria elephanti on elephant dung was quite a surprise (Deepna Latha and Manimohan, 2012). Professor Manimohan kindly replied to my enquiry and says it is not clear how these spores are ending up on elephant dung. This dung is massive and long-lived giving sufficient time for this to be colonised by coprophilous spores. However bamboo leaves are a favourite of Asiatic elephants so spores could get attached to these as described. Spores passing through the gut and excreted would be at a competitive advantage to any falling on the dung at some time after deposit. Mike Richardson says he has collected a coprophilous species, Trichodelitschia microspora, from deer dung in Scotland and ptarmigan in Iceland with the only other record being from giraffe dung in South Africa. As giraffe graze on leaves high on trees, spores must have travelled some distance from the asci on the dung.

Although fungal species on dung might be small and inconspicuous they are fascinating and well worth study.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Mike Richardson for help with this article and general information about dung fungi and to Professor Manimohan for comments about fungi on elephant dung. Thanks also to David for his close-up and microphotographs showing details of this interesting species.

References: Ingold, C.T. (1971). Fungal Spores, their liberation and dispersal. Oxford.

Deepna Lathan, K. P. and Manimohan, P. (2012). Two remarkable xylariaceous ascomycetes associated with elephant dung. Mycosphere Doi 10.5943.

6 Conservation News

UK Fungus Day (October 13th) - banner

As part of a programme to raise the profile of fungal conservation nation- ally, the British Mycological Society (BMS) is funding the production of free-standing banners which groups can use at public events.

Each group has a banner tailored to their local fungus interest - in our case highlighting:

Cryptomyces maximus (Willow Blister) - a “critically endangered worldwide” species which is found in north west Pembrokeshire.

Hygrocybe calciphila (Limestone Waxcap) - a “red data list” species found in limestone grasslands in the County.

Clavaria zollingeri (Violet Coral) - a strikingly coloured and shaped “section 42”coral fungus mostly found in northen parts of the county - often in cemeteries.

Our banner will be available later this summer.

Fairy ring survey - the search for the UK’s largest Fairy Ring.

One of the public engagement activities pioneered by the National Botanic Gardens of Wales during last year’s Wales Fungus Day was a fairy ring survey in which members of the public were encouraged to report observations of rings.

This has been adopted as a national programme by a partnership involving the Society of Biology, the British Mycological Society, the National Botanic Garden of Wales and the Association of British Fungus Groups.

Reporting will be made through a dedicated section of a survey website (surveymonkey) in which the person reporting the fairy ring is guided through a series of simple questions so that appropriate information is collected.

Photographs of the best fairy rings will be displayed on the UK Fungus Day website.

Anyone interested in taking part in this survey should take a look at both websites which can be reached by clicking on the appropriate logo which is displayed on the home pages of both the PFRN and BMS websites.

[Logo for UK Fungus Day website: top left, logo for UK fairy ring survey: bottom right].

7 DNA barcoding project planned for West Wales

The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) and Aberystwyth University have an- nounced plans for an exciting project which will look at links between carbon sequestration and soil biodiversity using Pembrokeshire and its Islands as a case study.

We know remarkably little about how soil microbes are affected by agricultural management and changes in plant cover. However, it is clear that certain macrofungi, the waxcaps and their allies, are found in greater numbers and diversity only in grasslands where there has been no modern agricultural intensification. The aim of this project is to assess the effects of agricultural and other management regimes on grassland sites in Pembrokeshire. Sites to be studied will include the islands of Skomer, Skokholm and Ramsey, as well as several WTSWW reserves on the mainland.

The work involves the extraction of fungal DNA from soil samples followed by genetic sequencing to identify the different species present in the sample. The technique can provide information about fungi which are present in the soil. In contracts, conventional field surveys can only identify the presence of fruit bodies which provides an incomplete picture - especially in poor fruiting seasons.

The key research question in this project is how well DNA barcoding data can be correlated with the previous management of the sites under investigation and the existing datasets for plant/macrofungal diversity that relate to these sites.

The key contacts for this project are Dr. Gareth Griffith (Aberystwyth) and Dr. Lizzie Wilberforce (Conservation Manager, WTSWW).

New reference book on Ascomycetes

Ascomycete enthusiasts have a new reference to add to the library with the arrival of Peter Thompson's book "Ascomycetes in Colour".

The book is an impressive 408-page, A4 size, volume in paperback or hardback listed at £42.99 and £62.99 respectively. 700 species are covered, 2 to a page, each with a description and photograph. Pembrokeshire is well represented with 55 specimens collected from the County. The book is the output from several years of hard and dedicated work with each specimen diligently researched and photographed by Peter.

It fills a big gap as the only comparable colour-illustrated reference, Fungi of Switzerland (vol.1), is now 29 years old (some species names and concepts have changed) and covers fewer species (390 including some not known from the UK).

The intention is that subscribers can elect to receive updates to the book as PDF files as and when they become available - effectively providing a free supple- ment at no extra cost.

More information can be obtained from the website www.thompson-ascomycetes.com