MYCOLOGIST NEWS

The newsletter of the British Mycological Society 2013 (2) Edited by Prof. Pieter van West and Dr Anpu Varghese

2013 BMS Council

BMS Council and Committee Members 2013

President Prof. Geoffrey D. Robson Vice-President Prof. Bruce Ing President Elect Prof Nick Read Treasurer Prof. Geoff M Gadd Secretary Position vacant Publications Officer Prof. Pieter van West International Initiatives Adviser Prof. AJ Whalley Fungal Biology Research Committee representatives: Dr. Elaine Bignell; Prof Nick Read Fungal Education and Outreach Committee: Dr. Paul S. Dyer; Dr Ali Ashby Field and Conservation: Dr. Stuart Skeates, Mrs Dinah Griffin

Fungal Biology Research Committee Prof. Nick Read (Chair) retiring 31.12. 2013 Dr. Elaine Bignell retiring 31.12. 2013 Dr. Mark Ramsdale retiring 31.12. 2013 Prof. Pieter van West retiring 31.12. 2013 Dr. Sue Crosthwaite retiring 31.12. 2014 Prof. Mick Tuite retiring 31.12. 2014 Dr Alex Brand retiring 31.12. 2015

Fungal Education and Outreach Committee Dr. Paul S. Dyer (Chair and FBR link) retiring 31.12. 2013 Dr. Ali Ashby retiring 31.12. 2013 Dr. Sue Assinder retiring 31.12. 2013 Dr. Kay Yeoman retiring 31.12. 2013 Alan Williams retiring 31.12. 2014 Prof Lynne Boddy (Media Liaison) retiring 31.12. 2014 Dr. Elaine Bignell retiring 31.12. 2015

Field Mycology and Conservation Committee Dr. Stuart Skeates (Chair, website & FBR link) retiring 31.12. 2014 Prof Richard Fortey retiring 31.12. 2013 Mrs. Sheila Spence retiring 31.12. 2013 Mrs Dinah Griffin retiring 31.12. 2014 Dr. Martyn Ainsworth retiring 31.12. 2013 Mr Justin Smith retiring 31.12. 2015 Mr David Harries (Recording Network Co-ordinator) retiring 31.12. 2015

Contacts

BMS Administrator President: [email protected] British Mycological Society Treasurer: [email protected] City View House Mycologist News: [email protected] Union Street BMS Administrator: [email protected] Manchester M12 4JD BMS Membership: [email protected]

Tel: +44(0) 161 277 7638 / 7639 Fax: +44(0) 161 277 7634

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From the Office

Hello All, Contents Well it looks like Sprautumn has arrived, somewhere between Spring and Autumn, with 2012 Autumn Field Meeting 4 no real sign of summer. The office has received lots of emails and telephone calls announcing Obituary: Dr Juliet Camilla Frankland 6 sudden spurts of specimens popping up on lawns across the Country, so it’s not all bad Corticoid Workshop 8 news. Small Grant Reports The autumn foray held in Ireland towards the end of 2012 was a very enjoyable event and a - Becky Spake 9 report on this can be found on page 4. The recent Corticioid workshop in the Forest of - Steve Edgington 10 Dean was also well attended and hopefully will be held again next year. A report on this can be found on page 8. - Dr A. Martyn Ainsworth 11

The BMS main Meeting in Cardiff in September Eunice Jones Bequest Fund 12 is still taking bookings until the start of August and details can be found on the BMS website Bursary Reports under the Research section/Future Meetings sub-section. - James Foster 12 http://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/science/ scientific-meetings/bms-main-meeting-2013- - Krzysztof Gajda 13 fungi-and-environmental-change/ SAPRO Final Conference 14 The BMS AGM for 2013 will take place towards BMS 2013 Annual Scientific Meeting In- the end of this meeting, on the Thursday at 15 5pm in the University Hall Conference Centre formation within Cardiff University, and it would be great to see as many BMS members there as UK Fungus Day 20 possible.

Here’s hoping we get a last minute burst of sunshine before the nights draw in, and that as many of you as possible manage to attend one of the many events being held across the Country during the October UK Fungus Day 2013 event. http://ukfungusday.co.uk/ sponsored by the BMS and others.

Bye For Now, The BMS Office Team

Norman Porrett Sophie Embleton Administrator BMS Office Field Mycology Assistant

Copy deadline for next issue: 1st September 2013

3 BMS Autumn Meeting 20 to 27 October 2012 Share Centre, Lisnaskea, Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Photo © Mark Wright

Fermanagh – Northern Ireland’s lakeland – is staff were cheerful and welcoming, but changing described as ‘always wet, and even wetter shifts and personnel meant that messages passed underfoot’. Maps show the lowland area as a in Chinese whisper fashion, keeping us on our toes mosaic of land and water, inlets and islands – an at times when our minds were on matters other than often waterlogged landscape impossible to manage fungi. intensively for agriculture. The resulting semi- natural habitat types, together with dramatic The bible for the foray was a fat spiral-bound folder limestone ridges to the west, promise ‘a botanical compiled by Mark and Debbie. It listed some 40 and mycological hotspot’. sites, some of them overlapping, with summary descriptions, grid references, notes on access and a Local organizers Mark Wright and Debbie Nelson recommended timetable. Detailed maps and aerial had done a thorough recce of the terrain and photographs could be torn out for use in the field, or offered a wide range of foray sites. These made the marked up with the specific location of interesting most of some of the vast landed estates round finds. about, with varied habitats including extensive parklands studded with venerable trees and The foray booklet’s cover showed a cameo photo of woodlands of many different complexions. Areas of the winsome Marasmius hudsonii fruiting on a dead limestone grassland and dune were also holly leaf. Peter Smith, who remembered it from the signposted. Roscrea Foray of 1989, had called (in his camper van) at St John’s Wood, Co. Roscommon, en route Forayers, and guest tutors Jens Petersen and to Fermanagh and displayed his specimens on Andreas Gminder, arrived by car (via plane or ferry) arrival. After that no holly debris was left unturned, at our accommodation in the Share village on Upper and the was found at several of the sites we Lough Erne – ‘Ireland’s largest residential outdoor visited. activity and adventure centre’. We shared chalets and used the spacious theatre as a lab. The On the first day, Sunday 21st, everyone headed for ‘outdoor activities’ of our group were preordained, the large National Trust estate of Crom, where the but the ‘adventure’ element of our stay involved abundance of fungi fruiting in the damp lakeside dealing with eccentric shower facilities and woodlands augured well for the week ahead. serendipitous mealtime arrangements. The Share ► 4 Ascocoryne solitaria, Clavaria falcata, Coccomyces eloquent English – as they deconstructed some of our coronatus, Coccomyces tumidus, Coprinus attempts at identification. It was equally disconcerting krieglsteineri, Lactarius luridus and Tricholoma to hear how many familiar genera are being bresadolanum were a few of the 358 records, these reclassified. new to Northern Ireland. A few forayers travelled by boat to explore the wooded isle of Inishfendra. Other Polyporus tubaeformis was recorded a possible first islands visited later in the week yielded capacious for UK. This species is restricted to Salix and has Craterellus cornucopiae fruitbodies and other edibles. generative hyphae with clamps. It does not appear on On one island Debbie found an antlered deer skull the UK list but following both tutors’ identification we encrusted with Onygena equina: a splendid, if believe we have in the UK regularly mistaken it, and stinking, trophy admired (and smelt) by all back at the recorded it as P. badia. Carol certainly believes she lab. saw it in Bute in August 2012.

After that first day, people forayed in separate carfuls, Records of particular note included Lactarius mairei with different groups often visiting the same site on Conservation Status: Vulnerable (Red Data List, Ing successive days. Is it useful for different people to go 1992); Near Threatened (Red Data List, Evans et al. over the same ground? There is inevitably some 2006); Encoelia glauca Conservation Status: repetition. But even when following a trail of upturned Vulnerable (Red Data List, Ing 1992); Vulnerable / D2 logs and discarded fruitbodies, new pairs of eyes often (Red Data List, Evans et al. 2006); Rimbachia spot stuff others have missed. bryophila Conservation Status: Vulnerable (Red Data List, Ing 1992); Near Threatened (Red Data List, Because the foraying parties were fragmented during Evans et al. 2006); Chlorencoelia versiformis the day, the evenings involved catching up not only on Conservation Status: Rare (Red Data List, Ing 1992); what people had found but where they had been. The Endangered / B (Red Data List, Evans et al. 2006); customary ‘show and tell’ session at 9pm was a BAP species Phellodon niger Conservation Status: double-act, with Jens and Andreas taking turns on Rare (Red Data List, Ing 1992); removed from list either side of the long table to discuss the day’s (Red Data List, Evans et al. 2006); BAP species. In harvest. After a day or two Jens suggested a simple all 34 other species that were recorded were believed refinement to the layout; all present approved the idea to be new to Northern Ireland. (and future forayers will be able to test this out for themselves). Both tutors told us about Internet sites whose usefulness extends far beyond the scope of the foray. Each day’s collection resulted in tables crammed with Jens showed a presentation of the new MycoKey 4.0, specimens, but both Jens and Andreas expressed and Andreas told us about his website which offers surprise at the small number of ectomycorrhizal fungi ‘Everything for -Hunting!’ (myko-shop.de). on display, especially corts, compared to yields from Germany’s vast native forests of Acer, Fagus and Foraying in unfamiliar territory is always an adventure. Picea. Of course, these trees are all introductions in Rewarding non-fungal sightings in the Irish landscape Ireland. The moist Atlantic climate made a strong included red squirrels, hooded crows and numerous impression on our Continental tutors. It occurred to hares. Items harder to find (what’s called ‘challenging’) Andreas that Ireland’s reputation for greenness is very included road signs and teaspoons (for some reason much about moss, and that its presence perhaps particularly rare at the Share centre). inhibits some fungal fruiting on tree branches. Warm thanks are due to Carol Hobart, who organized Andreas also said he had expected more waxcaps (as the foray with exemplary efficiency, collated the data had I). Perhaps it was a little early in the season, but and has inserted details of significant finds into this in general the grasslands I visited tended to be report; to Mark Wright and Debbie Nelson for their unpromisingly long in the sward. Hygrocybe coccinea, local knowledge and research, and to the mycologists Hygrocybe virginea, Hygrocybe aurantiosplendens, from the Northern Ireland Fungus Group and from Eire Hygrocybe insipida, Hygrocybe laeta, Hygrocybe who joined the foray and whose familiarity with the pratensis var. pallida, Hygrocybe psittacina, terrain was invaluable. Jens Petersen and Andreas Hygrocybe reidii, Hygrocybe irrigata, Hygrocybe Gminder were good companions as well as russocoriacea, Hygrocybe vitellina, Hygrocybe impeccable tutors. Thanks too to the Share centre chlorophana, Hygrocybe conica, staff for their endless goodwill. Hygrocybe colemanniana and Hygrocybe mucronella were all recorded, but from the 32 sites visited one We should also acknowledge the friendly aspect of perhaps would have expected more. whatever powers rule the weather. Remarkably, apart from the odd spot of drizzle, no rain fell on us during However, as Jens and others said, the dearth of what our week in wet Fermanagh. And only on the very last they had expected to see actually prompted everyone morning did we find a crisp layer of ice coating our to look more closely at ‘smaller stuff’, which was cars from the first real frost. abundant. It was a salutary experience to hear our Penny David tutors exercise their vast mycological expertise – in

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Obituary

Dr Juliet Camilla Frankland 30th January 1929 – 9th June 2013

My (Clare Robinson) first memory of Juliet is Juliet’s relationship with the British Mycological from 1986. She was crossing the Merlewood Society (BMS) was strong. She was President of lawn deep in conversation with Dr Bob Bunce the BMS in 1995, voted an Honorary Member in about the identity and Latin binomial of a cherry 2010, and she edited at least 4 volumes for the tree situated between the lawn and the car park. Society. She published 70+ papers and Juliet was an excellent plant ecologist as well as supervised tens of PhD students. a highly accomplished fungal ecologist, particularly known for fungal science in soil The hallmarks of Juliet’s work, in my opinion, organic matter (i.e. fungal decomposition in are: excellence, persistence, the use of a large terrestrial ecosystems). number of replicates, and attempting to understand fungal assemblages in natural Juliet Frankland (née Brown) was brought up in substrata. She synthesised her work from first Effingham, Surrey, and studied for her degree principles, using primary sources of literature, and PhD at Royal Holloway, University of reading other people’s work on carefully trimmed London. Subsequently, she took up a scientific paper photocopies. She insisted that one really post at Merlewood Research Station, Grange- lived the work: postgraduate students should over-Sands, Cumbria. I identified with her think about their research all the time, including because she moved to the North of England when they were washing up after their evening from the Home Counties. She told me that the meal. Juliet set a good example in her own yearly rainfall total where she lived in Cumbria research, for example, spending evenings in the was double that of the home town of her birth in Merlewood attic, stripping sufficiently large Surrey. amounts of basidiomycete mycelium, with forceps, from bracken petioles for chemical

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analysis (for the Frankland 1982 paper below). identified on the basis of their morphology (often after isolation and culture) could tell us little Despite being one of the most famous fungal about what their actual role was in the processes ecologists in the world, Juliet appeared shy and of decomposition. Her move to focussing her humble. She had a naughty sense of humour, an attention on a single leaf litter decomposer, the enormous spirit of fun and was generous and basidiomycete galopus, was an extremely loyal. She was highly regarded by the inspiration: it gave not only a highly detailed people who worked with her, and had a wide insight into the functional role of a dominant range of national and international colleagues. decomposer but also put the successional Juliet had a great commitment to public duty and process into a different perspective. The key to standards, always turning out for forays and the success of this autecological approach was meetings. Juliet survived her late sister, Gill technical as well as conceptual through the Brown, by fourteen years and her late husband, application of a whole battery of methods to the Raven Frankland, by sixteen years. same problem.

I have several special personal memories of Contact and discussion with Juliet was Juliet. These are: (1) scraping up the thin layer of stimulating and educational but also invariably F1 leaf litter in Grizedale forest together, good fun. Although she was the most followed by homemade fruit cake and tea in the unassuming of people (I am sure she never quite field; (2) sitting with Juliet and Raven in realised how highly she was regarded by her deckchairs at their Cumbrian house eating fellow scientists) she was never short of homemade scones and damson jam; and (3) penetrating comment. She was a gracious fieldwork together at an upland grassland in the person and one with a genuine interest in other Scottish Borders on a freezing but sunny people’s well being. One of my abiding personal February day. memories is of her inviting my visiting Rhodesian father-in-law to her home where he spent several I (Mike Swift) had the privilege and pleasure to happy hours talking farming with her and Raven. work collaboratively with Juliet from the late 1960s to 1981 when I left the UK. We met as joint participants in the ecosystem study at Clare H. Robinson1 and Michael J. Swift2 Meathop Wood which was one of the British 1 School of Earth, Atmospheric & Environmental contributions to the International Biological Sciences, Williamson Building, Programme. It was a privilege to work with her University of Manchester, Oxford Road, because she was undoubtedly the outstanding Manchester, M13 9PL, UK fungal ecologist of her time. Her reputation was . already established from her classical studies of 2 29 rue du Palais des Guilhem, 34000 the succession of fungi on decaying bracken Montpellier, France. litter. Juliet was however one of the first to acknowledge that describing a sequence of fungi

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BMS Corticioid Workshop

Forest of Dean, March 8th to 16th 2013 Tutor: Dr Martyn Ainsworth

This event was unusual in that it was a weeklong able to work on freshly collected material workshop rather than the standard BMS throughout the week, though the previous weeks weekend framework. Bearing in mind the size of of dry weather locally together with the nightly the topic to be covered, the extra days proved frosts during the course meant that some invaluable, and the timing of the course - planned specimens were hard to work with and many to avoid confliction with the main fungal fruiting refused to drop even when left overnight season when mycologists have other in a damp environment. It was good, however, to commitments, but with a good chance that fresh learn the skills necessary to examine such specimens could be found – worked really well. material, though keying out to species often became a challenge when vital features were Derek and Jenny Schafer’s holiday house in either missing or refused to reveal themselves. Parkend, now becoming a popular venue for Peniophora, a genus with well over twenty such events, provided adequate work space in species known in the UK, presented particular two rooms for the thirteen of us; most of us had difficulty, especially when the first couplet in the accommodation on site, and a few took up B&B genus key asks for the presence or absence of just over the road at the local pub where our clamps, notoriously tricky to locate unless the evening meals were taken. Our skills ranged specimen is in really good condition – very from complete beginners on Corticioids, those frustrating but a good lesson to learn. who had attended Karl-Henrik Larsson’s workshop last February, and a few with more Martyn divided his time equally between the two experience still, so Martyn’s introductory work rooms, and made sure that he spent quality powerpoint talk on the first evening was baptism individual time with everyone. His patience was by fire for some and refresher course for others. endless and his teaching skills superb, pitching He whetted our appetite with a collection made explanations just right for the skills of the the previous day of Aleurodiscus aurantius on recipient and offering reassuring encouragement dead bramble stems – as with many Corticioids: to all. In short, it was a most impressive nothing much to look at in the field, but the performance which I felt privileged to attend. strongly amyloid and ornamented spores When he was absent from one workroom, a spirit together with amazing cystidia having a chain of of camaraderie prevailed and everyone chipped three to four bobbles appended to the apex in with help - in fact it was good practice to have (moniliform), also dendrohyphidia (hyphae tips to think for one’s self rather than have him which are finely branched and digitiform, not always on hand to guide, though to start with, unlike cheilocystidia found in Mycena galericulata being a complete novice, I personally felt rather and the like) had us intrigued straight away. like someone who’s been told how to swim and Armed with copies of Larsson’s Compendium then pushed into the deep end! By the end of the Identification of European corticioid fungi week this had passed, however. together with Bernicchia & Gorjón’s volume on Corticiaceae s.l, we were raring to go. If specimens ran low, Martyn had brought along dried collections of twelve fairly common species, Each day followed the same schedule: a foray in numbered and provided with the tree association the morning, there being a good range of sites for each, reserving names to match the numbers within a few minutes’ drive of Parkend, followed until we’d keyed them out. There was never a by ‘lab time’ for the afternoon and evening dull moment! broken up by demonstrations and ‘show and tell’ sessions by Martyn using both stereo and Though the object of the course was not to compound microscopes linked to a large TV create records but to learn how to find and how screen – such a useful teaching tool, this, to help to identify Corticioids, between us we identified one get to grips with recognising the seemingly around 1/3rd of the 150 species previously endless array of micro-characters to be met with recorded for this area, VC 34. Furthermore, we in this fascinating group of organisms. We were added another 12 which were new to the Vice

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County, all of which have under 100 UK records 1937 on a wheat root, and the second found in (BMSFRD) and 4 of which have only 10 records 1994 by Nick Legon under a rotting blanket in or under. Derek won the liquid prize for the Norbury Park, Surrey. On returning to Kew, person who contributed the most to the list of Martyn asked for a second opinion from Alick new species, though by the time the prize was Henrici, who on comparing the material with the mostly consumed (not just by him!) Richard Norbury Park collection found it to be a good Shotbolt had made a further indentification and match. Congratulations to Joanna, a fitting finale joined him in first place, just in time to claim his to a brilliant week. If this course is repeated in share of the prize! Of particular note was a the future (and I hope it will be), it is certainly species of Sistotrema collected from Lady Park one not to be missed. Book your place early! Wood during the week by Joanna Dodsworth. Thank you to Martyn for his exceptional tutoring, Martyn tentatively named it as the rare S. to Derek and Jenny for providing our venue, and coronilla, with only two previous British to all who attended for their excellent company. collections held at Kew, the first dating from Penny Cullington

BMS Small Grant Report

Project investigating the dependence of biodiversity on forest continuity (2012-2015)

Becky Spake, University of Southampton

Just 12% of land area in the UK is covered by This 4-year PhD project is investigating variation forest. Whilst the importance of old-growth forest in species richness and composition of for biodiversity is widely recognised, just 5% of ectomycorrhizal fungi in relation to variation in this wooded area is classified as ‘ancient’ (>400 forest continuity of oak-dominated forest stands years old), with 80% less than 100 years old. in the New Forest, in a paired design comparing Research over the past decades has shown that stands >800 to ~200 years old. many forest organisms including fungi are highly dependent on forest continuity, the maintenance Two methods are being used to enumerate of forest stands or structural components ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity in permanent through time, and that ecological communities plots within forest stands. Sporocarp surveys are from older forest woods are generally (but not being carried out in four consecutive fruiting invariably) richer than those of more recent seasons between August and November each woods. Such species are unable to recolonise year (2012-2015). Soil cores will also be taken to forest planted to replace clear-felled forest within distinguish fungal taxa growing on oak root tips reasonable time. Forests with long continuity microscopically through differences in their therefore constitute an irreplaceable biodiversity morphology. resource, and a donor resource for developing mature forests. With such little ancient woodland The Small Grant from the BMS has contributed left in the UK, urbanisation of this habitat could to the purchasing of various field equipment and equate to the extinction of species dependent on also towards the cost of a fantastic BMS course ecological continuity. “Developing your fungal identification skills” in 2012 run by Carol Hobart and Mario Tortelli in With detailed site histories dating back to the Forest of Dean, which introduced me to Domesday (1086), the New Forest National Park mushroom identification. It was a brilliant course. offers the opportunity to test the relationship Becky Spake between forest continuity and fungi biodiversity.

9 Small Grant Report

Surveys for entomopathogenic fungi on the Juan Fernandez archipelago, Chile

The grant from BMS helped to fund a visit to the Juan Fernandez archipelago, a group of three islands approximately 400 miles off the coast of Chile. The archipelago, which includes Robinson Crusoe Island, named in honour of a sailor who was marooned there for four years and who inspired Defoe’s novel, is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and has one of the highest densities of endemic plant species in the world, as well as a number of critically endangered birds. Sadly, some of the endemics are threatened with extinction by invading plants and animals which have been introduced over the years (accidentally and not so). A review in 2011 listed over 100 invasive plant and animal (including insect) species on the archipelago that urgently require controlling. To compound this problem, a tsunami hit the archipelago in 2010, pushing 200-300 metres inland, destroying around 18 ha of native vegetation and a large proportion of the island’s infrastructure. The disruption the tsunami caused has increased the threat of pioneer invasive species establishing, to the detriment of native species.

I visited Robinson Crusoe Island as part of a small team of Chilean and British scientists, all with experience in managing plants and insects using biological methods. My objective was to survey for fungi that could be used as control agents for insects; a colleague was there to look at possible fungi to control plants. Priority insect concerns are i) control of an invasive wasp (the yellowjacket - Vespula germanica), an aggressive wasp known to attack young birds, and ii) control of grasshoppers which are affecting reforestation programmes on the island by feeding on seedlings. Surveys involved collecting soil samples close to the target insects and then, back in the laboratory on mainland Chile, baiting these samples with insects to extract fungi.

Soil samples were also taken from areas inundated by the tsunami, to gather information on the range of microorganisms that were present (‘post-catastrophe’), including insect and plant pathogens, that could have an influence on habitat colonisation.

The team stayed for two nights on Robinson Crusoe Island, then, after a presentation to the Chilean Forestry Commission and the Ministry of the Environment, flew the samples back to Santiago and travelled down to a governmental research station in Chillán where the soil is and will be processed. A couple of days were spent assisting with the soil processing and discussing biological control options for both archipelago invasives and those on mainland Chile. I then travelled back to Santiago for another meeting with the Chilean Ministry of the Environment, before flying back to the UK the following morning.

Whilst the soil samples are still being examined and fungi still being Visit to the Juan Fernandez extracted the visit was a superb experience and I’m sure the surveys archipelago: from the top: arrival on will produce some interesting and, I hope, useful results. I am very Robinson Crusoe Island; a view of grateful to the BMS for making the trip possible. Robinson Crusoe Island; the only town on the archipelago (partly Steve Edgington destroyed by tsunami in 2010); March 2013 invading grasshoppers that need controlling. 10

Small Grant Report

Stipitate hydnoids: resolution of to underpin their conservation in Britain

A presentation at the 3rd ECCB, Glasgow, August 2012

The 3rd European Congress of Conservation Biology stipitate hydnoids (ectomycorrhizal tooth fungi of the (ECCB), organised by the European Section of the genera Hydnellum, Phellodon and Sarcodon). This Society for Conservation Biology (SCB), was held combined morphological and molecular study was from 28 August to 1st September 2012 at the Scottish carried out with Lynne and her colleagues in Cardiff Exhibition & Conference Centre (SECC) on the bank and funded principally by Cardiff University and of the Clyde in central Glasgow. The day’s routine Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme. began with an initial plenary session in the Clyde This is fundamental research investigating the Auditorium followed by concurrent sessions which taxonomy of this group of fungi ─ in other words took place in over a dozen different venues within doing the science that will underpin future the SECC. This presented a series of often difficult conservation management decisions. I was able to choices; which of the six to ten concurrent sessions present results showing that on the one hand there should I visit next? I may have been out of the are more British species than were appreciated conference circuit for a little while, but it did come as hitherto, while on the other hand some “British” a mild shock to find that in addition to the basic species might not be British after all. Clearly we shall symposium presentations which ran for all of fifteen need to revise our distribution maps and red-list minutes (and that’s including Q & A), there was a assessments of such fungi in future. series of “Speed Presentations” each of which was done and dusted within five minutes. One had to I have no doubt that this fungal-themed symposium have one’s daily logistics carefully planned in was an important and necessary step in pushing the advance and my thoughts kept returning to the topic of fungal conservation through the door and famous “travelling salesman problem”. Fortunately into the house of mainstream conservation. Several the SECC staff were plentiful and could not be more of my fellow symposium speakers remarked that in helpful, seemingly able to sense when delegates future perhaps we should try to ensure that the required help from the moment they were in view. myco-presentations are more evenly dispersed throughout the proceedings rather than mostly The SCB is to be warmly thanked for initiating an bundled together under a mycology banner, a ECCB symposium (on Weds 29th Aug) on the sentiment with which I concur. integration of mycological knowledge into mainstream conservation thinking. Our chief In some ways this seemed like a conference organiser Dr Panu Halme (Copenhagen) had designed to make fungal conservationists feel assembled 12 speakers from Europe and the USA inferior and a little depressed ─ presentation after and delivered the introductory paper. The presentation dedicated to well-known and well-loved symposium was chaired by Dr Elizabeth Barron organisms (mentioning no names), distribution maps (Harvard) before the break (seven parallel sessions groaning under the density of dots, popular and running) and by Prof Lynne Boddy (Cardiff) frequent wide-ranging surveys, attention-grabbing thereafter (nine parallel sessions) and I estimate our web interfaces, networks of organisations working audience reached around 60. The speakers’ themes together, enviable levels of financial support ─ but included ecological roles, global threats, national the opportunity of seeing first-hand how the various databases and atlases, waxcap grasslands, practitioners have achieved all this was simply fragmented landscapes, restoration fires, citizen invaluable. Glasgow surprised me too; I certainly did science (although not all my speaker colleagues not expect to be commuting past at least 15 fruiting were fond of this phraseology), conservation policy spikes of a wild orchid (Epipactis helleborine) along and management, integration of scientific and lay the verges of a city centre housing development knowledge, DNA barcoding and next-generation every day! sequencing. Dr A. Martyn Ainsworth Senior Researcher in Fungal Conservation I would like to record my thanks to the BMS for a (Royal Botanic Gardens Kew) Small Grant enabling me to attend and present work and Senior Specialist in Fungi on British fungi of conservation concern, namely the (Natural England) 11

Eunice Jones Bequest Fund

The Eunice Jones Bequest was kindly created by Eunice Jones in 2013 in memory of her parents. The trust specifically aims to help BMS postgraduate student members in their research by offering financial assistance for visits to other laboratories in the UK and abroad.

Applications should consist of a cover letter, CV, and a single-spaced A4 outline (1-2 sides) of the planned research visit, how this will assist in the research programme, and an indication of other sources of funding obtained or pending. A supporting statement from the student’s supervisor should also be included. A sum of up to £500 would normally be considered. While there is no formal deadline for applications, a minimum of 3 months notice prior to the departure date is required.

Successful applicants would normally be informed within 4-6 weeks on receipt of the application.

BMS Bursary Reports

Student: James Foster, University of Bristol Supervisor: Dr Andy Bailey, University of Bristol

My BMS summer studentship was based at the present in the silenced lines and this was University of Bristol’s School of Biological collected and subsequently analysed by high Sciences in Andy Bailey’s lab. This research lab resolution mass-spec along with 1H & 12C NMR. houses researchers working on a wide range of Unexpectedly this revealed it to not be an different projects from impacts of viruses on intermediate of the pleuromutilin pathway, but a plants or fungal plant-pathogens to fungal new unrelated compound not previously reported secondary metabolites. The aim of my project in the literature. Given this unexpected result, was to gain experience in the chemical this is being researched further by others in the characterisation of antibiotic compounds lab. produced by fungi. In a parallel project, work was done towards My main project was to help characterise a new isolating and identifying unknown antibiotic product observed during manipulation of the metabolites from several different fungi. Some of biosynthetic pathway responsible for these were locally collected strains of pleuromutilin production in Clitopilus basidiomycetes such as Lepista and Coprinopsis passeckerianus. Initially, work was done on which had already been demonstrated to have extracting both the supernatant and solid of wild- antibacterial activity on agar plate-based assays. type and modified C. passeckerianus, to test for Initially, a selection of TLC plates were used to the presence of pleuromutilin. I cultured investigate how readily an activity-based transformed strains which had been silenced for separation could be performed however I could a particular step in the synthetic pathway so I not get good bacterial growth on the TLC plates, was expecting to be able to find the appropriate preventing confident identification of active precursor compounds accumulating in the products, so instead extracts were directly cultures. This was assessed by extraction with analysed by HPLC. Three different media were ethyl acetate, followed by concentrating on a investigated, two of which (PDB and YMGB) rotary evaporator. The extracts were then re- showed antibiotic activity, and one of which dissolved in acetonitrile, and run through an (BPB) showed no activity, but produced a LCMS to separate and characterise the fluorescent yellow extract, different to the brown compounds. This showed a new product was colour of all the other cultures. Much of my time

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was spent growing large-scale cultures of these interspersed with the excitement of anticipated fungi and then performing chemical extraction on results, even when they are difficult to explain. the cultures to purify the active compounds into a The project has been useful in developing solvent. Each extract was run on the LCMS and general lab skills, such as good lab practices and fraction collector with the resulting fractions writing up results, as well as more specific skills being dried down and re-dissolved before being such as using the LCMS and fraction collector. analysed for antibiotic activity. This showed the Some of these procedures were done in the lab antibiotic activity could be isolated in discrete of Colin Lazarus in Biology and of Russell Cox in fractions which helped to establish the Chemistry, so I also gained experience by seeing separation methods for future large-scale how different research groups operate as well as purification. having access to some rather expensive equipment This project gave me a thorough grounding in the sorts of things we don’t usually get to see in lab I really enjoyed my time on this project, it was classes such as the preparation of media and great to work with such a welcoming group of reagents, analytical/separation methods plus staff and postgrads and it has certainly shown handling microbial cultures and lots of me more of what it would be like to study for a experience in aspects such as preventing PhD. Many thanks to everyone who helped me contamination, a particular problem with such throughout this study, and in particular to BMS slow-growing species. I learned a lot about the for the financial support. often repetitive nature of the lab work associated James Foster with this sort of research and how this is

Genetic diversity and host-parasite interactions of paradoxa

Student: Krzysztof (Chris) GAJDA, Aberystwyth University Supervisor: Dr Gareth Griffith, Aberystwyth University

During my second year at Aberystwyth from their fungaria. One of the things that I University I have undertaken a project on two determined as a result of my research (using parasitic basidiomycetes, Squamanita paradoxa specific PCR primers that we designed in the (Powdercap Strangler) and S. pearsonii (Strathy course of the project) is that the bottom part of Strangler) under the supervision of Dr Gareth the cecidiocarp is a mixture of tissues of both Griffith at IBERS, Aberystwyth University. These species, while the upper part is composed only beauties are extraordinary, both because of their of Squamanita tissues. unusual life strategy and extreme rarity, as they are known from fewer than 30 records in UK. The scholarship that I received from the BMS They propagate by taking over the fruitbodies of allowed me to stay at the university over the their host , which are summer and have a taste of how the academic commonly found in undisturbed mossy work or studies at PhD level would be like. I had grasslands. This results in creation of a chimeric an opportunity to fully focus on the research and fruitbody, called a cecidiocarp, where the bottom acquire a variety of skills vital for my further part morphologically resembles the host, and the career. During my lab experience I have tried top part is the parasite. We were every fortunate and learned a variety of techniques, but most that Mr. John Bingham of Kidderminster was importantly, as long as it was my time and effort able to send us some fresh cedidiocarps which spent, I could learn from my own mistakes – if I we were able to dissect, and also that the did something wrong even in a single step of the mycologists at RBG Kew and Edinburgh were procedure, I might waste few hours of work, so I kind enough to allow us to examine the samples became aware that it is the best for me to pay

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great attention to details from the start, follow the to our existence on Earth. It was also nice to see protocol and rigorously write everything down. how it was possible through amateur mycologists This skill is impossible to attain in usual studies and the specialists and Kew and Edinburgh to at undergraduate level. achieve something that none of the us working alone could have done. Before I started working with Dr Griffith, I didn’t really pay much attention to fungi, even as a One of the best things that I came across in my research was metagenomics and the analysis of biologist. I considered them rather in terms of a the large DNA sequence databases that are now nice addition to my meals or those unwanted available. The possibilities that this new area spots that will appear if I leave my bread for too opens up for biologists are unimaginable and I long. It was my laboratory project that allowed was constantly astonished when I was me to discover and understand their importance examining around the datasets that I was on the global scale and their contribution to life working on. As a result I am now a great fan of as a whole. In fact, at some point I started to bioinformatics as well as mycology, and there consider them as one of the greatest mysteries are now the areas in which I would like to of our world, as they are present everywhere, yet specialize. In other words, this scholarship usually invisible. Unlike plants and animals, they allowed me not only gain initial experience, but also set paths for my future career. are not something that we see and encounter Krzysztof (Chris) GAJDA every day, yet they bear equally high importance SAPRO Final Conference Novel solutions for Saprolegnia Control 23-24 September, Glasgow www.abdn.ac.uk/events/saprofinalconference/

The EU-funded project, Marie Curie ITN SAPRO, that Dr. Pieter van West is co-ordinating at the University of Aberdeen is coming to an end and the final conference is to be held in Glasgow. For more details about the work that we do, visit www.abdn.ac.uk/oomycetes/Home.html

The SAPRO project focussed on the oomycete Saprolegnia parasitica. To showcase the discoveries made, two days of seminars are being organised on 23rd and 24th September. The first day of this conference will be aimed at industrial stakeholders (ranging from fish farmers to pharmaceutical) and will be practical, applied and focussed on treatments. The second day is broader and more academic, with pathogen host interaction, phylogenetics and advances made since the annotation of the Saprolegnia genome.

Further Details Venue: Beardmore Conference Center, Glasgow Flyer & Agenda: www.abdn.ac.uk/events/saprofinalconference/event-flyer/ Registration: www.abdn.ac.uk/events/saprofinalconference/registrationsbr-and-fees/ Contact: [email protected]

Request for Newsletter Articles

Do you have any items you would like to see published in the Newsletter which would be of interest to members? We would love to receive short reports of any activities, upcoming events, items of interest, etc. Please send items to the office or email to: [email protected]

Copy deadline for next issue: 1st September 2013 14

BMS Annual General Meeting to be held during the BMS Main Scientific Meeting 2013, Cardiff. Thursday September 12th at 17:00pm University Hall Conference Centre, University of Cardiff

15 BMS 2013 Foray and Workshop Programme

Two Workshop Sessions in the Forest of Dean Why not look at Dung fungi? Dung workshop (Session 1) Sat 21st Sept – Tues 24th Sept. 2013 (3 nights) Dung workshop (Session 2) Weds 25th - Sat 28th Sept. 2013 (3 nights) Tutor Mike Richardson. Organiser: Caroline Hobart

Restricted to max 12 places only per Tutored easily stored in plastic tubs and kept damp. We course see below for full week* should then have a extensive range of material to look at and hopefully some good UK records Fungi that grow on animal dung, usually undigested emerging from the identifications. vegetable remains are easily cultured but not so easily identified. The hardy spores of coprophilous This is a "hands on" three days, and should be a species are unwittingly consumed by herbivores from good basis for your continuing studies. We are all vegetation, and are excreted along with the plant getting on and this workshop topic is "ideal for the matter. The fungi then flourish in the faeces, before elderly" "keeps you entertained in the winter" suitable releasing their spores to the surrounding area. The for those that "like something a little different" good animal faeces provides an environment rich in for "keeping your partner out of the workroom" etc. nitrogenous material, which has been largely and after washing our hands we like the pub too. sterilised by the high temperature, as well as the enzymes in the animal's digestive system. The Participants should bring any relevant literature they spores themselves survive digestion by being have and microscopes. particularly thick-walled, allowing them to germinate in the dung with minimum competition from other Activities and accommodation will be based at 1 organisms. This thick wall is often broken down Hazeldene, Parkend in the heart of the Royal Forest during digestion, preparing the for germination. of Dean with some overflow accommodation in The spores are so hardy that samples of dried dung adjacent B&B. The max. number of places on the can later be rehydrated, allowing the fungus to fruit course is limited to 12 and early booking is essential. weeks later. (wikipedia) To book your place, please contact Carol Hobart to check availability ([email protected]) the These fungi are easily cultured in tubs and provide price of the three days residential course is £100 opportunity to study the succession of fungal fruiting Shared ensuite. inc. B&B + packed lunch materials from zygomycetes, discomycetes, pyrenomycetes and teas & coffees (eve dinners in nearby Fountains through to the basiodiomycetes (often small coprinus Inn are not included)** Offsite B&B Singles might be species). Mike Richardson will guide us through our possible at approx £160** identification and be on hand to help. *Full week possible only if there are available It is suggested that participants will bring along their spare places but no tutored sessions during turn samples from different parts of the UK. Mike will around period. **(non BMS members + £30.00 on advise on collecting dates and Carol will remind total price) people what needs collecting and when. Material is Final Payment by 1st August 2013

AUTUMN MEETING Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire Sat 19th October – Sat 26th October 2013 (7 nights) Tutor: Geoffrey Kibby Local Organiser: Richard Shotbolt

The autumn meeting will be based in Cambridgeshire The area supports a surprisingly rich and varied near Somersham at Lakeside Lodge Golf Centre natural environment with local birch/alder/willow and http://www.lakeside-lodge.co.uk/ and Woodwalton Fen and Holme Fen within ten miles. http://www.lakeside-lodge.co.uk/accommodation/ Large clay woods Monk's Wood, Brampton Wood gallery/ and Gamlingay Wood and small woods with small- leaved elm as the dominant species are nearby. In Accommodation will be at Lakeside Lodge a golfing the north-west of the county there are mixed woods/ complex which has a huge workroom, beautiful plantations like Bedford Purlieus and Old Sulehay Alpine style lodge accommodation and excellent Forest on limestone and greensand, locally there are menus. Accommodation has been provisionally lots of quarries and gravel-pits which are usually booked for 30 individuals and participants have the excellent mycological sites. October has the potential option of shared or single rooms all are ensuite and to yield very good mycological data. are serviced daily. ► 16

As far as I can tell the area has been visited twice by then made accessible through the online NBN the BMS, both times (1963 & 1974) based in gateway. Usually at 9.00 pm our guest tutor and Cambridge a spring and autumn foray. The event will others organise an evening round-up session, in follow the normal pattern of visiting foray sites in the which the outstanding finds of the day are viewed and morning taking with us a packed lunch. We will return discussed, this conclude each day’s activities prior to in the early afternoon and spend time working on our the visit to the bar. collections using a microscope. Investigations often continue late into the evening or the early morning! Participants should bring any relevant literature they have and microscopes. Attendees are usually very These forays provide an opportunity for exchange of friendly and willing to help newcomers. Absolute knowledge on current developments in taxonomy and beginners might be advised to attend their local group conservation, and an intensive learning environment activities first. for those with a serious interest (though not necessarily extensive expertise) in fungal Cost identification. Occasionally there will be a formal £475.00 shared accommodation Single £503.00 presentation by the guest tutor. The records of fungi (non BMS members + £30.00) Please note final made during BMS forays are added to the Fungal payment for this foray is required by 1st January Records Database of Britain and Ireland, which is 2013

BMS Overseas Foray - Corsica November 19th- 26th 2013 Tutors and local organisers: Dr Pierre-Arthur Moreau, Lille University and Dr Franck Richard Assos. Professor Montpellier University The foray will be hotel based in Corsica on the dinner will be at 19-20pm and hopefully be a local northern coast near Calvi. The ecoregion is home to style menu. several distinct forest communities, which vary with elevation and exposure. Lower elevations 300m have The first evening may be used for a talk about the forests of evergreen sclerophyll oaks Quercus ilex & landscapes, mycology in Corsica, etc., by local Q. suber and pinus pinaster on rich soil. Middle 500 people to 1000 m elevations are predominantly forests of Pinus pinaster interspersed with forests of mixed Franck specialises in the ecology of old-growth broadleaf deciduous trees, including Ostrya forests and biology of post-fire fungi, Whilst Pierre- carpinifolia, Alnus cordata and considerable areas of Arthur might speak about dry/coastal fungi, wetland Castanea sativa. They are accessible in the Balagne fungi, high-mountain fungi in Corsica communities valley less than 1 h driving. Q. pubescens, Q. petraea associated with alders. At the end of each day a are also present though these are rare and hardly discussion on interesting finds or a general comment accessible without long walks. It will also be possible on the collections will take place. to access to the Fango valley, which is a nice wild complex of wetlands and old-growth oak forests Professor Regis Courtequisse also at Lille University (reserve Man and Biosphere). is president of the French Mycological Society and is anxious to involve their society in this event, although Around Calvi the surrounding areas are coastal his university commitments may prevent his thermomediterranean environments with Cistaceae attendance. It is envisaged that there will be a group and Pinus pinaster, and dry forests of Quercus ilex of French mycologist's specialists in different genera with a few Q. suber. There are also some coastal also attending. This is an excellent opportunity to wetlands with Alnus glutinosa. The closest forests are forge links with the French mycological community of Q.ilex with Arbutus unedo, some old-growth and of and will add substantially to the expertise during the patrimonial value. week. Dr Pierre-Arthur Moreau of Lille University and his colleague Dr Franck Richard an assos. Professor Cost Approx (not including flights) we expect costs from Montpellier University are to be our local will be between 50-75€ per night half board + the organisers assisted by members of the Corsican usual £50.00 workroom fee. (non BMS members + mycological societies. They are members of the £30.00 on total price) scientific committee of the Office of Natural Sites of Corsica. They have been working for the last ten Full details will be available in the autumn years building up the Corsican database of confirming the hotel and giving us a programme predominantly macro fungi. Franck Richard worked of sites as a forester in Corsica for ten years so both know the island well. There are three mycological groups Further details will be sent to you after booking or if on the island very active, enthusiastic and helpful and you register interest. they will I believe join us whilst we are there. Following a good breakfast 7.30-8.00, we leave for Maximum numbers reached. Currently operating the field at 8.30-9.00, taking a lunch pack with us. We a waiting list until further notice. return to the workroom in the early afternoon. The

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Booking Procedure for Forays and Workshops

The programme of events organised by the Foray NOTES ON EVENTS Sub-Committee appear on the Society’s web site www.britmycolsoc.org.uk along with a booking form Workshops are usually held over a weekend, are which can be downloaded from the website. There is mainly indoors and combine lectures and a £20 non-refundable booking fee per person per examination of prepared material from the workshop event which should be sent to the Foray Manager tutor with individual study using both fresh and with a completed booking form for each participant. herbarium fungal specimens as appropriate. A For some events it is possible to attend on a part microscope is essential. In some cases, some time basis or to be non resident. There will still be a outdoor foray activity may be part of the workshop. fee for workroom space, administration and tutoring Numbers are limited, usually to around 25 costs. The Society welcomes non-members to its participants, and the courses are generally fully events but anyone with a keen interest in field booked. mycology can become a member of the Society. (Joining the BMS costs less than attending one event Residential Forays have a long tradition extending th and taking Field Mycology which is included with back to the 19 Century and provide an opportunity membership) BMS members and accompanying non for participants to study the fungi of a particular area. participants are entitled to a £20 reduction for each The days will include a programme of field outings to event. collect material to study after returning to the workroom where investigations often continue late At least six weeks before the event (depending on into the evening or the early morning! Although there the conditions imposed by the venue chosen), the is only a limited programme of formal lectures, if any, organiser will ask for payment in full. If you do not the forays provide an opportunity for exchange of pay this, then your place will be forfeited. Nearer the knowledge on current developments in taxonomy event and after full payment, refunds will need to be and conservation, and an intensive learning negotiated with the organiser, who may be able to environment for those with a serious interest (though find a substitute; otherwise a refund may not be not necessarily extensive expertise) in fungal possible. Participants should consider travel identification. The records of fungi made during BMS insurance to cover late cancellation. forays are added to the Fungal Records Database of Britain and Ireland which is then made accessible The Foray Manager will send your booking details to through the online NBN gateway. As part of this the organisers of each event. Your booking will be recording activity, forays also provide an opportunity acknowledged by email. If you do not have an email to add herbarium specimens to the National please enclose a stamped, addressed envelope if collections and the active participation by members you require acknowledgement. Please bear in mind of the Kew Mycology Department, as well as other that some events have a limited number of places herbaria, is a welcome part of the events. The and may become fully booked quite early. evening round-up sessions, in which the outstanding finds of the day are viewed and discussed, conclude The form also allows you to indicate your each day’s activities. preferences for accommodation in more detail. The available accommodation varies with the venue and, First time participants to a BMS event - The while we would like to try to meet everyone's Society is keen to encourage new participants with individual needs as far as possible, this may not an interest in fungi to extend their expertise and always be possible. Additional charges will usually participate in its forays and workshops including field apply for e.g. single rooms or en suite facilities when mycologists in affiliated local groups throughout the they are available. Please contact the Foray British Isles. The organisers provide help and Manager with any queries. encouragement to new or less experienced attendees and are happy to be approached to The BMS small grant scheme is open to students discuss your particular needs. The organisers are attending any field meeting and if you are eligible and keen to foster a friendly atmosphere to make it would like to apply please contact the Foray possible for all participants whatever their level of Manager. expertise to experience a friendly, informative and enjoyable event.

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UK Fungus Day 13 October 2013

British Mycological Society CityView House Union Street Ardwick Manchester M12 4JD MycologistNews email: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 161 277 7638 / 7639 BMS Website Fax: +44 (0) 161 277 7634 www.britmycolsoc.org.uk

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