Two Web-Accessible Databases and Their Relationship to a Preliminary List of Rare Macrofungi for British Columbia

Brenda E. Callan Canadian Forest Service Natural Resources Canada, Pacific Centre 506 West Burnside Road, Victoria, BC, V8Z 1M5, Canada [email protected]

ABSTRACT Two databases documenting in detail the vast fungal biodiversity in British Columbia are now accessible on the Internet at http://www.pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/biodiversity/herbarium. The British Columbia Host-Fungus Index Database was compiled from 60 years of Canadian Forest Service disease identification data, and published literature records. It was designed to reliably document fungi occurring on native plants and other forest substrates in British Columbia, with the exception of agricultural crops and introduced ornamental plants. The Host-Fungus Index holds records of 3,481 fungus species on 1,710 different plant hosts and other substrates. More than 4,690 of these records are verified by herbarium specimens curated at the Pacific Forestry Centre. Records of >20,000 herbarium specimens are housed in a separate Herbarium Database accessible at the same Web site. The Herbarium Database records can be sorted and mapped by region, date, species, collector, and various other categories. The 2 databases were used to augment and verify a very preliminary list of potentially rare macrofungi (large fleshy or woody fungi) in British Columbia. Mycologists are invited to submit additional records in order to either confirm or dispel the beliefs that these fungi are truly rare and not just undercollected. Logistical challenges surround the creation of lists of rare fungi. Field identification may not be feasible. Specimens often have to be cultured, or verified by distant experts. Fleshy fungi soon lose colour, shape, and other features, so detailed field notes must be made from fresh specimens. Contributions from amateur mycological societies enrich our databases, provided that new records are properly documented.

Key words: database, forest pathology, fungus, macrofungi. borrow collections in order to reexamine them using new taxonomic information and research techniques. More than 140 specimens are also deposited in DAVFP. The ma- HERBARIUM VOUCHER jority of DAVFP collections were made by rangers and re- SPECIMEN DATABASE search scientists affiliated with the now defunct Canadian The Forest Pathology Herbarium at the Canadian Forest Forest Service Forest Insect and Disease Survey (FIDS), over Service’s Pacific Forestry Centre (PFC) houses an interna- 50 years of regular monitoring for forest pests throughout tionally recognized collection of >35,300 preserved and cat- the Pacific and Yukon Region. The PFC still maintains a alogued forest fungi and disease specimens, representing strong commitment to maintain and expand the current col- >3,400 different fungal species. It is known internationally lections, with greater emphasis on fungal biodiversity re- by the acronym DAVFP, and is listed in the Index search in recent years. Herbariorum (Holmgren et al. 1990), a catalogue of the Until a few years ago, records of herbarium holdings were world’s herbaria. The acronym is derived from “Department documented in 3 ways: labels on the specimens; hand-writ- of Agriculture, Victoria, Forest Pathology,” and is based ten accession books used to assign an individual number to upon the herbarium’s affiliation at the time of its establish- each new specimen; and filed FIDS data forms. To search or ment in 1940. examine these records was time-consuming, and required One of the primary uses of DAVFP is for depositing vouch- either a written request or a visit to the herbarium. Several er collections of new fungus distribution records. The years ago, the DAVFP staff began the slow process of con- voucher collections enable current and future researchers to verting herbarium records to an electronic format. Some of examine biological specimens in order to confirm published the data were downloaded from a national FIDS database research, or quarantine records. Scientists frequently also and reformatted, while the remainder were converted from

L. M. Darling, editor. 2000. Proceedings of a Conference on the Biology and Management of Species and Habitats at Risk, Kamloops, B.C., 15 - 19 Feb.,1999. Volume One. B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Victoria, B.C. and University College of the Cariboo, Kamloops, B.C. 490pp. 109 CALLAN

written records to spreadsheets. In 1998, Dr. Alan Thomson, database. Two Canadian compendia (Conners 1967, Ginns of the Pacific Forestry Centre, and a student, Jonathan Bahl, 1986) are cited for many of the “literature records” herein. converted these massive spreadsheets into the Herbarium They in turn lead to further citations and information re- Voucher Specimen Database, available at garding voucher specimen locations in herbaria other than http://www.pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/biodiversity/herbarium. DAVFP. The revised format of the Index, and taxonomic This database currently documents >21,000 of the speci- modernization is loosely based upon Farr et al. (1989). mens housed at DAVFP, and may be searched by several dif- ferent parameters. The data are organized under such fields BRITISH COLUMBIA MACROFUNGI as “Fungus,” “Host,” “Determiner” (person making the iden- tification), and “Collector,” as well as other categories. Although it might be argued that the data described above Selecting the Web page radio button designating the first let- merely “scratch the surface” of the true fungal biodiversity ter of the subject further narrows these fields. This executes in British Columbia, these databases can be used to check a search of the database, which returns an updated short-list records pertaining to some potentially rare macrofungi in of names to choose from. One of these names may then be the province. “Macrofungi” herein refers to an artificial selected and the form submitted. This will return all of the grouping of fungus species producing fruiting bodies >1 cm records available that meet the search criteria. Currently, in diameter. Macrofungi are more likely to be observed by synonyms are not linked, so the searcher should be aware of amateur naturalists or trained parataxonomists, and can the taxonomic and nomenclatural history of the species of often be recognized to or species by the collector in interest. If there is geographic (UTM, latitude/longitude) in- the field. For this reason they may be good candidates for formation available for the record, the searcher can select a preliminary biodiversity studies. link, which will draw a map showing the collection location. Redhead (1997) lists 65 species of rare or notable macro- A distribution map of all of the collection locations in a par- fungi found in British Columbia, and has assigned prelimi- ticular search may also be generated, by scrolling to the end nary status designations for many of these species, based of the list and selecting the “submit” button there. Searches upon the same designations used by the Conservation Data may also be conducted on “Locality” (nearest town or Centre of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, drainage division), DAVFP number, or year of collection. Lands and Parks. Most of the species on the list are fleshy Systematists, naturalists, foresters, and other interested in- fungi in the order Agaricales, commonly known as mush- dividuals can use this database to rapidly determine which rooms. The reason for this bias is that the majority of the pi- species of fungi are housed in the herbarium. A specimen oneer studies in fungal biodiversity have been, or are collection slip and collection protocols may also be down- currently, conducted on agarics. The taxonomic experts pro- loaded from this web site and used by those wishing to con- viding verification of this list, including Dr. Redhead himself, tribute samples to the herbarium. reside elsewhere in Canada. Consequently most of the voucher specimens for these records reside elsewhere as well. In fact, a search of the DAVFP database revealed that BRITISH COLUMBIA only 3 of the 65 listed species (Hypholoma tuberosum, HOST-FUNGUS INDEX Ossicaulis lignatilis, and Phaeocollybia kauffmanii) are A second database, the British Columbia Host-Fungus Index, represented by collections in this herbarium. This lack of was compiled from 60 years of Canadian Forest Service nearby reference specimens makes it difficult for regional records, augmented from published literature records and taxonomists to confirm the identity of future collections. additional data provided by Agriculture/Agrifood Canada. Research on agaric biodiversity provides much valuable in- The Host-Fungus Index has been designed to assist in the formation, as many of these species are intimately associat- identification and formal documentation of fungi occurring ed with indigenous plants as mycorrhizal symbionts or on native plants in the province of British Columbia, with parasites. However, mushroom collection studies are often the exception of most agricultural crops and horticultural or- limited to narrow windows of opportunity during fall fruiting namental (nonnative) plant species. It is organized in a man- season, which may last a few days or a few weeks at most. ner similar to the Voucher Specimen Database. There are The resulting collections must be handled and identified or various plant host and fungus data categories, including, preserved quickly, and require detailed field notes or photo- “Genus/Specific Epithet,” and “Specific Epithet/Genus.” The graphs. The vagaries of weather from year to year have an search by “Specific Epithet/Genus” is recommended for try- impact on the amount and timing of fruiting. These uncer- ing to determine the currently accepted genus for a given tain parameters make it difficult to confirm if a mushroom taxon. This function is useful when the searcher is working species is “rare” or if vegetative thalli (mycelia) are in fact with a taxonomic group that has undergone recent revisions. common even though the species rarely fruits. Synonyms are linked to currently accepted names in this Other groups of macrofungi that are easier to collect,

110 Proc. Biology and Management of Species and Habitats at Risk, Kamloops, B.C., 15–19 Feb. 1999. Web-Accessible Fungus Databases and Rare Macrofungi

identify, and observe in the field might be good candidates Table 1. Proportions of species represented by 1 or more col- for determination of “rare” status. Wood-decay macrofungi lections in the DAVFP herbarium of the Pacific (, Aphyllophorales, ) producing Forestry Centre, Victoria, BC. woody “conks” on trees or downed wood are the example No. of species No. of collections/species chosen here. These fungi are large, often showy, and rela- tively easily identified by naturalists and parataxonomists. 1,469 1 Many heart-rot fungi are somewhat host-specific and do not 436 2 218 3 produce significant decay columns and fruiting bodies in 132 4 trees younger than 80 years. Therefore the search for target- 104 5 ed species is narrowed down to locations where mature tree 75 6 hosts are located. Many are perennial, often 71 7 decades old, so they may be observed and collected year- 51 8 round. This means that seasonal and yearly fluctuations 38 9 have less of an effect on distribution and incidence data. For 36 10 example, at DAVFP, 1 conk of Fomitopsis officinalis (a 68 20 perennial causing brown cubical heart rot of ma- 26 50 ture conifers) has been aged to 53 years. This particular 41 99 species has a similar habitat, size, and age as the famed 2 300 2 400 “fuzzy sandozi” (Bridgeoporus nobilissimus), a huge, rare polypore known only from a few sites in and , and the first fungus to be listed as an endan- Fomitopsis officinalis gered species in the United States (Burdsall et al. 1996). This large perennial polypore is hoof-shaped, becoming pen- Some polypore species have ethnomycological significance dulous and cylindrical with age, with old (>50 yr old) speci- (Blanchette et al. 1992, Blanchette 1997), as well as being es- mens reaching up to 40 cm in diameter. The conks are a sential for tree utilization by some cavity nesting wildlife distinctive chalky white to tan, and often decades old, with a (Harestad and Keisker 1989). There are also a few rare wood- new pore layer developing each growing season. They are decay ascomycetes (Xylariaceae) that persist for 1 to 2 years most commonly encountered on trunks of mature Douglas- in the field on recently downed deciduous trees, and that ap- fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and Sitka spruce (Picea sitchen- pear to be rarely encountered and limited in distribution. sis) on the west coast of the province, but may be found These species also warrant further study in order to confirm elsewhere on larch (Larix occidentalis), grand fir (Abies their rarity. grandis), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). There are One of the characters used as an indicator of “critically 109 records of F. officinalis in British Columbia since 1940 imperilled” status is: “5 or fewer extant occurrences or very (when data collection first began), but only 19 of those few remaining individuals” (Redhead 1997). However, ac- records were added in the past 20 years. It remains to be de- cording to the DAVFP database (Table 1), >1,400 fungus termined if the reduced sightings and collections are a result species are represented by a single collection! A total of of habitat loss (reduction of old growth sites), but the fungus 2,349 species (67% of all species) are represented by 5 or would be a good candidate for further study. fewer collections in DAVFP. There is thus an obvious need to separate truly rare species from those that have merely been Haploporus odorus undercollected or understudied, due to cryptic habit or lack This perennial polypore occurs north of 52ºN on willow of local taxonomic expertise. (Salix spp.), and is hoof-shaped with a white lower pore layer and a black pileus. It has a distinct sweet anise odour POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR that can be detected from a distance of several metres. There FURTHER DISTRIBUTION STUDY are only 14 records from British Columbia since 1940, with With these characteristics in mind, 5 macrofungi have been 5 added in the last 20 years. chosen as potential candidates for further distribution study. The first 3 are polypores, while the other 2 are ascomycetes; Inonotus obliquus all are infrequently encountered despite their size and easily This perennial fungus does not produce a pore layer until its recognizable features. The polypore taxa are described and birch (Betula papyrifera) host dies, but the large, swollen, illustrated in the easily obtained publication by Allen et al. orange-brown “blind conks” may be present for many years (1996). The species are as follows: before this occurs. There are 20 records from British Columbia, with only 4 added in the past 20 years.

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Biscogniauxia mediterranea LITERATURE CITED There are only 3 confirmed herbarium records of this as- comycete, all from southern Vancouver Island and within Allen, E., D. Morrison, and G. Wallis. 1996. Common tree the past 5 years. However, the fungus produces distinctive, diseases of British Columbia. Canadian Forest Service, coal-like, flat fruiting bodies, which may extend >7 cm in Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria, BC. length, on alder (Alnus spp.) and native Prunus. It is easily Blanchette, R. A. 1997. Haploporus odorus: a sacred fungus recognized in the field, so lack of earlier collections by re- in traditional Native American culture of the northern gional mycologists might indicate rarity. plains. Mycologia 89:233–240. _____, B. D. Compton, N. J. Turner, and R. L. Gilbertson. Biscogniauxia bartholomaei 1992. Nineteenth century shaman grave guardians are This ascomycete forms large numbers of carbonaceous discs carved Fomitopsis officinalis sporophores. Mycologia breaking through bark of recently fallen red alder (Alnus 84:119–124. rubra). There is only 1 known Canadian record, which is Burdsall, H. H., T. J. Volk, and J. F. Ammirati Jr. 1996. from southern Vancouver Island. This record is the second Bridgeoporus, a new genus to accommodate North American report since 1911, when it was described by nobilissimus (Basidiomycota, Polyporaceae). Mycotaxon Peck based on a Washington State collection. Worldwide it is 60:387–395. only known from 1 other location, the Kamtchatka peninsu- Conners, I. L. 1967. An annotated index of plant diseases in la, where it was collected on Alnus kamschatia (Vasileva Canada and fungi recorded on plants in Alaska, Canada 1988). Based on the fact that it has only been collected and Greenland. Res. Branch, Can. Dep. Agric., Ottawa, worldwide 3 times, this fungus would be ranked as G1 by the ON. Publ. No. 1251. British Columbia Conservation Data Centre. European Farr, D. F., G. F. Bills, G. P. Chamuris, and A. Y. Rossman. monographs of this genus do not include this species. 1989. Fungi on plants and plant products in the United There are doubtless many other species that are also peren- States. American Phytopathological Society Press, Saint nial, fruit on large woody hosts, and are easily recognized in Paul, MN. the field by mycologists, parataxonomists, and other natural- Ginns, J. 1986. Compendium of plant disease and decay ists. These fungi would be excellent candidates for monitoring fungi in Canada 1960–1980, Agric. Can., Ottawa, ON. programs in biodiversity studies in provincial parks. Publ. No. 1813. Harestad, A. S., and D. G. Keisker. 1989. Nest tree use by pri- mary cavity-nesting birds in south central British ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Columbia. Can. J. Zool. 67:1067–1073. Past field technicians of the Forest Insect and Disease Survey Holmgren, P. K., N. H. Holmgren, and L. C. Barnett, eds. contributed thousands of records to the B.C. Host-Fungus 1990. Index herbariorum. Part I: the herbaria of the world. database. Former herbarium technician Ms. D. Lowe com- Regnum Vegetabile 120:80–694. piled the last printed form of the B.C. Host-Fungus Index Lowe, D. P. 1977. Check list and host index of bacteria, fungi, (Lowe 1977), and maintained lists of revisions and additions and mistletoes of British Columbia. Can. For. Serv., until her retirement in 1992. Ms. F. Ring and Ms. A. Victoria, BC. BC-X-32. Fernando (term herbarium technicians, PFC) undertook ex- Redhead, S. 1997. Macrofungi of British Columbia: require- tensive reformatting and additional data entry after 1992. Dr. ments for inventory. Res. Branch, B.C. Minist. For., and S. Redhead (Agriculture/Agrifood Canada, Ottawa) provided Wildl. Branch, B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, additional database records that have been incorporated into Victoria, BC. Working Pap. 28/1997. this index. The Canadian Forest Service database, IN- Vasilyeva, L. N. 1988. The taxonomic position of Camarops FOBASE, was used to transfer the majority of the collection polysperma (Mont.) J.B. Miller and Biscogniauxia O. data to a spreadsheet used to create the DAVFP Voucher Kuntze in the Far East. Mikologia I Fitopatologia Specimen Database. Dr. A. Thomson, research scientist at 22:388–396. PFC, and Mr. J. Bahl, University of Victoria co-op student, provided indispensable advice and technical expertise to the author, setting up the Web page and programming the asso- ciated databases.

112 Proc. Biology and Management of Species and Habitats at Risk, Kamloops, B.C., 15–19 Feb. 1999.