Mycologist News
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MYCOLOGIST NEWS The newsletter of the British Mycological Society 2012 (2) Edited by Dr. Pieter van West and Dr Anpu Varghese 2012 BMS Council BMS Council and Committee Members 2012 President Prof. Naresh Magan Vice-President Prof. Bruce Ing President Elect Dr. Geoff Robson Treasurer Prof. Geoff M Gadd Secretary Position vacant Publications Officer Dr. Pieter van West International Initiatives Adviser Prof. AJ Whalley Fungal Biology Research Committee representatives: Dr. Simon Avery; Prof Nick Read Fungal Education and Outreach Committee: Dr. Paul S. Dyer; Ms. Carol Hobart Field Mycology and Conservation: Dr. Stuart Skeates, Mrs Dinah Griffin Fungal Biology Research Committee Prof. Nick Read (Chair) retiring 31.12. 2013 Dr. Simon Avery retiring 31.12. 2012 Dr. Elaine Bignell retiring 31.12. 2013 Dr. Mark Ramsdale retiring 31.12. 2013 Dr. Pieter van West retiring 31.12. 2013 Dr. Sue Crosthwaite retiring 31.12. 2014 Prof. Mick Tuite retiring 31.12. 2014 Fungal Education and Outreach Committee Dr. Paul S. Dyer (Chair and FBR link) retiring 31.12. 2013 Dr. Ali Ashby retiring 31.12. 2013 Ms. Carol Hobart (FMC link) retiring 31.12. 2012 Dr. Sue Assinder retiring 31.12. 2013 Dr. Kay Yeoman retiring 31.12. 2013 Alan Williams retiring 31.12. 2014 Field Mycology and Conservation Committee Dr. Stuart Skeates (Chair, website & FBR link) retiring 31.12. 2014 Prof. Bruce Ing (Conservation) retiring 31.12. 2012 Dr. Paul Kirk (Database) retiring 31.12. 2012 Ms. Carol Hobart (Events and FEO link) retiring 31.12. 2012 Prof Richard Fortey retiring 31.12. 2013 Mrs. Sheila Spence (Recorders network co-ordinator) retiring 31.12. 2013 Mrs Dinah Griffin retiring 31.12. 2014 Dr. Martyn Ainsworth retiring 31.12. 2013 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 2 From the Office Hello from the BMS office... Summers here (believe it or not!) and the various BMS meetings are underway. As we go to press the Corticoid and Amanita Workshops have taken place and we look forward to publishing reports from these events at some point in the future. The Deadline for registering for the Main BMS Scientific Meeting in Alicante has passed and the meeting looks certain to be very well attended. This is the 1st Main BMS meeting to be held outside the UK and should emphasise that the BMS is truly an international Society, with membership drawn from all over the world. The current wet weather, whilst a bit depressing for a lot of people, should help the coming foray season be very fruitful. As ever we welcome all ideas and items you would wish to share and will try to include all articles we can, especially any terrific photographs of fungi you can supply. Best wishes for coming months. Regards, The BMS office Team. Norman Porrett Sophie Embleton Administrator BMS Office Field Mycology Assistant Contents The Big Nature Day p4 Request for West Weald Inocybe Workshop p6 Newsletter National Botanic Garden of Wales— p7 Fungus Day Articles ‘Fun with Fungus’ at St Faith’s School p8 Do you have any items you would like to see published in the Newsletter which BMS Bursary Report p10 would be of interest to members? BMS Dune & Nutrient Deficient Grassland We would love to receive short reports of p12 Event any activities, upcoming events, items of interest, etc. BMS Autumn Open Meeting 2012 p15 Please send items to the office or email to: BMS Foray & Workshop Programme p16 [email protected] BMS Annual Scientific Meeting—Alicante p19 Photo Corner p20 Copy deadline for next issue: 1 September 2012 3 BMS, OPAL (Open Air Laboratories) & UN International Day of Biological Diversity On Sunday 27th May over fifty Natural History groups got together to take part in The Big Nature Day event at the Natural History Museum in London. The aim of the event was to celebrate the work of the OPAL (Open Air Laboratories) citizen science programme and focussed on showcasing the achievements of the OPAL programme in order to encourage more people to get involved. It also marked the UN International Day of Biological Diversity. More than five thousand members of the general public took part in the event (over 40% of the total visitors to the Museum on that day), where they were stimulated to take part in recording, monitoring, enjoying and protecting biodiversity and their local environment. The BMS Display Kay Yeoman and Naresh Magan talking ‘fungi’ The British Mycological Society display was very well attended, children were drawn to the stand by the chance to take away a red and white spotted ‘fly agaric balloon’ and chewy mushroom sweets. We were also fortunate to have been sponsored by ‘G’s Fresh who supplied us with dried wild and porcini mushrooms that we could give away to adults. Children were fascinated to see the ‘gills’ of Agaricus bisporus viewed under child friendly stereo microscopes and learnt that gills were the specialised structures where fungal spores were made. We looked at spore prints on microscope slides using a compound microscope which showed that the spore print pattern was made up of thousands of tiny spores that had fallen from the gills. Lynne brought along some of her soil plates with mycelium from a woodland saprotroph that demonstrate what the main body of a filamentous fungus looks like. These were also used as a prop to explain the answer to the ‘Fungus Decoder Quiz’ designed by Kay. Here, the fruit bodies of the six fungi listed in the BMS recording programme ‘have you seen this fungus?’ plus a few extra fruit bodies (whose common names resembled their fruit body appearance), had to be matched with their common name to reveal a letter code. The quiz sheet presented the fruit bodies in a particular order to spell out the word ‘Mycelium’ – the main body of a filamentous fungus. To further encourage the general public to take part in the BMS recording programme ‘have you seen this fungus?’ we ran the very visual activity ‘How the mushroom got its spots’. 4 ► Ali Ashby, Jenna and Lynne Boddy with ‘fly agaric’ balloons The life cycle of the fly agaric was explained in varying detail depending on the age of the participant and the importance of the fly agaric as an ectomycorrhizal fungus on birch and pine was emphasised. Children learnt how this mushroom gets its spots – the secret being the disintegration of the ‘universal veil’ as the mushroom cap expands. This was beautifully illustrated by Jenna and Ali, using a red balloon, tissue paper, water and lots of puff! The team worked well together on the day, sharing the work load and distributing our many leaflets and chewy sweets. It was important for BMS to be part of this new event, allowing us to liaise with our fellow learned societies and other enthusiastic amateurs, sharing our expertise and experience of public outreach and engagement to further promote the achievements of OPAL and their citizen science programme. Paul Dyer, Alan Williams, Stuart Skeates and Naresh Magan enjoying the day. It is clear that technology is allowing the collection and sharing of biological data that will provide a platform for new biological insights in the future, a future in which the British Mycological Society should play a pivotal role. Thanks to Naresh, Lynne, Stuart, Paul, Kay, Alan, Ali and Jenna for manning the stand on the day, Carol for preparing the FMC ‘have you seen this fungus?’ banner and leaflet, and Sophie and Norman in the BMS office for preparing the ‘Fantastic Fungus Facts’ leaflet and other materials for the event. Ali Ashby, June 2012 5 West Weald Fungus Recording Group Inocybe Workshop 25th September 2011 Sadly the genus Inocybe is a closed book to Penny’s comprehensive Powerpoint many field mycologists! presentation, with its clear descriptions and helpful pictures was later made available to Penny Cullington came down to Bookham, participants as a PDF file. This, the Stangl book, Surrey, in September and opened us a number and the ‘Keys’ now offer us powerful tools and of interesting pages. West Weald Fungus the confidence to tackle identification within this Recording Group, again aided by a ‘BMS Small genus. Grant’, held another of its one-day Workshops for its members, with invitations extended to the Ray Tantram 22nd October 2011 Hampshire Group. About 21 participants arrived, many with their own microscopes, some with the English version of the Stangl book. We were able to acquire copies of Penny’s Keys to supplement our investigations. Penny gave an excellent presentation which helped us initially to distinguish clearly between Inocybes and similar groups. There are 139 British species, and these divide into thee subgenera and also further sections, and include species with both smooth and nodulose spores. Examination of cystidia on gills and stipe offer critical identifying features, and so it is important not to handle stipes when collecting. We had an opportunity to examine fresh specimens, mostly brought by Penny, and I was personally delighted to find one of my Inocybe erubescens Norbury Park – A WWFRG ‘unknowns’ to be Inocybe calospora, with its Spring Foray - May 2009 intriguing ‘marine-mine-shaped’ spores and beautiful metuloid caulocystidia. Attention all members who have redundant microscopes. The BMS is again this year running the very popular Beginner courses (Identification Skills Workshop) to encouraging people to use a microscope to aid identification. We are struggling to provide enough instruments for use, and we’re wondering if any of our membership have any microscopes that are surplus to requirements.