The "Phylocode" – A Commentary

by Scott A Redhead

This is the first of a planned series of articles by systematists facing nomenclatural instability caused by the recent explosion of DNA-based information. Below, Dr Redhead, Curator of the Canadian Mycological Herbarium at Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada in Ottawa, considers the "PhyloCode" and questions the advisability of rushing to dismantle the current Linnaean-based International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.

What is the PhyloCode? This has been a nagging question in my mind ever since I read the mini review by Hibbett & Donoghue (1998) in Mycologia. That article closed with the statement, "We hope that this essay will encourage mycologists to critically evaluate the alternatives, and perhaps join in the development of a new phylogenetic code of biological nomenclature." Via Email I discussed with David Hibbett the possibility of initiating an open discussion in Inoculum for the purpose of alerting MSA members to this looming issue, and to explore its possible repercussions.

I have been trained by guardians of the old school, but I am hardly what anyone would consider to be truly educated or scholarly. Anyone who knows Latin and has read any of my independent attempts to create a Latin diagnosis should not be eating or drinking while doing so because they may well choke. I have also naively tried to follow and apply (without trying conservation - another option available) the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN) to the letter, and always try to accredit the first author or scientist properly. Never does one suffer so much ridicule as when they play with nomenclature. Therefore, I have been seasoned by my experiences. I know the system is not perfect and probably never will be. That being said, I also know that it works not too badly, normally. It works well enough for us to get on with everyday taxonomy and to apply the taxonomy to other human endeavours such as surveys, antibiotic testing, determinations of pathogens, labeling of foods, and so on. So I am skeptical when I hear of people wishing to overthrow an established system. Yet I am also intrigued when I hear there is this new system; doubly so, because several of my colleagues are working on phylogenetic analyses and have asked me to assist with the conclusions and nomenclature and taxonomy, and I have seen some of the major changes coming.

But where is the PhyloCode? All practising taxonomists should pay attention to what is happening, I learned. To begin with, the PhyloCode is under construction. It does not yet exist. It may in the future, but it doesn’t right now. Therefore, to test it or to buy into it is very difficult. If I am wrong, I hope someone points it out to us, because I would like to test this new code as soon as possible. The latest works appeared in two journals, Taxon and Systematic Biology, in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Cantino (1999) published a follow-up to a session held at the XVI International Botanical Congress (IBC) in St. Louis. See also http://www.ohiou.edu/phylocode/ The symposium he helped to organise drew a very large crowd and was one of the more contentious symposia held at the IBC. Cantino, in publishing this article, stated that he realised they had failed to "...allay possible concerns about the practical ramifications of the new system" at the IBC, and he made it clear that the PhyloCode is under development, and that it will be "a code of phylogenetic nomenclature."

The idea of ‘phylogenetic nomenclature’ is attributed first to an article by de Queiroz & Gauthier (1992), entitled "Phylogenetic Taxonomy," a term coined to cover a branch of ‘phylogenetic systematics.’ The authors — zoologists apparently primarily concerned with reptiles — realized that taxonomists face great challenges now that DNA sequencing technology has been improved and previously unimaginable analyses and tests are available and revealing new relationships. They correctly perceived that there would be a problem in trying to name all supposed monophyletic lineages (or clades). There simply are not enough taxonomic categories to cover all possible relationships. There being a shortage of terms and classical taxonomic categories, they also correctly perceived that there would be controversy over applying the existing names to different levels. What is a family? What is a genus? What is an order? Or to put them other ways, at what point on a cladogram does one use an order name, a family name, or a generic name?

It is important to note that theirs was a philosophical paper. It should also be noted that they specifically excluded species (p. 451): "Furthermore, populations of interbreeding organisms are not the subject of this paper; they are members of a fundamentally different category of biological entities than monophyletic taxa." Basically, what they were discussing were cladograms with the ultimate ends cut off (the presumed interbreeding individuals within populations). If you are a skeptic like me, you get an uneasy feeling this might be the first step in losing touch with reality. However, sometimes it is best to approach problems from a new direction. What I felt I needed to get a better feel for where this is going, were some concrete examples, because the PhyloCode was beginning to sound like a new software being advertised but still under development.

The articles in Systematic Biology offer several more tangible examples. One is a philosophical discussion of how such a code might address the ‘species’ name issue (Cantino et al. 1999).see also http://www.ohiou.edu/phylocode/ The abstract begins, "Linnaean binomial nomenclature is logically incompatible with the phylogenetic nomenclature of de Queiroz and Gauthier (1992)...." Of course if you design a nomenclatural system that excludes the interbreeding organisms, you have excluded what most call species; ergo, you have created an incompatible nomenclatural system. This should not be news. Their paper presents 13 different ways to name species (however you define a species). A key to the 13 different ways to name species (and how to convert old names into new names) is provided. Currently, we use one as provided by the ICBN. We create a species epithet and attach it to a generic name to create a binomial. Application of the binomial is anchored to a type (a sort of touchstone). We must never go so far that we lose touch with our anchor/stone. If you are at all concerned with where taxonomy might head, you should read this paper. If you were concerned when you sat in the audience in St. Louis, I daresay you will still be concerned. The different proposals for naming species were made by the different authors. They are for discussion. Apparently, they could not agree upon a set technique. They involve running generic and specific names together or combining them in various ways or ... adding numbers or code letters, and so on. There is continual reference to "the PhyloCode" or "a PhyloCode name," but of course there is no PhyloCode. This is the generation of such a code. After reading it I remained skeptical. It still sounds like a software company that I would not invest in because the product, still under development, faces major obstacles.

Two other articles reinforced my skepticism. Both were applications of these phylogenetic systematics principles as regarding nomenclature following taxonomic revisions. I looked up and read a paper by Jackman et al. (1999) co-authored by one of the original authors of "Phylogenetic Taxonomy" (de Queiroz). The authors of this paper, which reports on phylogenetic relationships in lizards (specifically Anolis lizards), investigated dozens of ‘species’ (whatever they are), and demonstrated that at least three other ‘genera’ were nested within the Anolis clade. In this paper, at least, they appeared not to change any traditional taxonomy. To quote from their discussion, "Our data suggest that Phenacosaurus, Chamaelinorps, and Chamaeleolis are all nested within Anolis and therefore all should be synonymised with Anolis. If taxonomic recognition is restricted to groups that are clearly monophyletic, the only alternative under the traditional nomenclatural system to recognizing all anoles as Anolis is to divide the genus into at least 17 genera, an option we do not recommend. Alternatively, under the phylogenetic approach to nomenclature proposed by de Queiroz and Gauthier (1992), all these names are dissociated from the taxonomic category genus, and therefore they all can be used...." As no names were changed, the latter option seems to have been adopted. It was impossible to tell if any of the species in the nested genera were ever previously placed in Anolis or any other genus. No authorities or nomenclators were supplied. I could have checked references but didn’t want to have to request literature on lizards on loan.

Fair enough. The previous example was pretty benign. Nothing changed. But another author, a believer in the nonexistent PhyloCode, published what has to be viewed as a bold, highly controversial, yet necessary example of what may be in store. It was the title that alerted me, "Phylogenetic taxonomy, a farewell to species, and a revision...." (Pleijel, 1999). I needed to read no further to know I needed to look at this one. What did he mean by ‘farewell to species’? Published in the same issue as the discussion on 13 ways to name species, this author, a specialist on worms, grabbed the bull by the horns, and decided to apply a new methodology for naming what others might call a species (whatever they are). The author uses only uninomials for his taxa. To quote from the abstract, "Taxon names are defined by apomorphy-based phylogenetic definitions, without reference to Linnean ranks or types. Species entities are omitted and denied any role in taxonomy; taxon names refer to monophyletic groups only." This I had to see. It was either exciting or scary, or both. Keeping in mind I know virtually nothing about worm taxonomy and only a smidgen about the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, I gave myself some latitude for my confusion over terminology. But even that latitude did not prepare me for what I read.

On page 756, the author talks about five previously described taxa in such a way that not even their own authors would recognise them? They were referred to as "Heteromorpha Hartmann-Schröder, 1962; Africana Hartmann-Schröder, 1974; etc. Pleijel then notes, "To these I add two new parts from Papua New Guinea and Belize."

Parts of what?, I asked myself. And what is a part? It would appear to be equivalent to a taxon, but without any designation of rank, hence the non-informative word, "part." And what were Heteromorpha and Africana? They looked like they might be generic names. They are not. But what are they? The beauty of the system is that they are nothings or everythings. They are rankless and unchanging in name if you decide there are more divisions to be made. They simply exist (on a cladogram, in a computer, or in this paper, and maybe in nature). Actually, both Heteromorpha and Africana exist elsewhere in the literature under other guises. It seems that Africana is also known as Heteropodarke heteromorpha africana Hartmann-Schröder, a subspecific taxon as reported by the original author, while Heteromorpha is, as you may be guessing, Heteropodarke heteromorpha Hartmann-Schröder. Within the confines of Pleijel’s paper you can figure this out, but should Pleijel or some other author publish a few more papers some distance from this one simply using Africana or Heteromorpha, I predict nobody will know what he is talking about. The author suggests using the existing species (or subspecies) epithet alone, followed by a letter (an abbreviation) to clarify any confusion if there is more than one taxon (?part) with the same epithet, e.g., "Flexuosus (O.)" derived from Ophiodromus flexuosus. But consider the following. The author erected a new name (for what I do not know, because there are no species, no genera, no ranks, only a monophyletic clade). He called it "Bidentata, new taxon." It is represented by some collections, none of which is a type or the zoological equivalent. It falls outside of the ICZN, so it is not a good name under that code. One immediate benefit is that if you are a mycologist but want to formally name a worm, you have just been handed a wonderful opportunity.

So what is Bidentata? If we follow his system, we should consider giving this same name to a whole variety of other organisms (or coin new names or attach a lot of coding letters). I did a quick search on Biosis for "bidentata." There were 217 hits in my first search, and the first 20 abstracts revealed that "bidentata" has been used by a lot of zoologists and a few botanists. There is Dipolydora bidentata, a polychaete; Manikara bidentata, an earthworm; Microstachys bidentata, a member of the Euphorbiaceae; Dentitheca bidentata, a hydrozoan; Drepanomonas bidentata, a ciliate protozoan; Pseudoperomyia bidentata, a fly; Myrella bidentata, something floating with plankton; Obelia bidentata, a hydroid; Thagria bidentata, a cicada; Pygolampsis bidentata, a true bug; Dynamene bidentata, an isopod; and Berberis bidentata, a Barberry. If each were to become Bidentata, then we would have Bidentata (D.), Bidentata (M.), Bidentata (M2.), Bidentata (D2.), Bidentata (D3.), Bidentata (P.), Bidentata (M3.), Bidentata (O.), Bidentata (T.), Bidentata (P2.), Bidentata (D4.), and Bidentata (B.).

At this stage I gave up. I’ve heard there was once a Linnaean genus of worms called Chaos. The thought simply popped into my head....

If there is to be a phylocode, it should be well thought out, tested, and available for scrutiny. I cannot buy into a poorly thought out concept or philosophy until that is done. An informal system of naming clades is fine. It can easily operate in parallel to the established system. But to use names such as Bidentata or Africana as if they existed within the established botanical, zoological, or bacterial nomenclatures, is likely to cause Chaos, the worm, to turn.

The purpose of my essay is to alert mycologists to what is developing, and to open up a channel for discussion in a semi-informal manner here in Inoculum. I may be operating under a misconception about the PhyloCode. By placing these thoughts down on paper (and the WWW via Inoculum and on the MSA webpage), others can respond and educate me (and the rest of us), and perhaps, by exposing weaknesses or misinterpretations, possibly help by tightening up the wording of the forthcoming PhyloCode. The bottom line is, the promoters of the PhyloCode need to do a better job.

For now I will struggle on, trying to apply the ICBN. It also may not work

in the path of the flood of newly generated molecular data analyses. I am horrified by some of the ‘necessary’ changes mandated by the new data. I wish there were a better way. Yet, I keep returning the to the genius in the simplicity of naming things by Linnaeus. Short names used as handles. I reflect upon what de Queiroz & Gauthier (1992) might have been thinking when they wrote, "If used only to represent relative position in a hierarchy, the Linnaean categories contain no information about common ancestry that is not present in a branching diagram or an indented list of names" (p. 454). And I wonder what was wrong to begin with? Have you ever gone back to see what Linnaeus replaced with the names and binomials? Must we now all publish diagrams or lists to communicate? Or can we think of a way to use the existing names? That is my goal for now.

As for cladograms with informal names (e.g., euagarics), such as those being published by researchers like David Hibbett, I find them fascinating, instructive, and useful. Somewhere there will be a happy medium between Linnaean nomenclature and phylogenetic-speak.

References

by Michael O Geste

Dr Geste, member of the Society for the Prestigious Protection of Scholarly Communications, offers the following thoughtful rumination as a guide to fellow researchers now preparing their annual lecture presentations.

During a recent conference on genomics and bioinformatics, the obvious became apparent: The suffix "-ome" has become the ne plus ultra of vogue in scientific neologism. Of course, the familiar "genome" and the more recent "proteome" were discussed at length. The boldest speakers also waxed rapturously about the "transcriptome" and the "metabolome". Can the "cytoskeletome," "vacuolome," and "excretome" be far behind?

One speaker addressed this burgeoning field, and his contributions to it, with evident satisfaction¹. Scientific American has also noted this exploding field of opportunity². It is timely indeed for the fungal biologists formerly known as mycologists to heed the clarion call -- indeed, the mantra – of "-ome".

This resonant suffix means "an abstract entity, group, or mass"³, which boils down nicely to "stuff", "body of stuff", or "the whole enchilada". Scientific usage is well established (i.e., "biome") if only recently appreciated. Commercial usage is red-hot (e.g., "Proteomics"). "-ome" alone could be the next "-gen" of biocommerce, especially when compounded with the further suffix "-ics" ("the exploitation of"). Roll out the IPOs! (Eh? .com again?)

At the above-mentioned convocation, there were also recurring references to "the problem space". As an example, picture an n-dimensional space, where the dimensions represent abstract concepts such as employment, funding, tenure, intellectual property rights, venture capital, startups, stock options, acclaim, trophy spouses, and the like. Students of the fungi face formidable obstacles in negotiating this space toward the peaks of the outcome probability surface. This is no doubt in part because our discipline is saddled with the rather logey suffix "-logy" (= "the study of").

We may, therefore, recast our endeavors as mycomics ("the exploitation of all the fungal stuff"). We thereby distinguish ourselves from those who flog the macrota (= "the big stuff"; cognates = iota, crapola), and from those associating with simpler germs and terms. Resist the temptation to hitch your wagon to the mycetome, however, as that tiny organ of ticks, mites, and diverse bugs is rather underpowered for the task.

In summary, the optimum n-dimensional vector traversing the emergent fungal-career problem space lies along a path corresponding to mycomics. See you at the trademark office.

^{1Weinstein, JN. 22 October 1998. Fishing expeditions. Science Magazine (online): 282 (5389): 628-629.}

By Diana H Wall and Gina A Adams

Drs Wall and Adams are charged with the administration of the IBOY Program. Dr Adams, the IBOY (International Biodiversity Observation Year) Program Officer, can be reached at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1499, USA. Phone 970.491.1984 FAX 970.491.3945 (iboy@nrel.colostate.edu)

A year to focus global attention on biodiversity and the sciences that explore it is being planned for 2001-2002 (Norris, 2000). IBOY is an initiative of DIVERSITAS, the international program on biodiversity science, and will be launched on December 29, 2000, the United Nations International Day for Biological Diversity.

Planning for IBOY began in 1997, in response to a growing awareness among the scientific community that accurate and timely information on the extent and significance of biodiversity loss was not being communicated to the public. Simultaneously, the need to integrate the different dimensions of biodiversity research was recognized, so that linkages between biodiversity, ecosystems, and society could be examined.

An International Steering Committee, chaired by Dr Diana Wall, is directing IBOY toward its two primary goals, to:

• Promote and integrate biodiversity science, thus advancing a holistic understanding of biodiversity
• Educate the public about biodiversity, explaining the implications of biodiversity research and the opportunities for further discovery

• Scientific voyages of discovery – to describe the world’s species, their genetic properties, and interrelationships
• Informatics – to organize, interlink, and deliver biological information, for use by all sectors of society
• Education and outreach – to convey accurate and timely information on biodiversity and its ecological and economical importance

IBOY will bring add-on value to the participating projects through synthesis activities, including meetings, webpages, publications, festivals and films, that will bring the projects together to:

• showcase the multiple approaches required to understand the natural world
• initiate new scientific coalitions to describe and manage the complex biodiversity relationships
• bridge the gap between scientists, informatics specialists, and the media for better communication of biodiversity information

Thanks to all of you who contributed to our workhorse issue. It appears that most MSA members successfully survived the online submission process. Particular thanks go to Jim Anderson and Faye Murrin for the time-consuming task of assembling and organizing the abstracts (pages 13-70).

Proofreader Laurel Carroll is again thanked for continuing to add enlightenment and consistency to the newsletter. It appears that the Editor’s formerly beloved Comma Rule ("when in doubt, leave it out") is confusing, so we are now requesting commas before all the final "ands" in a series. The jury is still out on whether "webpage" and "website" are each one word or two. Opinions are welcome.

Our current issue demonstrates the great strides being made in digital technology. All "Mycological News" photos were received as electronical "jpeg" files, and the clarity of the images is gratifying. The Editor admits that her new lab computer (a fully loaded Macintosh G4) and upgraded Adobe Photoshop LE may also have made a difference.
 
 

Be forewarned: the Editor is planning to leave the country for three weeks shortly after June 15. This means that those of you wishing to submit articles, drawings, photographs, and news items MUST do so BEFORE June 15. Final copy WILL be sent to Allen Press on June 19. The good news is that you will very likely have Inoculum 51(4) in your hands before the Vermont meeting.
 
 

Those of you who have been trying (indubitably fruitlessly) to telephone or fax Fungi Perfecti using the numbers from the Sustaining Members list printed in recent issues of Mycologia should be aware that the area code has been changed. The correct numbers are 306.426.9292 (Phone) and 306.426.9377 (FAX). The Society apologizes for any confusion.

Jim and I enjoyed hosting the annual MSA Midyear Executive Committee Meeting here in February. Winter routes were circuitous: Orson Miller arrived from Virginia via Nova Scotia, Maren Klich got an unexpected evening with her mom in Chicago, and Tim Baroni got as far as Rochester and no further. The meeting was very productive and much has happened since. The Society is in good financial shape this year - thanks to the leadership of Orson Miller, Jeff Stone, and George Carroll, but we will be facing higher costs for producing MYCOLOGIA with volume 92. The challenges that I foresee are in building membership - all fungal biologists belong with the MSA! - as well as our domestic institutional subscriber list. No other society offers more personal mentorship than we provide for students and young professionals. (On that note, please contribute to our Mentor Student Travel Funds. Some named funds are failing to thrive - contributing even a modest amount to these funds will help to make them self-sufficient.) We need to retain institutional subscribers, while finding the best possible way to make MYCOLOGIA available online to those who wish to receive it that way. As you will note elsewhere in this issue of INOCULUM, the MSA will be awarding up to two undergraduate mycology research awards for this year. I am very interested in any suggestions and contacts for corporate or foundation support for undergraduate research awards that you may be able to furnish.

It is hard to imagine INOCULUM without Lorelei Norvell, but her term is coming to an end with volume 51. HELP WANTED. Would you like to edit INOCULUM? Contact me (Linda Kohn at kohn@credit.erin.utoronto.ca) if you are interested.

David Farr has made terrific progress on a new MSA Bulletin Board, which may well be available by the time that you read this. Many thanks to Dick Korf, who has agreed to stay on as manager during the transitional period. If you are interested in taking over, please let me know. Dick would be happy to discuss the job with you; he has made it look easy. After much discussion, our new address for the commercial server will be (http://msafungi.org); we hope that everyone will find this memorable and pleasing. Stay tuned for electronic developments.

We now have a formal liaison relationship with the British Mycological Society. Tony Whalley is the BMS liaison and Jack Rogers is the MSA counterpart. We trust that liaisons who are also good friends and collaborators will surely facilitate cooperation. With Exec Committee approval, I have applied for a berth for a joint MSA-BMS meeting in 2003 at the Asilomar Conference Center on the Monterey Peninsula. It will be at least a year before the California State Park Service makes the decision. The joint meeting would be an MSA Annual Meeting with contributed presentations, but would also have a strongly themed component of symposia and discussion sessions, resulting in a publication. It won’t surprise anyone to learn that "The Fungal Species" was a theme strongly supported when I met with the BMS Council in December.

On the public policy front, the MSA now has three representatives on Working Groups advising the US Department of the Interior, Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC): Mary Palm is on "Research Information Sharing, Monitoring and Documentation," Jeff Stone is on "Risk Analysis and Prevention," and Jim Worrall is on "Policy and Regulations." Meetings have begun via teleconferencing. I thank Mary, Jeff, and Jim for taking the time to contribute their mycologicial and regulatory experience. I am convinced that invasive species are one of the key issues in global trade and maintenance of ecosystem functions in the immediate future.

On March 22, Brian Boom (President, Association of Systematics Collections) and I co-moderated a Synthesis Session, "Biodiversity Exploration: Systematics and Classification," at the 51st Annual AIBS Meeting co-sponsored with the Smithsonian Institution ("Biology: Challenges for the New Millennium," 22-24 March). The AIBS meeting was capped at 500 participants and included many high school teachers (and not surprisingly, a town meeting on teaching evolution, which was excellent). Our session followed a keynote presentation by Ernst Mayr and Plenary talks by Stephen Jay Gould and Sir Ghillean Prance. Brian and I worked to steer the discussion toward the science and the role of collections and databases in biodiversity exploration. Amy Rossman, as Director of the National Fungus Collection, and Ray Cypess, as President and CEO of the ATCC, contributed significantly to the discussion, as did Roberta Faul-Zeitler, Exectutive Director of the ASC, John Kress of the Smithsonian, and Ghillean Prance. Brian and I wrote up a strong summary and presented two questions to a panel that included plenary speakers E.O. Wilson, Dan Janzen, Gene Likens, Gordon Orians, Ghillean Prance, and Marvalee Wake (Gould and Lynn Margulis had departed). Meeting proceedings (including Wilson’s characteristically incisive views on the need for information in collections for biocomplexity research) were videotaped, with release of the tape and a publication due out next year through the Smithsonian. This will include interviews of all plenary speakers; Paula DePriest (1988 MSA Grad Fellow) could be seen on location hard at work as an interviewer.

On April 4 and 5 I was joined by MSA members, Anathea Brooks and David Geiser in Washington for the Science, Engineering and Technology Working Group (SETWG) annual Congressional Visits Day. We were taken under the wing of Ellen Paul, the AIBS Public Responsibility Representative, who had made appointments for us with our Congressional representatives. After briefings from the US Geological Survey, The White House, NSF, and the Departments of Energy and Defense, we set out. I personally talked with staffers in the offices of Senators Arlen Spector, Rick Santorum (PA), and James Jeffords (VT), and Representative Bernie Sanders (VT). I later spoke with a science staffer for Senator Patrick Leahy (VT) on the phone. It was clear to me that more biologists need to get involved in this effort – though it is hard work, with incremental rewards. The three of us came under our own financial power; I thank Anathea and David for representing us. In addition to describing our work in science (briefly!), we had two main messages that you can communicate to your representatives – bearing in mind the time lag in your receipt of INOCULUM, these issues will still be important:

Urge your House representative to help Rep. Ehlers push for science funding – Representative Vern Ehlers (R-MI) is urging fellow representatives to sign on to his letter to the chairman and ranking minority member of the full House Appropriations Committee, asking that a high priority be given to scientific research in the FY2001 budget. Mentioning the letter to your representative via a quick call or note can sometimes make the difference.  The main number for the House of Representatives is 202-224-3121. A copy of Mr Ehler’s letter (ignore the March 22 deadline) can be found at http://www.cnie.org/updates/69.htm Encourage your Senate representatives to sponsor a similar letter of support.

Consider writing to your House representative to ask that he or she co-sponsor H.R. 3161, the Federal Research Investment Act – also known as the "Doubling Bill." The bill calls for a substantial increase in investment in federal science and technology research.  Agencies that would receive additional funding if the House passes the bill and if funds are appropriated, include the National Science Foundation, the Department of the Interior, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The Senate passed its version of this bill last year. Need help finding your Congressional representatives? Use the AIBS Legislation Information Center, located at http://www.aibs.org/latitude/latpublicpolicy.html. You can send an Email directly from the Legislative Information Center.

The 2000 Annual MSA Meeting is taking shape. In this INOCULUM you will find 223 abstracts (for about 230 presentations); many thanks to Jim Anderson for supervising the online submissions. Joe Ammirati has organized a symposium on Biodiversity - in addition to an already-strong lineup. See http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3msa/msa2000.html for full information and registration materials. Note that May 15 is the date when registration fees increase. It’s going to be a great meeting and I look forward to seeing you there!
 
 
 

The meeting was called to order by President Linda Kohn at 10:00 am. (This late start was due to the weather-related late arrival of secretary Maren Klich). Members present included: Linda Kohn, Orson Miller, George Carroll, Jeff Stone and Maren Klich. Tim Baroni was unable to attend due to weather-related travel difficulties. Also present was James Ginns, incoming Managing Editor of Mycologia.

President Kohn presented her report. (See President's Report to the MSA Midyear Executive Committee Meeting, Inoculum 51(2): 3-4). http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3msa/inoc4-00.htm#President’s Report to the MSA Midyear Executive

Secretary Klich presented her report. She has written letters welcoming 30 new members since the August meeting. There has been some confusion regarding emeritus membership; therefore she suggested that the renewal form state under emeritus membership: "Elected position for retired members. Contact secretary for information." Emeritus and other membership requests as well as renewals are now being handled promptly, due in large part to the improvements being made by Allen Management and Marketing. She reported that she is now sending out copies of the new poster "What can you do with training in Mycology" rather than the booklet "Careers in Mycology" to career centers requesting information on mycology as a career. She pointed out that the Manual of Operations needs to be updated to reflect the new bylaws and changes in publication ownership. President Linda Kohn will contact committee chairs and officers to urge them to revise their portions of the Manual.

The Vice-President's report was faxed to the executive council by Tim Baroni. Nominations for vice-president, secretary and councilors have been received from both the membership and Nominations Committee. He is in the process of contacting nominees to see if they will agree to stand for office.

Finances

Treasurer Jeff Stone reported that, based on his preliminary projections, the income of the society will exceed expenses this year by about $13,000. This estimate does not include possible page overruns for Mycologia. Membership renewals are down slightly from last year. Treasurer Stone will request a list of those with lapsed memberships from Linda Hardwick at Allen Management and Marketing, in order to determine why these members are not renewing. President Kohn will write a letter to those 1998-99 members who did not renew, to be enclosed with a gratis issue of Mycologia 92(1) previously approved by Council. Since we are now publishing Mycologia on our own, and our 2000 Annual Meeting requires liability insurance, treasurer Stone is looking into comprehensive liability insurance for the society and its officials.

Orson Miller, President-Elect and Chair of the Finance Committee, also reports that our financial situation is favorable. Our total portfolio, including bond ladders, mutual funds and money market funds, is $485,151 as of January 31, 2000. Transfer of $100,000 from operating funds to our money market fund has increased our estimated annual income to about $26,000. President-Elect Miller brought up the possibility of moving some of this money into bonds ladders or other conservative mutual funds, but he wants to move slowly since we are still within the first year of publishing Mycologia on our own. Executive council encouraged Dr Miller and the finance committee to make the adjustments in the portfolio as they saw fit, in keeping with our conservative investment strategy.

Endowment Chair Judi Ellzey reported that the Endowment Committee has raised $11,200 since August 1, 1999, including $7200 in donations and $4000 from the auction, T-shirts, mushroom pins and cookbooks. Several of the mentor travel funds are stalled. It was hoped that contributions to each of these funds would generate enough income to support the travel of one student to the meetings. (Secretary's NOTE: for those of you wanting to make a worthy contribution to the society, the Fuller, Thiers, Trappe and Wells funds are all still below $3000 each!). Endowment Committee member Esther McLaughlin is planning a telephone campaign to encourage donations to the Mentor Travel Funds.

Two other endowment-related issues were discussed. As a result of correspondence from Ken Wells, Martin-Baker Fund Chair, and MSA members who have contributed to this fund, the Executive Council will recommend to full Council that the amount of the award be raised to $2000. This is in keeping with a policy of offering awards in at least the amount of interest income generated by the fund. The second decision was that MSA will not administer the Temperate Forest Fungal Research Award.

MSA has received an increasing number of requests for funding from organizers of meetings sponsored by other organizations. Jeff Stone and Maren Klich drafted a policy statement for funding such meetings. Executive Council approved the following as the MSA policy on providing funding for meetings sponsored by other organizations:

MSA Council may approve expenditures of up to $4000 in a fiscal year (Aug-July) for the financial support of scientific meetings sponsored by other societies and organizations. No more than $2000 shall be allocated to any single meeting. Requests for MSA support must be received by the President at least three months prior to the event. The president will then refer the proposal to the appropriate subject area committee(s) or to the Executive Council for evaluation. The committee may contact the sponsors for additional information or to assist them in preparing an effective proposal as necessary. A request for funding should include: a description of the content or theme of the meeting and its expected products (publications, new research initiatives, etc), a tentative program, a list of MSA participants and sources of major funding and sponsorship. If MSA funds are sought for a specific aspect of the program, e.g., a symposium in a more general meeting, this should be described. Following a recommendation from the committee, council will vote on the allocation of funds. Guidelines for awarding funds are:

Publications

Mycologia Editor-in-Chief David Griffin reports that he has received 111 manuscripts since June 30, 1999. Volume 91 has been completed, with 123 papers plus indices, etc. Volume 92, Nos 1-3 are in press and No 4 is partly filled. He requested that Chris Schardl be reappointed as associate editor, and the Executive Committee approved this request. He reports that, after a thorough search, a professional indexer -- Donald Glassman of Glassman Indexing Services -- will provide the indices for Vol. 92. The cost will be $3000, the same as the previous arrangement. President Kohn has signed this contract for the society. The Color Cover Committee, chaired by Rick Howard, has hired a graphics designer to produce trial designs for the committee to consider. The first color cover is expected to appear on the 93(1) issue. Work is continuing on establishment of a policy for providing a free color plate to authors.

Mycologia Managing Editor Orson Miller reported that 1201 members have renewed, as well as 861 institutional members. To avoid paying the $5.00 per person charge for those no longer active (non-renewing), names will be dropped from the roles after one year during which the member/former member will receive 3 renewal notices. Miller noted that there has been some confusion over where the copyright release and page charge forms should be sent. The copyright release should be sent to the Managing Editor, and the page charges go to Allen Press. Use of AllenAir to airmail copies of Mycologia to countries other than the USA, Canada, and Mexico costs about $2 more per issue but has met with overall approval and will be continued. He also reported that our new liaison at Allen Press is Beverly Prescott, replacing Sharon Kindall. The new Managing Editor will be Dr James Ginns (1970 Sutherland Rd., Penticton, BC V2A 8T8, Canada ginnsj@telus.net). The Executive Council thanked Orson for serving so well during these transition years, and thanked Jim for agreeing to take on this task. Jim will address several ongoing issues, including electronic publishing, copyright release forms, and meeting the budget for the journal.

Executive Council discussed some possibilities for the electronic publishing of Mycologia. Our discussion of BioOne centered on the fact that since we are publishing with Allen Press we would not have the up front cost of $20,000 startup if we were to go electronic independently. BioOne is an initiative to bundle electronic journals. The objective is to build BioOne with the capacity to online (World Wide Web) a crosslinked database containing the full-text and graphics of the peer-reviewed journals published by AIBS members. We discussed the specter of this on the horizon with the need to obtain revenue, not lose institutional subscribers, or members, and have an agreement which we could terminate if either the desire or necessity presented itself.

Web Page Committee members Dave and Ellen Farr report that they have developed a new version of the MSA Bulletin Board. The new version was enthusiastically endorsed by members of the Executive Committee, who approved spending $50-60/month for a commercial Internet Service Provider.

Inoculum Editor Lorelei Norvell reported that despite computer and other problems, the newsletter has come out on time. She thanks MSA member Laurel Carroll for volunteering to proof two sections of Inoculum 51(1). She also reminded Council that her term is over at the conclusion of vol 51(6), so we need to seek a new Inoculum editor.

Future MSA Meetings

2000 - July 29-Aug 3, Burlington, Vermont - Program Chair, Faye Murrin

2001 - August 25-29, Salt Lake City, Utah (with the American Phytopathological Society and the Society of Nematologists) - Program Chair, Jim Anderson

2002 - June 22-26, Corvallis, Oregon - Program Chair, Keith Egger

Plans for 2003 and beyond: Linda Kohn is looking into a joint meeting with the British Mycological Society at Asilomar in California. Program Chair will be Susan Kaminskyi. Maren Klich is looking into a possible joint meeting with the Mycological Society of Japan in Hawaii in 2005 or 2006.

Committee Reports

A number of committee chairs submitted mid-year reports. Executive Council considered these and thanks the committees for their high levels of activity.

The Executive Committee heartily thanks Jim Anderson for supplying logistical support for the mid-year executive meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 pm
 
 
 

Summary of March-April Email Council Actions

-- Council approved Jan Stenlid as a new Associate Editor for Mycologia.

-- Council approved creation of two undergraduate research awards of up to $500 each for the year 2000.

-- Council approved use of the remaining $500 allocated for non-MSA meetings this fiscal year for support of the Asian Mycological Congress
 
 
 

In response to a number of queries on the part of the Liaison Committee, on March 31 MSA president Linda Kohn initiated the "Exploratory Committee on the Establishment of a Joint Commission on Common Names of Fungi." This committee is charged with drafting a set of recommendations on the formation of a joint MSA-NAMA (North American Mycological Society) commission in charge of creating a list of recommended "Common Names" for mushrooms. The Exploratory Committee will report to MSA Council at its annual meeting in Vermont on July 29.

MSA has already contacted NAMA president Allein Stanley so as to facilitate cooperation and coordination between the two societies and to initiate discussion on who should be contacted at this preliminary stage. At this time, the Exploratory Committee will not create a list of names itself; it is simply charged with exploring how best the two societies working together can set up such a list. Members of the committee, all of whom belong to both MSA and NAMA, are either current or past MSA Liaison Committee members: Elio Schaechter (current chair of the Liaison Committee), Judy Roger (Editor of Mycophile, NAMA newsletter, and current Liaison Committee member), Tom Volk (MSA webmaster and current Liaison Committee member), Lorelei Norvell (Editor of Inoculum, past Liaison Committee member and chair), and Scott Redhead (Chair, and past Liaison Committee member and chair).
 
 

NOTE: The annual MSA Foray will be on SUNDAY, July 30!

This year’s annual foray will take place in the Indian Brook Conservation Area (IBCA) near the University of Vermont on Sunday, July 30. IBCA contains nearly 1,000 acres and includes a large lake and a diversity of woodland habitats. According to Robert Resnik, our local representative, the area consists of a large mixed hardwood forest with some intermittent pine forests. Habitats range from ridgetop communities to rich bottomlands. In addition to the large lake, there are creeks and creek banks. With a little help from the "rain gods," it sounds like this year’s trip should provide some good collecting.

You need to register for the foray when you register for the annual meeting. The cost of the foray is $30 per participant and includes transportation, boxed lunch, additional beverages in both the morning and afternoon collection sessions, and a post-foray lab at the University of Vermont. The buses will leave from the parking lot near the dorms where members are staying (exact site to be determined). We will leave at 9:00 AM and return around 5:00 PM. The number of participants is limited to 135. If you have any questions, please contact Don Ruch, Foray Coordinator (Phone 765.285.8829 Email druch@gw.bsu.edu).
 
 

The Committee is hosting an informal poster session on fungi in the laboratory at this year’s meeting at the University of Vermont. In order for this session to be successful, we need your participation.

If you are using fungi in interesting ways in the laboratory or know of such uses, please consider presenting a poster. Remember, although you may think that what you do in the teaching laboratory is common knowledge, your colleagues may be totally unaware of these techniques.

To help organize the session, please submit a short abstract to Don Ruch, Teaching Committee Chair (Dept. Biology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47383, Email druch@gw.bsu.edu). Abstracts should include the title, your name, and a one page or less description of the presentation.

All abstracts will be published in a booklet to be distributed at the meeting. Since this is an informal poster session, these presentations will not count against any research presentations.
 
 

Charles Mims is interested in developing a list of individuals who teach what might be considered as popularized undergraduate level mycology courses without labs. He asks that if you teach such a course to please contact him. He is particularly interested in knowing what types of topics you emphasize in your course, whether or not you use a book, enrollment figures and your general thoughts about the overall value or success of your course. This relates to the teaching symposium (see above) planned for the MSA 2000 annual meeting. Email cwmims@arches.uga.edu.
 
 

CALLING ALL MYCOLOGISTS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE MSA AUCTION!

The MSA Auction is a major source of funding for our endowment funds that support student scholarships, travel mentor funds, and research awards.

Items that have sold well in the past include lithographs, fungal specimens, mushroom memorabilia, books, reprints, clothing, candles, paintings, china, photographs, tee-shirts, posters, fungal identification of a new species, cookbooks, linens, back issues of Mycologia, mugs, parodies with fungal themes, slide sets, cultures for lab demonstrations, dung samples, engraved plates, and dissertation drawings.

Please notify Judi Ellzey (jellzey@utep.edu), FAX (915) 747-5808, Biological Sciences, 500 University Ave, the University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968-0519 about your contributions so that she can prepare a catalog prior to the MSA meeting.
 
 

Do you supervise undergraduates doing independent mycological research?

Encourage your best undergraduate students to apply for our new award for undergraduate research projects supervised by MSA members. Up to two awards of $500US each will be made in late October 2000. Applications -- due September 29, 2000 -- should include (i) a description of the proposed independent research project of not more than two, double-spaced pages, (ii) undergraduate transcripts, and (iii) two letters of recommendation, one of which will be from the MSA member supervising the research.

Send FOUR COPIES of the complete application package (proposal, transcript, recommendation letters) to Dr Lauraine Hawkins, 2000-2001 Student Awards Committee Chair, Mont Alto Campus, Pennsylvania State University, Mont Alto, PA USA 17237-9703, 717.749.6237 (lkh1@psu.edu) [also see http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3msa/]. NOTE that only students supervised by MSA members are eligible.

The award, provided with the intention of supporting the proposed research, will be paid to the supervisor for disbursement as student and supervisor see fit. Student awardees will be encouraged to present their research results at the annual MSA meeting and to apply for mentor travel grant support. This award is a "special (perhaps a one-time-only) event" offered by the MSA under this year's budget.

Take advantage of the offer and apply! Show us that this is program is valuable to you, the MSA membership.
 
 
 

This year's annual Middle Atlantic States Mycology Conference (MASMC 2000) took place at Duke University on April 14-16, with over 50 attending. Program details are viewable on our website (http://www.biology.duke.edu/masmc). Highlights included over 20 excellent talks and posters on Saturday, followed by a North Carolina pig pickin' barbecue and stimulating annual lecture on "New opportunities with zoosporic fungi" by Dr David Porter (U. Georgia). The banquet also featured awards for notable presentations (presented by the "Zoosporettes") and a birthday cake in honor of Orson Miller's 70th birthday (in December 2000). The meetings were graced by abundant morels right on the campus and a productive foray on Sunday morning at nearby Eno River State Park. Next year's MASMC will be hosted by the kind folks at University of Georgia. Look for details in next year's Inoculum.

Kathie Hodge is now an Assistant Professor of Mycology at Cornell University, in charge of filling the rather large shoes of Richard P Korf (MSA Distinguished Mycologist 1991). Her research program focuses on the ecology and evolutionary biology of insect pathogenic fungi, and her teaching responsibilities encompass several mycology courses. Kathie, shown at right with her optimistic collecting basket, has also assumed the directorship of Cornell’s Plant Pathology Herbarium (CUP). The collection has a zippy new webpage (http://ppathw3.cals.cornell.edu/CUPpages/CUP.html) and Email address CUPherbarium@cornell.edu.
 
 

Steve Stephenson, Gary Laursen, and Hal Burdsall from the United States, along with Peter Johnston and Eric McKenzie from Landcare Research in New Zealand, and Rod Seppelt from the Australian Antarctic Division, participated in a scientific expedition to two of the subantarctic islands in the Southern Ocean south of New Zealand during March of 2000. Members of the expedition, which was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, spent two weeks surveying the fungi on remote Campbell Island and made a brief visit to the Auckland Islands. These islands are biologically sensitive areas that are designated as World Heritage sites because they serve as major nesting grounds for oceanic birds and mammals, have been little disturbed by man, and are home to species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world. Previous explorations carried out over a period of 145 years had recorded only 27 species of fungi from Campbell Island. During this latest expedition, the first of its type in the New Zealand subantarctic, more than 200 species were collected from the island, and a number of these appear to be new to science.

Six million herbarium collections being moved "by hand" by Drs Barbara Thiers and Roy Halling were featured on National Public Radio’s March 2 Morning Edition. Both Barbara, said to regard peering at bryophytes through a microscope as a "good time", and Roy, portrayed as stoically enduring cold, wet, and mud in pursuit of Colombian rainforest fungal prizes, were interviewed as they oversaw the transfer of specimens from the old New York Botanical Garden fungus herbarium to the new, state-of-the-art Plant Studies Center featured in the March-April Mycology Online. Roy adds, "Lest you think otherwise, Barb and I weren’t the only ones moving specimens, and we used 2-3 13-pigeonhole, counter-height herbarium cases on wheels (no doors). All fungi and lichens are now moved. Approx 55-60% of the WHOLE herbarium has been moved from the Museum Building to the Plant Studies Center (http://www.nybg.org/bsci/const/). Since the first specimens were moved on 9 December 1999, all specimens and cabinets from the 6th floor museum, nearly all from the 4th floor museum, and about one-fourth from the 2nd floor museum have been moved to the 3rd and 5th floors of the PSC. All cabinets and specimens are in place on the 3rd and 5th floors of the PSC. See ‘Six Million-Plus Plants on the Move’ (http://www.nybg.org/pr/herbmove.htm) in the ‘What’s New’ section of the Garden’s website (http://www.nybg.org) for a description and images of the Move."
 
 

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park – All-Taxa Biological Inventory, now in its second year, is well underway. Most collections gathered by the "Asheville Volunteer Fungal Department" on the 1999 Macrofungal Pilot transect ("Butterflies of the Soil") have now been sent to experts even as several new researchers prepare to sample diverse Park habitats during the late spring and summer. Following are three important announcements:

(i) There will be a Fungal TWIG organizational meeting of scientists during the MSA 2000 Annual Meeting in Vermont. As of this writing, it appears that the meeting will probably be held Tuesday evening, August 1, probably between 7 and 9 PM. Definite times will be posted in the next Inoculum. All interested scientists are invited to attend.

2. Lorelei Norvell will be concluding her term as Coordinator of the Fungal TWIG in August, although she plans to continue to serve the TWIG both as agaric specialist and advisor. Because of budgetary and time constraints, she suggests that it might be more effective to split Kingdom Fungi into several smaller taxonomic working groups. All those wishing to assume the helm (or helms) are encouraged to contact Lorelei (lorelei@teleport.com) as soon as possible so as to facilitate a smooth transition.

Carolyn Shearer sampled various aquatic habitats as she passed through the Park on her way to Gatlinburg, where she represented (with Jim Johnson and Anathea Brooks) the Fungal TWIG at the December 1999 DLIA science meeting. The photo shows Helicoma perelegans, one of the fungi Dr Shearer isolated from submerged wood.
 
 

Protocols for An All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory of Fungi is now available on the web -- A standard set of techniques for sampling and isolating all species of fungi was developed by a group of expert mycologists, and published. These constitute a recommended strategy for sampling all species of fungi in a large, terrestrial area that includes several distinct habitats. This work is essentially a how-to manual for those who need to isolate and study fungi from nature. With permission of the publisher, this book is now available on the Web at <http://nt.ars-grin.gov. In addition, when purchased through the MSA, a hard copy of the book is available at a reduced rate along with other mycological books by this publisher.

Rossman, AY; Tulloss, RE; O’Dell, TE; Thorn, RG. 1998. Protocols for an All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory of Fungi in a Costa Rican Conservation Area. Parkway Publishers, Boone, NC. 195 pp.

Farr, DF; Esteban, HB; Palm, ME. 1996. Fungi on Rhododendron: A World Reference. Parkway Publishers, Boone, NC. 192 pp.

Palm, ME; Chapela, IH (eds). 1997. Mycology in Sustainable Development: Expanding Concepts, Vanishing Borders. Parkway Publishers, Boone, NC. 305 pp.

$15 for one book, $25 for two, $35 for all three including postage and handling. Please send checks and addresses to Jeff Stone, MSA Treasurer, Dept. of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331. VISA and Mastercard payments can also be accepted by Jeff; include your account number and expiration date with your order.
 
 

Three international Fusarium experts (Australia’s Lester Burgess, South Africa’sWalter Marasas, and America’s John Leslie) will lead this workshop June 11-16, 2000 at Kansas State in Manhattan Kansas. Participants will be introduced to standard morphological and genetic techniques used to identify and characterize strains of Fusarium. Particpants will learn to use morphological characters to identify the most common species and how to make tests for vgetative compatibility groups and cross-fertility. More than half of the time will be spent in the laboratory, working with standard strains. Students may bring some of their own strains. Accommodations: Campus housing and all meals will be available for the week at $183.75. Hotel information can be obtained online (www.dce.ksu.edu) or by calling 1.800.528.4748. Registration: To register, Phone 785.532.5569, FAX 785.532.5637, or register online (www.dce.ksu.edu). Registration after May 12 is on a space-available basis only. Fees: The course registration fee of $600 includes all course materials, handouts, lab supplies, a Certificate of Participation, and refreshment breaks each day. Additional Information: Call the Conference Registration Office at 785.532.5569 or 800.432.8222 for registration information. For information about the course, contact John F Leslie at 785.532.1363 or (jfl@plantpath.ksu.edu).
 
 

July 13-16, 2000. The Minnesota Mycological Society will host a regional foray and workshop at St. John's University in Collegeville MN. This is a NAMA (North American Mycological Association) assisted event. St. John’s is located approximately 75 miles northwest of the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. Dr. Walt Sundberg of Southern Illinois University and Dr. Tom Volk of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will be foray mycologists. The foray will consist of collecting in the morning, identification in the afternoon, and lectures in the evening. See (http://www.wisc.edu/botany/fungi/stjohns.html) for more information.
 
 

Tom Volk will be teaching a 3-day workshop on basidiomycete identification and ecology at the Humboldt Field Research Institute, Eagle Hill, Maine from August 6-10, 2000 (the weekend after the MSA meeting in Vermont). It's a beautiful location to learn more about identifying mushrooms, polypores, and other basidiomycetes. See (http://maine.maine.edu/~eaglhill/) for information on this and other Eagle Hill Workshops or see Tom Volk's Webpage (http://www.wisc.edu/botany/fungi/volkmyco.html) for more information.
 
 

The 20^th annual Telluride Mushroom Conference will be held August 24-27, 2000 in Telluride, Colorado. The Conference is designed for those interested in mushroom identification (edible, poisonous, psychoactive) and cultivation. Dr Alexander Shulgin, chemist, pharmacologist, and author of Pihkal,will address a plenary session on psychedelic mushrooms and Satit thaethatgoon, President of the Bangkok Mushroom Center, will talk on Buddhism and the Art of Mushroom Cultivation. Courses will be conducted on mushroom identification (Gary Lincoff, author of the Audubon Field Guide to North American Mushrooms), cultivation (Paul Stamets, author of Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms), health (Dr Andrew Weil, author of Spontaneous Healing), growing mushrooms on straw (John Corbin, cultivation specialist), Rocky Mountain Mushrooms (Dr Linnea Gillman, Past President of the Colorado Mycological Society), and poison mushrooms (Dr Emanuel Salzman, Co-editor of Mushroom Poisoning). Telluride is an historic mining town on the western slope of the Rocky Mountain Continental Divide. Daily forays will be led into the nearby forests generally productive of a wide variety of wild mushrooms, particularly edible species. Contact Fungophile via snail mail PO Box 480503, Denver, CO 80248-0503 or Phone 303.296.9359 FAX 303.297.1026 (lodomyco@uswst.net).
 
 

The 2000 workshop, Introduction to the Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of Michigan, will be held at the Ford Forestry Center in L'Anse Michigan in the Upper Peninsula from September 8-10, 2000. This workshop will provide opportunities for lecture, laboratory, and field experience in the recognition, collection, and identification, and handling of some of Michigan’s abundant edible, as well as poisonous, mushrooms. The workshop is scheduled during Michigan’s peak fall mushroom-hunting season. The experience is planned to accommodate beginners and more advanced participants alike. Call the Ford Forestry Center at 906.524.6181 or see Tom Volk's Web Page (http://www.wisc.edu/botany/fungi/volkmyco.html) for more information.
 
 

Planning is underway for next year’s international sympositum entitled "Fungal Metabolites: the Good, the Bad and the Deadly", scheduled for April 22-27, 2001 at the University of Wales in Swansea (UK).

This five-day International Symposium sponsored by the British Mycological Society will cover the whole range of activities of bioactive fungal metabolites and will address the problems and opportunities associated with these compounds.

Fungal metabolites have been used to develop several important medical and agrochemical agents, and continue to be investigated as a source of lead compounds in these industries. Strategies for the successful detection and exploitation of bioactive lead compounds will be examined. Some metabolites also have negative effects, particularly in relation to contamination of food raw materials. The ecology, production and control of mycotoxins will also be addressed in this Symposium.

The meeting will also assess whether metabolites produced by fungal biological control agents pose a risk to human and animal health and will include a review of measures to detect and/or prevent toxic fungal metabolites entering the food chain.

This timely conference will be of considerable interest to scientists, representatives of industry and government health, food and environmental services. A network discussion workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to identify new partners for collaborative research to more fully exploit the potential of bioactive metabolites from fungi.

Sessions include: *Overview; *Fungi as a source of novel bioactive compounds; Tools and methods to study fungal metabolites; Optimising the production of Bioactive Metabolites; Mycotoxins.; Risk assessment for Fungal Biological Control Agents; and Network discussions.

For further information please contact: Dr. Tariq M Butt, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1792 295374 Fax: +44 (0)1792 295447 Email: T.Butt@swansea.ac.uk
 
 

In this issue we review "Genera of Bionectriaceae, Hypocreaceae and Nectriaceae (Hypocreales, Ascomycetes)" by AY Rossman, GJ Samuels, CT Rogerson, and R Lowen, feature books received from February through April 2000, and list previously featured books received since November 1998. PLEASE send all requests to write reviews to the book review editor only (YZJOZ@TTACS.TTU. EDU), and I will accommodate your requests as best and as soon as possible. –John Zak, BOOK REVIEW EDITOR
 
 
 

Genera of Bionectriaceae, Hypocreaceae and Nectriaceae (Hypocreales, Ascomycetes ) (Studies in Mycology 42). 1999. AY Rossman, GJ Samuels, CT Rogerson, and R Lowen. Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Baarn/Delft, The Netherlands, 248 p. Price: Hfl.95.

This book represents a modern reassessment of the genera of Hypocreales based on examination of many specimens, including types for most genera, and cultures using standardized procedures. It replaces CT Rogerson’s fine treatment published nearly 30 years ago. After appropriate introductory material, three of the five recognized families—Bionectriaceae, Hypocreaceae, and Nectriaceae—are considered in detail; the Clavicipitaceae and Niessliaceae are largely omitted from the treatment. The treated families include 56 genera. Although the families are keyed out using morphological criteria, they largely correspond to three major phylogenetic clades published earlier by Rehner and Samuels. Keys are presented to the genera of each family. In some cases, keys are presented to species. For example, Nectria has been reduced to 27 species (at least 800 Nectria names are extant) and a key, as well as descriptions and/or notes on the species, is given. Likewise, the large genus Cosmospora, which contains inhabitants of xylariaceous stromata formerly placed in Nectria and many others, is treated in detail. On the other hand, the species of neither Hypocrea nor Hypomyces are treated, but references are given to pertinent literature. Abundant photomicrographs and drawings are included to represent and clarify various morphological features. Two full-color plates illustrate some of the diversity of these beautiful fungi. A highly useful treatment of excluded genera is given, including, in many cases, descriptions and indications of taxonomic placement.

The book is attractively done in the blue-orange-white style of modern "Studies in Mycology." The paper is high-gloss, quality stock. The text seems essentially error free. This book is a tribute to the authors, all leaders in biological and systematic investigations of hypocreaceous fungi. Its high quality is likewise owing to the editorial expertise of Walter Gams and to the printer.

Every mycologist dealing with pyrenomycetes or teaching advanced students should have easy access to this book. Because many of the fungi included are plant pathogens—often encountered in their anamorphic states—this book will prove useful to most plant pathologists, and will be indispensable to many.
 
 
 

books and publications received february through april 2000

Armillaria Root Rot: Biology and Control of Honey Fungus. 2000. RT Fox (ed). Intercept Limited, PO Box 716, Andover Hants, SP10 1YG, UK, intercept@andover.co.uk, or Lavoisier Publishing Inc., c/o Springer Verlag Customer Service, PO Box 2485, Secaucus, NJ 07096, orders@springer-ny.com, 240 p. Price: 47.50GBP and $88US. Book requested from the publisher.

Gasteromycetes, I. Lycoperdales, Nidulariales, Phallales, Sclerodermatales, Tulostomatales. 1998. F D Calonge. Vol 3 Flora Mycologica Iberica, J Cramer. Distributor: E. Schweizertbart"sche Verlagsbuchhandlung (Nagele u. Obermiller), Johannesstr.3A, D-70176, Stuttgart, Germany, or Balogh Scientific Books, 1911 North Duncan Road, Champaign, IL 61821. 272 p. Price: 140DM. Book requested from publisher.

Laboulbeniales, I. Laboulbenia. 1998. S Santamaria. Vol. 4. Flora Mycologica Iberica, J Cramer. Distributor: E. Schweizertbart"sche Verlagsbuchhandlung (Nagele u. Obermiller), Johannesstr.3A, D-70176, Stuttgart, Germany, or Balogh Scientific Books, 1911 North Duncan Road, Champaign, IL 61821. 187p. Price: 120DM. Book requested from publisher.

Microbial Endophytes. 2000. CW Bacon and JF White, Jr (eds). Marcel Dekker, Inc, New York. 487 p. Review needed.

Myxomycetes: A Handbook of Slime Molds, paperback edition, 2000. SS Stephenson and H Stempen. Timber Press, Inc, 133 SW Second Avenue, Suite 450, Portland OR 97204, mail@timberpress.com, 183 p. Price: $19.95. Review needed.

previously listed books from november 1999
 
 

Colored Illustrations of the Ganodermataceae and Other Fungi. 1997. W Xingliang and Z Mu (eds). 350 p. Price: $67US (surface). Mail order to: Huayu Center for Environmental Information Services, PO Box 4088, Beijing 100001, P.R. China. Fax order: +86-10-68575909; Email order: Please send order to the following two addresses, respectively: hceis@public3.bta.net.cn or hceis@mx.cei.gov.cn. Payment: check, bank transfer or international money order on receipt of book. Book requested from publisher.

Colored Illustrations of Macrofungi (Mushrooms) of China. (Chinese edition with Latin names) 1998. H Nian Lai (ed). 336 p. Price: $110US (surface), $130US (airmail). Mail order to: Huayu Center for Environmental Information Services, PO Box 4088, Beijing 100001, P.R. China. Fax order: +86-10-68575909; Email order: Please send order to the following two addresses, respectively: hceis@public3.bta.net.cn or hceis@mx.cei.gov.cn. Payment: check, bank transfer or international money order on receipt of book. Book requested from publisher.

Current Advances in Mycorrhizae Research. 2000. GK Podilla and DD Douds, Jr (eds). APS Press, 3340 Pilot Knob Road, St. Paul, MN 55121, 214 p. Price: $38, aps@sisoc.org. Book requested from publisher.

Forest Mushrooms of China (Chinese edition with Latin names). 1997. LP Shao and CT Xiang (eds). 652 p. Price: $127US (surface), $145US (airmail). Mail order to: Huayu Center for Environmental Information Services, PO Box 4088, Beijing 100001, P.R. China. Fax order: +86-10-68575909; Email order: Please send order to the following two addresses, respectively: hceis@public3.bta.net.cn or hceis@mx.cei.gov.cn. Payment: check, bank transfer or international money order on receipt of book. Book requested from publisher.

From Ethnomycology to Fungal Biotechnology: Exploiting Fungi from Natural Resources for Novel Products. 1999. J Singh and KR Aneja (eds). Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 233 Spring Street, New York NY. 292 p. Review needed.

Genera of Bionnectriaceae, Hypocreaceae and Nectriaceae (Hypocreales, Ascomycetes) (Studies in Mycology No 42). 1999. AY Rossman, GJ Samuels, CT Rogerson, R Lowen. Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Baarn/Delft, The Netherlands. 248 p. Price: Hfl.95. Review in this issue.

Icones of Medicinal Fungi From China. 1987, English Edition, Y. Jianzhe (ed), 611 p. Price: $122US (surface) $148US (airmail). Mail order to: Huayu Center for Environmental Information Services, PO Box 4088, Beijing 100001, P.R. China. Fax order: +86-10-68575909; Email order: Please send order to the following two addresses, respectively: hceis@public3.bta.net.cn or hceis@mx.cei.gov.cn. Payment: check, bank transfer or international money order on receipt of book. Book requested from publisher.

Molecular Fungal Biology. 1999. RP Oliver and M Schweizer (eds). Cambridge University Press, The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK. 377 p. Review needed.

A Monograph of the Genus Pezicula and its Anamorphs. 1999. GJ Verkley. (Studies in Mycology 44.) Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Baarn/Delft, The Netherlands. 180 p. Price: Hfl.85. Review needed.

Septoria on Cereals: A Study of Pathosystems. 1999. JA Lucus, P Bowyer and MH Anderson (eds). CABI Publishing, 10 E 40^th St, Suite 3203, New York, NY, 353 p. cabi-noa@cabi.org. Price: $100US. Review needed.

OF RELATED INTEREST....

China Biodiversity: A Country Study, English Edition, 1998. Organized by State Environmental Protection Administration, 476 p. Price: $78US (surface), $93US (airmail). Mail order to: Huayu Center for Environmental Information Services, PO Box 4088, Beijing 100001, P.R. China. Fax order: +86-10-68575909 Email order: Please send order to the following two addresses, respectively: hceis@public3.bta.net.cn or hceis@mx.cei.gov.cn. Payment: check, bank transfer or international money order on receipt of book. Book requested from publisher.

China's National Report on Implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, English Edition. 1998. Published by the National Environmental Protection Agency of China 140 p. Price: $39US (surface), $45US (airmail). Order to: Huayu Center for Environmental Information Services, PO Box 4088, Beijing 100001, P.R. China. Fax Order: +86-10-68575909; Email order: Please send order to the following two addresses, respectively: hceis@public3.bta.net.cn or hceis@mx.cei.gov.cn. Payment: check, bank transfer or international money on receipt of book. Book requested from publisher.

Microbes and Man, 4^th Edition. 2000. J Postgate, Cambridge University Press, The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK. 373 p. Price: $19.95US.
 
 
 

Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Inc., has another opening for a full-time Mycologist/Analyst in their laboratory located in the San Francisco, CA, area. Environmental Microbiology Laboratory is a rapidly growing company that provides competitive wages, rewards employees with merit and profit-sharing bonuses, has a 401k plan, provides health benfits, has generous holiday/sick/vacation time, and is close to public transportation. It is a recognized leader in bioaerosol and microbial analysis and specializes in the analysis of surface and air samples for fungi. For more information about the company, see http://www.emlab.com. The primary responsibility of the position will be to analyze air, surface, tape, and bulk samples by microscopy for fungi, and, in some cases, bacteria. Air sample analysis includes analysis of both culturable (Andersen) and non-culturable samples (spore traps such as Burkard, Allergenco, and Zefon Air-O-Cell). Ongoing training and education will be part of the position. Good bright field microscopy skills, good communication, the ability to work well with a team, strong organizational skills, and attention to details are important. A MS in Microbiology is preferred and experience recognizing environmental microfungi is very desirable. Please send your resume and the names of three references to Dave Gallup, Environmental Microbiology Laboratory, Inc, 1800 Sullivan Ave, Suite 209, Daly City, CA 94015. Phone 650.991.3436 FAX 650.991.2243 Email (dgallup@emlab.com). Applications will be considered until the position is filled.
 
 

Mold Testing and Identification Services. Identification and contamination control for Indoor Air Quality including Home and Building Mold Test Kits, Food Technology, Spawn Technology, Plant Diseases. ASTM & Mil-Spec testing for Aerospace, Controlled Environments and Environmental Engineering. 10% discount for Regular and Sustaining MSA members. Abbey Lane Laboratory, PO Box 1665, Philomath, OR 97370 USA 541.929.5984 (microbe@pioneer.net) (www.pioneer.net/~microbe/abbeylab.html). [Steven Carpenter]

Slime Molds I, II, III. These three historic films have been collected on one video, running about 65 minutes. The color films were prepared by James Koevenig in 1961 under the direction of CJ Alexopoulos, GW Martin and RT Porter. The video features live-action and time-lapse photography, photomicrography, and animation, and teaches about the fascinating world of the myxomycetes. Tapes will be prepared as individual orders are received, so allow extra time. Cost per tape is $29.95 plus $5 shipping & handling ($7 overseas). Send check or money order -- payable to NAMA [North American Mycological Association] – to Dean Abel, Biological Sciences, 138 BB, University of Iowa, Iowa City IA 52242. Note: The regular tape is in NTSC format for North America, but is available in SECAM (France and others) or PAL (Spain, Germany and others) by special order. Specify the required format and send $46.95 (shipping included) to Dean Abel at the above address.
 
 

Mycologue Publications, 8727 Lochside Drive, Sidney, BC V8L 1M8, Canada, proudly announces version 1.07 of its CD-ROM version of the widely used textbook, The Fifth Kingdom. This unique CD-ROM, the only one to cover all aspects of mycology, is especially suitable for teaching, since it contains the full, updated text of the book (24 chapters), plus well over 1,000 colour illustrations, instructional animations, and video segments, covering every aspect of mycology, from detailed treatments of the systematics of all major groups through dispersal, physiology, genetics, ecology, plant pathology, fungicides, biocontrol, fungi as predators, fungi as mutualistic symbionts with animals and plants, fungi as food and in food processing, fungi in food spoilage and contamination with toxins, poisonous and hallucinogenic mushrooms, medical mycology and exploitation of fungi. There is extensive cross-indexing among chapters and glossary. Hotlinks connect the table of contents with chapters, and chapter headings with sections, as well as unfamiliar terms with the glossary. As a bonus, the CD-ROM contains a free version of Matchmaker, a visual basic mushroom database and synoptic identification key with almost 2,000 descriptions and 1700 illustrations of macroscopic fungi. For more information visit the Mycologue web site at www.pacificcoast.net/~mycolog.

Marine Mycology - A Practical Approach, edited by Kevin Hyde & Stephen Pointing of The University of Hong Kong, has recently been published. More information (including online order capabilities) is available at (http://www.hku.hk./ecology/mycology/booksale).
 
 

Carley Davidson, a graduate student at the University of Delaware, is in need of isolates of Phytophthora phaseoli, as part of her masters research project on race characterization of P. phaseoli. If anyone has cultures they are willing to donate, please contact Carley at the University of Delaware, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, 147 Townsend Hall, Newark DE 19717-1303 USA, Phone 302.831.2548 Email (carleyd@udel.edu).
 
 

CORTBASE - A nomenclatural database of corticioid fungi (Hymenomycetes) by Erast Parmasto (Institute of Zoology & Botany, 181 Riia St., EE 2400 Tartu, Estonia)

A nomenclatural database of corticioid fungi, built up by Parmasto, has now been released in an updated version, 1.3. The database covers species in Corticiaceae s.l. and related hymenomycetes and their basionyms, synonyms, taxonomically correct names, data on usage, and evaluation of nomenclatural status have been compiled. The data retrieval program enables data to be viewed on screen, written to a text file or from a printer; it is available as freeware. The present version comprises 7875 names that were published before December 1999.

To make the database usable for taxonomists, a data retrieval (searching) program was written in Clipper language that makes the database autonomous, and no other program is needed for its use. Together with the index files it is about 7 MB, but less than 1 MB when compressed. It may be used on any IBM PC-compatible (DOS) personal computer that has 512 KB or more of free RAM and DOS 3.3 or higher systems. The database can be downloaded from the above URL managed by Henrik Nilsson & Nils Hallenberg, Botanical Institute, University of Göteborg
 
 

Mycologists Online, the worldwide directory of mycologists, lichenologists, editors of mycological journals, herbaria/collections, and societies has finally found its permanent home at the above address. All new entries and/or updates should be sent to Pavel Lizon (botupali@savba.sk) or Erast Parmasto (e.parmasto@zbi.ee).

Text
 
 

Armando Lopez Ramirez, in collaboration with his colleague Professor M-C Juventino Barcia Alvarado at the Institute of Forest Genetics at the University of Veracruz (Xalapa, MX) devotes his web page to phallales, fungal biodiversity, and oyster mushroom cultivation. Text is in Spanish.
 
 

7th International Symposium on Microbiology (50-6)

American Botanical Lit Index (50-2)

Asociacion Latinoamericana de Micologia (50-3)

Basidiomycetes of the Greater Antilles (50-3)

Butterflies of the Soil (50-4)

CABI Nomenclature Database (51-2)

Carver Fungal Collections (51-2)

Cornell Plant Pathology Herbarium (51-3)

Cortbase

Discover Life in America (Smokies ATBI) (50-4)

Erie (50-5)

Exsiccati at the NYBG (50-6)

Farlow at Harvard (50-4)

Fungi of the Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve (50-6)

(Fully) Illustrated Fifth Kingdom (50-4)

Genealogy of North American Mycologists (51-1)

ICOM3 (51-2)

IMC7 (50-3)

Inoculum (51-2)

Michigan Fungus Collections (51-2)

MycoInfo, "the world’s first mycological E-journal" (51-1)

Mycologists Online (51-3)

Mycologue Publications (51-3)

NAMA Poison Case Registry (50-4)

Nomenclature: IAPT Committee for Fungi

Nomenclature in the 21st Century (50-4)

NYBG Fungus Herbarium (51-2)

Pleurotus Intersterility groups (50-4)

RIAM — Revista Iberoamericana de Micologia (Subscription) (51-2)
 

*Tropical Fungi (Phallales/biodiversity – in spanish) (51-3)

US National Fungus Collections (50-3)

University of Tennessee Mycology Group (50-4)

University of Alberta Microfungus Collection and Herbarium (50-6)

WEB MSA (51-2)

2000 (May 15-19). 15th International Congress of the ISMS (International Society of Mushroom Science).
 
 
 

2000 (May 19). LA Public Health Lab: "Nipping yeast diseases in the bud: identification, susceptibility testing and relevant case studies."

DETAILS Inoculum 51(2).
 
 
 

2000 (June 8-11). NAMA 2000. North American Mycological Association Annual Foray. Drs William Cibula & Clark Ovrebo, Guest Mycologists.
 
 
 

2000 (June 11-16). Fusarium Laboratory Workshop. Drs Walter Marasas & Lester Burgess, instructors.

DETAILS Inoculum 51(3).
 
 
 

2000 (July 9-14) Asian Mycological Congress, University of Hong Kong.
 
 
 

2000 (July 10-22). Highlands Biological Station Workshop: Fleshy Fungi of the Highlands Plateau.

DETAILS Inoculum 51(2).
 
 
 

2000 (July 13-16). Minnesota Mycological Society regional foray. Drs Walt Sundberg (SIU) & Tom Volk (UW-LC) guest mycologists.
 
 
 

2000 (July 29-August 3). Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of America.

DETAILS Inoculum 51(1).
 
 
 

2000 (August 2-4). 1st Latin American Symposium of Edible Mushroom Cultivation [Stage 2] .

DETAILS Inoculum 51(2).
 
 
 

2000 (August 6-10). Basidiomycete Identification and Ecology Workshop, Dr Tom Volk, instructor.

DETAILS Inoculum 51(3).
 
 
 

2000 (August 6-11). Leelanu Center for Education Workshop: Mushrooms of the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

DETAILS Inoculum 51(2).
 
 
 

2000 (August 13-19). The 7th International Symposium on the Microbiology of the Aerial Plant Surfaces.

DETAILS Inoculum 50(5).
 
 
 

2000 (August 13-19). 3rd International Congress on Symbiosis (TICS).

DETAILS Inoculum 50(3):23.
 
 
 

2000 (August 17-20). 3rd International Symposium on Rhizoctonia. (ISR2000)

DETAILS Inoculum 50(6).
 
 
 

2000 (August 24-27). 20^th Annual Telluride Mushroom Conference.

DETAILS Inoculum 51(3).
 
 
 

2000 (September 8-10). Introduction to the Edible & Poisonous Mushrooms of Michigan,

DETAILS Inoculum 51(3).
 
 
 

2000 (October 2-4). VII National Mycological Congress.

First announcement.
 
 
 

2001 (April 22-27). BMS International Symposium "Fungal Metabolites: the Good, the Bad and the Deadly."

DETAILS Inoculum 51(3) [this issue].
 
 
 

2001 (July 7-12). 8th International Marine & Freshwater Mycology Symposium.

First announcement.
 
 
 

2001 (July 8-13). 3rd International Congress on Mycorrhizae (ICOM 3).
 
 
 

2002 (August). International Mycological Congress (IMC 7).