Fungimap Newsletter Issue 11 December 1999
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Fungimap Newsletter Issue 11 December 1999 | |
When the concept of Fungimap was first raised in 1994 one of the questions I asked at that time was how many records would be required to establish a mapping scheme. Tom May replied that he thought that 5,000 would probably be enough.
At the time I gave a commitment to Fungimap and resolved to assist until we had 100 targets with 5,000 records.
I never thought in 1994 that I would be undertaking this role from the little hamlet of Wandiligong in North East Victoria.
Fungimap now has funding from the Ian Potter Foundation, a soundly established database and a solid reputation. It is a good time for the scheme to enter the next phase under a new Executive Officer or other structure.
While it is now recognised that more than the 5,000 records are required for a thorough database, this is still a major achievement.
The Project is going well and would benefit from an Executive Officer in closer proximity to the 'action'.
As such this will be my last newsletter and from the end of December or January, a new person will be appointed.
I have been involved in the creation of a number of new activities in Victoria over the last twenty years. Most of these were in the mental health field. The Fungimap project however was something quite different for me and one which I think will have a long term benefit to the community.
There are several important issues that the project has to wisely consider to maintain its momentum.
It now needs Government funding, specifically Commonwealth funding. I doubt that rationality of the bureaucracy and that logic alone will lead to such funds. As such I believe a strong political campaign is required if it is to get significant funding.
The main strength of Fungimap is its volunteer base. The volunteers need to continue to be valued. The new national structure with regional co-ordinators will aid this considerably. The volunteers are Fungimap. Without them, there would be few records.
The project now has approximately 400 volunteers.
One of the strengths of Fungimap has been that it charges no membership fee. All volunteers have received this newsletter free of charge and I hope this continues.
I know that Fungimap will continue to grow. I look forward to watching it develop, to contributing records from N.E. Victoria and to leading the occasional Mt Buffalo Fungimap field trip.
Cheerio,
John Julian
Back to Table of ContentsThe Australian Fungi Mapping Scheme is a volunteer group working in close conjunction with professional mycologists. It undertakes the Fungimap project as well as carrying out field research of specific areas each year. In the last few years field expeditions occurred to Mt Buffalo and Wilson's Promontory National Parks.
In the Fungimap project, 100 target species have now been selected and volunteers have been searching for 50 of these species for nearly 3 years, with 2,600 records received to date. Volunteers are able to identify 54 of the species from photographs in readily available texts, predominantly Bruce Fuhrer's A Field Guide to Australian Fungi. For further project information you can contact your Fungimap State Coordinator, or send an email to fungimap@rbgmelb.org.au
Back to Table of ContentsFor each record, please record the following information: Name of target species / State / General region / Locality / Grid Reference (latitude/longitude, AMG or MELWAY) / Date / Recorder's name / Habitat and substrate. Send all records to: Fungimap, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Birdwood Ave, !South Yarra, 3141.
Back to Table of ContentsHello, I thought that it was about time that I introduced myself to all of you wonderful Fungimap volunteers. I hope that you'll forgive my informality; this first communique will be a little more casual that those I'll write in order to update you as my project progresses.
Tom introduced me in the last newsletter as the person conducting a preliminary analysis of your data. I am an honours student with the Burnley Campus of the Institute of Land and Food Resources (the old Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture Faculty), The University of Melbourne. I have two supervisors, one of whom you will of course be familiar with, as he is Tom May. My college supervisor is Dr Cassandra McLean who works as a senior lecturer in plant physiology on the staff of the Burnley Campus. Cas studies micro-fungal associations of the Australian Epacridaceae and Orchidaceae.
Using various datasets of records, i.e. Fungimap, literature and herbarium data for the initial target species, I aim to investigate some of the factors influencing distribution - at least at the broad scale. This will involve:
Compilation of locality records for each of the eight target species.
Literature review for each species to include a scan for locality details.
Comparison with data from specimens in Australian and international mycological herbaria (eg: Kew, International Mycological Institute, and New York).
Bioclimatic mapping.
Species' locality prediction with field work for on ground confirmation of distribution predictions.
Determination of factors influencing distribution.
The bioclimatic mapping will be conducted using BIOCLIM, which is a program developed in the '80s at ANU to determine distributions and bioclimatic profiles for vertebrate and invertebrate organisms, and vascular plants. The computer program requires latitude, longitude and altitude for each locality at which a species has been located (which is why we have put out a special request to ask you to record altitude for your records). It analyses the locality's climatic characteristics and produces a profile of the climate at each locality. A part of the program includes a predictive element, which matches the locality's climate profile with other sites in Australia to determine an organism's potential range or localities that are favourable for the growth of the organism.
There are of course a number of questions that immediately spring to mind, e.g.
· What is the distribution of each target species?
· What is the minimum data set required to predict the actual distribution, and over what range does this dataset need to extend to determine actual limits?
What macroclimatic values appear to delimit ranges?
· Which macro-meteorological factors bring about the onset of fruiting?
And oh so many more questions, aside from an almost infinite number of factors that influence or determine a species' range, but it is a beginning. Of course this will only be a first pass analysis using your data along with other data sets, but it is very novel and represents work which may help to unravel the distribution of Australian macrofungi, a subject about which so very little is known. I have already conducted three preliminary studies using your data, and they have displayed the utility of this sort of distribution analysis and prediction. The update regarding Mycena interrupta in this newsletter is one such study.
Already, Tom, Pat and I have made amendments to the structure of the Fungimap database, which now enables direct transfer of herbarium data into the database. So things are moving....
Before I close, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the volunteers for your effort, time and passion in helping to compile what is a very special data base of information. I look forward to presenting you with updates on my work as the months pass.
Jenny Tonkin, c/o Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
Back to Table of ContentsA volunteer is required to assist with Fungimap at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
We need some one to help Pat Grey with updating the volunteer data base, replies to new enquires, mail sorting, assisting with the records data base from time to time, etc Knowledge of Excel would be beneficial and to commence on a Friday in first two months. Half day to 1 day a week
Please contact Pat or Tom at the Royal Botanic Gardens (9252 2319).
Back to Table of ContentsThe relationship of climate to the distribution of plants is well documented (Nix, 1981; Grace, 1987; Woodward, 1987). Climate may be considered to set the very broad limits, while other factors such as geology, soils, and competition will determine the presence or absence of a species in a particular area. Accepting that climate usually limits the range of a species, analysing the climatic profile can often indicate why a species exists where it does (Grace, 1987). A knowledge of the climatic limits of a species can also be used to predict areas where a species might be expected, especially where comprehensive distribution data are not available.
Factors affecting macrofungal distribution have not been intensively investigated, especially in Australia. One problem when dealing with fungi, is that the absence of records for a species from an area may not necessarily infer the species' absence from that area. This poses a problem when analysing data for macrofungal distribution in that presence-only data are the most common form of data available and, of course, this is the data type that is recorded in the Fungimap project. As a consequence, distribution analysis of macrofungi is limited to those techniques that are able to cope with presence-only data. The BIOCLIM program is one of the modelling programs that can be used for such data and because of its modest data requirements, has been chosen to run a climatic analysis of the Fungimap data.
BIOCLIM is based on the premise that bioclimatic parameters derived from mean monthly climate estimates are appropriate surrogates for the energy and water balances at a specified locality (Nix 1986) which are the factors that will directly affect an organism's growth. BIOCLIM estimates climatic variables at any point on the landscape (mainland Australia and Tasmania) for which longitude, latitude, and elevation are provided. This allows estimation of mean monthly maxima and minima for temperature and precipitation at any given locality. The program analyses the locality's climatic characteristics and produces a profile of the climate at each locality. The predictive element of the program is achieved by matching locations that experience similar climatic conditions in Australia (homoclimes) to determine a species' potential range. Further details on BIOCLIM can be found at the website for the Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies (CRES): <http://cres20.anu.edu.au>
For Australian macrofungi, a few studies have used climatic variables to investigate the distribution of a fungus on a broad or regional scale using programs such as BIOCLIM or similar programs (Young, 1996). To further test the utility of BIOCLIM for investigating the distribution of Australian macrofungi, an initial analysis was conducted using the Fungimap records of Mycena interrupta received to the end of June 1999. Of the 199 records, only nine records were furnished with altitude by the recorders Due to the time-consuming nature of establishing altitude, only these nine sites were used as the test set in the BIOCLIM analysis. The altitudes for the remaining 190 records will need to determined at a later date from examination of relevant maps. The BIOCLIM analysis was for south-eastern Australia as the particular data package used contained only information for Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria (and not Tasmania).
Figure 1 displays the test set of nine localities that were used in the analysis, the complete dataset (i.e. records for which altitude was not recorded), and the predicted localities from the BIOCLIM analysis. Within the general area encompassed by the nine localities in the test set, the predicted locations are a good match to the distribution as currently known from the full set of Fungimap records with some interesting exceptions.
A major area of distribution is predicted for the central highlands of Victoria (A) with three of the test sites falling within this area. Numerous other Fungimap records fall within this area, their distribution coinciding remarkably well with the predicted area, with only a few Fungimap records falling to the west of the predicted area (A). In addition known disjunct occurrences in the Otway Ranges (J), far East Gippsland (I), west Gippsland (C) and Wilsons Promontory (D) were predicted using BIOCLIM, the last two areas being predicted in the absence of records included within the test
Predicted areas of distribution for which no Fungimap records are currently known are also of interest. Three disjunct areas in the Great Dividing Range of north-east Victoria (E,F,G) indicate possible occurrence of the species. The Strzelecki Ranges (B) have also been predicted as an area suitable for the occurrence of M. interrupta but as yet no records have been received for this area. Absence of Fungimap records may mean that the species does not exist in an area, but can also be a result of no recorders in an area, or perhaps that during the fruiting period (the greatest flush during May through to August) the areas indicated are rarely visited because of uncongenial weather conditions.
BIOCLIM has not predicted M. interrupta to occur in a number of regions where in fact the species is already known as a result of the activity of Fungimap recorders. For example, BIOCLIM does not predict the species to occur on the Mornington Peninsula (K) and nor does it predict known occurrences in most of the western half of Victoria (e.g. Grampians - L) or in south-east New South Wales (M) or South Australia (N). This result underlines the importance of having records that represent the full extent of occurrence (or at least data representative of the full climatic tolerance of the species) in order to predict the full range of distribution. Remember, the test set used for analysis consisted of only nine records and was relatively restricted in its spread.
Another feature of this kind of analysis is the possibility of detecting erroneous records - of which it is reasonable to expect a low level (in the order of 1 %) - due either to misidentification, or to errors in recording or data entry of latitude/longitude. The easiest to detect are those showing up on the map as in the sea (e.g. site P) and as outliers. Site O is likely to be an error since it lies within a much drier region in comparison to the rest of the distribution. However, outliers should not automatically be discarded since the occurrence in Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia (N) is well-verified and will prove critical in determining the overall climatic envelope of the species.
It will be interesting to see whether the sites indicated on Figure 1 as suitable for the occurrence of M. interrupta can be validated by future Fungimap records. Another area of particular interest is the area in Victoria between Moe and Bairnsdale and to the north. There are no Fungimap records from this area at present, and nor does the current BIOCLIM analysis predict the species' occurrence. Nevertheless, vegetation and climate would appear to be suitable for M interrupta in this area, at least in part.
The present analysis shows the utility of BIOCLIM for investigating distribution. Future analyses will provide more extensive results for a range of species and will use the complete BIOCLIM dataset for Australia, and will be based on the total set of Fungimap records for each species.
References
Grace, J. (1987). Climatic tolerance and the distribution of plants. New Phytologist 106 (Suppl.): 113-170.
Nix, H.A. (1981). The environment of Terra Australis. In 'Ecological biogeography of Australia'. (Ed. A. Keast.) pp 105-133. (Junk: The Hague.)
Nix, H.A. (1986). A biogeographic analysis of Australian Elapid Snakes. In 'Atlas of Australian Elapid Snakes'. (Ed. R. Longmore.) pp 4-15. Australia Flora and Fauna Series Number 7. (AGPS: Canberra.)
Woodward, F.I. (1987). 'Climate and plant distribution.' (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)
Young, T. (1996). Macrofungi and Climex: a computer programme with application for modelling species distributions. Australasian Mycological Newsletter 15: 30-34
Fig. 1. Distribution of Mycena interrupta in south-eastern Australia, showing comparison between test set, complete Fungimap set and sites predicted by BIOCLIM analysis.
Green - known sites from Fungimap
Red - test sites used in Bioclim analysis
Black - sites predicted from Bioclim analysis
Please note: Due to production difficulties, symbols referred to in the text are not shown on this map - see Newsletter for full map.
Back to Table of ContentsKath Alcock, Wendie Butt, Uni Carnegie, Pamela Catcheside (3 batches), Garry Cheers, Robin Corringham (2), Thelma Daniell, Julia Davis, John Eichler (5), Alwynne Fairweather, Cecily Falkingham, Cicily Fenton, Ron Fletcher, FNCV (2), Sharon Ford, Pat Grey (2), Merilyn Grey, Sheila Houghton, Virgil Hubregtse (2), Ewen Johnson, Patricia Jordan, Dave King, Joan F Kottek, Anne Lawrance, Heino Lepp (2), Simon Lewis, Jean Lightfoot, Ian McCann, Sapphire McMullan-Fisher (2), D W Meale, Dave Munro, David Ratkowsky, Rosemary Robb, David Robinson, Tom Sault (2), Nigel Sinnott (3), Margery Smith (3), Julie Strudwick, Sydney Fungal Studies Group (2, sent in by Joan Freere), Bon Thompson, Gary Watson. Lesley Wheeler.
Over this period we received 793 records.
Thanks go to the following recorders. Gwen Barnes (3 batches), Graham Bell, David Caldecott, Pamela Catcheside, Valerie Cudmore, Thelma Daniell, Julia Davis (2), Jane Dennithorne, Liz Dombrovskis, Cecily Falkingham, FNCV (King Lake with Bruce Fuhrer, Yarra Bend with Tom May, Doongalla Forest with Cecily Falkingham), Sharon Ford, Pat Grey, Nigel Hamond, R Hawkes, Virgil Hubregtse (2), Patricia Jordan, Joan F Kottek, Heino Lepp, Ron McArthur, Michael McBain, Sapphire McMullan-Fisher, Jean Miller, Nicole O'Connor, Julie Parker, Bob Paterson (2), Frederick J Renneberg, Elizabeth Sevior, Nigel Sinnott (3), Sydney Fungal SG (2, sent in by Joan Freere), Tom Verberne, Julia & Eldean Ward, Gary Watson, Di Williams (2).
A summary of records received to 28 May can be seen below.
Records received to end May 1999
Kath Alcock, Flora Anderson, Brian Andrews, Helen Aston, Quen Barnes (2 batches), Sue Bendall, Robert Bender (2), Des Bunworth, Ann Burchell, Pamela Catchside, Hugh Cockburn (2), David Coleby, Eileen Collins, Robin Corringham, Liz Dombrovskis, Donvale LLC, John Eichler (3), Cecily Falkingham, Shirley Fisher, Ron Fletcher, FNCV, Angus Forgan, Ade Foster, Genevieve Gates (2), Pat Grey, Richard Griffin, Sheila Houghton (2), Virgil Hubregtse (3), Patricia Jordan, Dave King, Joan F Kottek (2), Teresa Lebel, Heino Lepp (2), Simon & Emma Lewis, Dorothy Mahler (2), John May (2), Ron McArthur, Marie Mclntyre (2), J McLean, Dave Munro (3), Elwyn Pearson, Lois Prictor (3), David Ratkowsky, Bettye Rees, Frederick J Renneberg, Ringwood FNC, Rosemary Robb (2), Tom Sault, Nigel Sinnott (15), Margery Smith (2), Trisha Smith, Sydney Fungal SG (sent in by Joan Freere), Heidi & Heinz Vollmer, Neville Walsh, Gary Watson, Ray & Erica Watts, Eric Whiting, Jean Whyte, Di Williams (3).
By the end of September 1999 we had received 5167 records from 176 Recorders
The 5000th record was in Dorothy Mahler's batches.
Joan Freere sent in 3 batches (321 records) for the Sydney Fungal Studies Group. These are classed as literary records since they are cited in the Sydney Fungal Studies Group Newsletter. Graham Bell from the Adelaide Herbarium sent in 319 records from the Herbarium and these are classed as Herbarium records and include the Collectors name and Herbarium number. In July, Genevieve Gates sent in 453 sight records (written out by David Ratkowsky), from her sightings over the last year. All these gave a big boost to the record numbers.
Others that have sent in large batches include:-
David Munro (92), Heino Lepp (Herbarium records, 73), David Ratkowsky (56), Pat Grey (56), Nigel Sinnott (46), Virgil Hubregtse (48), Dorothy Mahler (44), Patricia Jordon (39), Di Williams (30), Shiela Houghton (28), John Eichler (27), Rosemary Robb (27), FNCV excursion to Kinglake (26), Cecily Falkingham (25), Teresa Lebel (24), Patricia Jordon (21), Donvale Living and Learning Centre (20), Sapphire McMullan-Fisher (20) and Gary Watson (20).
A great effort by those people.
These numbers quickly boost up the records, but I am just as pleased to receive one or two records regularly. Even if you have sent in the same species, from exactly the same place as the previous year and the one before that ad infinitum send it in again, - the information will be useful (if you see subsequent sightings of the species in the same place ie less than 1 km radius, or in the same habitat or same substrate indicate that a previous record has been sent in and the subsequent sighting will be added to the previous record info). Even if it is a very common fungus. Most of my batches have included numbers of Agaricus xanthodermus (Yellow Stainer), Coprinus comatus (Shaggy Ink Cap/Lawyers Wig), Gymnopilus pampeanus, Schi:ophyllum commune (Split Gill on wood), Bolbitius vitellinus (Yellow Cowpat Toadstool), all very common in the suburbs. These help to balance the bias of the records towards the records of the less suburban fungi.
I would just like to note that Nigel Sinnott has sent in 20 batches of fungi. This is the highest number of batches to date, but quite a number of our regular contributors are close behind.
It is always very exciting to receive fungi records, so keep them coming in.
We now have 449 persons on our mailing list, but only 176 have sent in records. Imagine how many records we could receive if everyone sent in at least 5 records per season. Would those people who have not sent in records please make the effort for this extremely worthwhile project.
Back to Table of ContentsThe FNCV excursion to Kinglake National Park with Bruce Fuhrer was the most productive fungal foray for Fungimap targets that I have ever attended. Twenty different Targets were seen, and some of these more than once. What a thrill it was, and I saw some that I had not seen before - Podoserpula pusio (Pink Pagoda) hiding in the litter under bracken, Pseudohydnum gelatinosum (Jelly Tongue) on a large damp log and Mycena austrororida- that elusive, white/bluish tinged glutinous Mycena - growing on a couple of logs. Over 20 pairs of eyes made this all possible.
Back to Table of ContentsDi Williams from Tarleton in N Tasmania met up with David Ratkowsky, the regional coordinator, and several other Fungimappers for a foray onto Mt Wellington. Di wrote to me about this, expressing exactly how one feels on going out with a 'real' mycologist for the first time:
"...One of the first specimens I recognised was DERM-OH-SIE-BEE OSTROVENETA, I didn't say anything, but felt very disappointed when David said 'Oh yes, it's a DEM-AS-A-BEE', in his Canadian drawl. After a few more DEM-AS-ABEES, I realised it was just pronunciation. Made me feel a bit better.
........ Genevieve started explaining about Entolomas .. 'Pink spore print' .... What actually is pink - I mean how pink, and when is pink, brown?............. We had lunch at Sphynx Rock - which gives a great view of Hobart - and it was an excellent day. By the time we returned to Fern Tree, Liz and I looked at each other and were finding difficulty in remembering our own names let alone those of any fungi!"
I know how she feels, and I also found that once I could recognise even one genus I was hooked, as Di was.
Back to Table of ContentsOf course, once hooked, there seems to be a plethora of interesting sidelines: Patricia Jordon (Bundanoon, NSW) sent in this letter accompanying her records.
"Schizophyllum commune 1/7/99 Morton NP, Bundanoon. National Parks and Wildlife Service, a few months' previously, had cleared a one-metre strip either side of the road, cutting down Banksia, Hakea, Isopogon, Eucalyptus, Lambertia and Acacia spp. They left the cut vegetation lying where it fell. Just recently I noticed what appeared to be rather a lot of Schizophyllum commune growing on the dead wood, so decided to do a survey of a short strip of road (2 km).
I expected to find samples on different species but on close examination, only found Schizophyllum on Hakea dactyloides --329 separate communities. I counted one community as found on one tree/shrub eg if 2 groups were growing on one tree, I counted this as one community. There was none growing on the Banksias, wattles etc, only on the Hakea
I just found this interesting and wondered if anyone has any answers. I have checked other sections of the road system and have still only found Schizophyllum on Hakea."
Does anyone have an answer for Patricia?
Back to Table of ContentsOne of our recorders, Eric Whiting, who is a member of the Murrumbidgee Field Naturalists, has extended an invitation for any Fungimap recorders or FNCV members to attend the Murrumbidgee FN club night (2nd Thursday of each month, excursion usually the following weekend). Anyone travelling the Newell Highway (or in the vicinity) is welcome. Eric can be contacted on Email: ewhiting@webfront.net.au
Back to Table of ContentsK. Syme
I was invited to give a slide lecture and painting workshop at the North Eastern Mycological Federation Foray in the USA this year, by organisers Laurie and Marcia Leonard. It was held over a long weekend in September during the late northern summer, at Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Resort near the end of the Appalachian Trail in north eastern Maine.
There were a host of events to choose from during the three days and nights of the meeting: workshops on microscopy, photography, textile dyes and studies of various genera such as Inocybe; short illustrated lectures - on microscopic fimgi, for example - were presented each day and more substantial ones were given after the evening meal. Morning and afternoon field trips afforded an opportunity to see varied habitats in the region. The final evening even included an invitation to sample three dishes prepared from wild fungi by a French Canadian chef!
Although the weather was hot and they were suffering a 'drought', the field trips yielded large numbers of interesting fungi. (Apparently, given more favourable weather, fungi fruit in vast numbers. l had been told this and only wish I could have seen it.) The area was surrounded by pine, beech and maple forests and there were also large mossy bogs, lakes and streams, all of which were included in the excursions. I went to a place called 'Cathedral Pines', which sounded good, but where in fact there were few fungi. I did however, find a good specimen of Fomitopsis pinicola, the 'Red Belt Polypore' - a bracket fungus which grows on conifers. l also saw a few squirrels and lots of moss!
One group of people busily spent their time at sorting tables, identifying and labelling the fungi, which were then taken for display under their correct labels (Family, Genera and species) on rows of ready-prepared trestles in another room. Informative talks on some of the specimens were often given at various times throughout the day.
Some (a very few) of the fungi I saw displayed were:
Scutellinia - small orange cup fungus with hairs resembling eyelashes around the margin
Hypomyces lactifluorum - Lobster Fungus (a parasitic mould which attacks certain species of Lactarius and Russula, encasing them in a red, finely pimpled covering)
Amanita muscaria - Fly Agaric - the North American yellow form
Hygrocybe psittacina, the gorgeous glutinous green parrot wax cap
Boletus edulis, or Cep, a highly prized edible species
Hericium americanum 'Bear's Head' - which is a glorious mass of cascading white firm spines arising from a dense base and found growing on wood.
Some of the excellent evening slide shows included one on fungi of Catalonia, another with some fabulous pictures of boletes and one on systematics.
These three days constituted just a small part of my overseas trip, during which I also travelled to Norway and Canada. My overall impression is that although our fungi don't appear in such sheer abundance as in some of the places I visited, people expressed envy at our exciting fungi scene, where so many fungi await discovery and where we still have some virgin forest & bush and other untouched areas. My experiences gave great inspiration for holding similar events here.
Dr Tom Volk has an excellent website, which I saw while staying with the Leonards in Portland, just before l left the USA. His website address is: http://www.wisc.edu/botany/fungi/volkmyco.html
Back to Table of ContentsRegional co-ordinators can be contacted at:
David Ratkowsky TASMANIA
David can be contacted by writing to 20 York Street, Sandy Bay, Tas 7005. His email address is: D.Ratkowsky@utas.edu.au
Pam Catcheside SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Pam can be contacted by email at dpcatchi@arcom.com.au or c/- 72 Eve Rd Bellview Heights 5050
Katrina Syme WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Katie can be contacted by Email at environ@denmarkwa.net.au or c/- Denmark Environment Centre, PO Box 142, Denmark 6333
Bettye Rees NEW SOUTH WALES
Bettye can be contacted by email on B.Rees@unsw.edu.au or care of 10 Lloyd Avenue HUNTERS HILL NSW 2110.
Old Fungus find
Dorothy Mahler sent in this interesting note, published by The Sun 13 October 1995
London - Scientists said yesterday they had found two 90 million-year-old mushrooms preserved in amber - the oldest mushrooms ever found. The tiny, gilled fungi are similar so some types living today, indicating that mushrooms found their optimum form early on.
FOR SALE We have a few copies of Rainforest Fungi of Tasmania and South-East Australia by Bruce Fuhrer & Richard Robinson. Cost $20.00 + $3.00 postage. Please send orders to Fungimap, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Birdwood Ave, South Yarra 3141, and make cheque payable to Field Naturalists Club of Victoria.
Back to Table of ContentsLooking at fungi and photographing fungi is a fun pastime, but if you are going to become more closely acquainted with the subjects of your study (for example - eating them) caution is necessary.
SOME OF THE TARGET SPECIES ARE TOXIC IF EATEN (such as Amanita phalloides, Amanita muscaria, Agaricus xanthodermus), ALSO NOTE THAT POWDERY SPORES FROM PUFFBALLS CAN CAUSE ASTHMA TYPE SYMPTOMS ON INHALATION, AND THE SPLIT GILL (Schizophyllum commune) HAS BEEN REPORTED AS A HUMAN PATHOGEN (see article in this Newsletter).
All fungi records should be sent to the: Fungimap PROJECT, (Pat Grey) Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra, 3141.
Other requests should be sent to: Fungimap Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra, 3141. Preferred contact mode is by the cheaper and environmentally sounder method of email at: fungimap@rbgmelb.org.au
Back to Table of ContentsFungimap is supported by the Ian Potter Foundation
Fungimap Newsletter 10 is © 1999 Australian Fungi Mapping Scheme, Fungimap and Dr. Tom May
Last modified on 7 August 2003
Copyright © 1999-2003 Fungimap
