Mycological dispatches
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Technology Commission, Addis Ababa is highly acknowledged. References Abate , D. (1995) Cultivation of the Oyster Mush- room in Ethiopia . (Publication in preparation). Hadar , Y. & Cohen-Arazi , E. (1986) Chemical composition of the edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus produced by fermentation . Applied and Environmental Microbiology 51: 1352-1354. Hamlyn, P.F. (1989) Cultivation of Edible Mush- rooms on Cotton Waste. Mycologist 3: 171-173. Volume 9, Part 4, November 1995 Hayes , W.A. & Wright , S.H. (1979) Edible Mu sh- rooms. In : Economic Microbiology Vol. 4. Microbial Biomass (ed. E.H. Rose), Academic Press. Morris , B. (1987) Common Mushrooms of Malawi. Fungiflora, Oslo. Morris , B. (1988) The folk clas sification of fungi. Mycologist 2: 8--10. Tseng, M.C . & Luong, J .H. (1984) Mushroom Culti- vation - technology for commercial production. Annual Reports on Fermentation Processes vol 7. 45-77, Academic Press . Zadrazil , F. (1988) Probleme des Pilztechnologie- Transfer in Entwicklungslander, Speisepilze. MYCOLOGICAL DISPATCHES The 9 June 1995 issue of Science has a rare (perhaps unique) mycological cover. Equally unusual, the fungus being shown is Lecanora dispersa (Pers.) Sommerf., a crustose lichen, one ofthose fungi that are models ofsymbiosis but get only passing mention in mycology courses. This exceptional cover signals a paper by A. Gargas, P.T. DePriest, M. Grube & A. Tehler entitled 'Multiple Origins of Lichen Symbioses in Fungi suggested by SSU rDNA Phylogeny' (vol. 268, pp. 1492-1495). By studying 10 mycobionts and 65 other fungi using small subunit ribosomal DNA the authors determined the relationship of the 10 lichen species to the other fungi. They found that there were at least five independent origins ofthe lichen habit, in two disparate groups of ascomy- cetes and three of basidiomycetes. In the ascomy- cetes, species in the Lecanorales, which form haustorial connections with Trebouxia, appeared to occupy the most basal origin: Lecanora dispersa (Pers.) Sommerf., Lecidea crustulata (Ach.) Spreng. [as Porpidia], and Sphaerophorus globo- sus (Huds.) Vain. The other group of ascolichen species are in the Arthoniales where the phyco- biont is frequently Trentepohlia:Arthonia radiata (Pers .) Ach., Dendrographa leucophaea (Tuck.) Darb., Lecanactis abietina (Ehrh.) Korb ., and Schismatomma pericleum (Ach .) Br. The authors also predict finding the acquisition of the lichen habit in other lineages, particularly the Dothi- deales, Graphidiales, Ostropales, and Pyrenulales. Within the basidiolichens the basal position was occupied by a few species of Multicla vula that form loose associations with Coccomyxa or occa- sionally with cyanobacteria. The other two lineages were formed by independent examples: Omphalina ericetorum (F r.) M. Lange [as O. umbellifera (F r .) Kummer], which, on the clado- gram, appeared to be closely allied with Agaricus bisporus (J. Lange) Imbach and Pleurotus ostrea- tus (Jacq.) Kummer, and Dictyonema pavonia (Sw.) Parb., which appeared to be closely allied to Athelia bombacina Pers. and Schizophyllum com- mune Fr. The paper is illustrated by a cladogram showing all the included species, with coloured photo- graphs showing a representative of each of the five lichen lineages. R.T.M. PHELL/NUS ROBUSTUS IN WINDSOR GREAT PARK After protests by residents and conservation groups 80 oak trees in Windsor Great Park are to be spared. Queen Anne's Ride had originally been planted with a mixture ofoak, elm and lime, but the elms were killed by Dutch Elm Disease, some of the limes had died and it had been intended to replant the whole three-mile avenue with oak saplings to give it a uniform appearance. Of 28 oaks thought to have been planted in 1720 eight have already been felled but the others are now to be kept. One ofthese is host to Phellinus robustus, a rare polypore found at only three other sites in Britain. M.H. •
Transcript of Mycological dispatches
Technology Commission, Addis Ababa is highlyacknowledged.
ReferencesAbate, D. (1995) Cultivation of the Oyster Mush-
room in Ethiopia. (Publica t ion in preparation).Hadar, Y. & Cohen-Arazi, E. (1986) Chemical
composition of the edible mushroom Pleurotusostreatus produced by fermentation. Applied andEnvironmental Microbiology 51: 1352-1354.
Hamlyn, P.F. (1989) Cultivation of Edible Mush-rooms on Cotton Waste. Mycologist 3: 171-173.
Volume 9, Part 4, November 1995
Hayes, W.A. & Wright, S.H. (1979) Edible Mush-rooms. In: Economic Microbiology Vol. 4. MicrobialBiomass (ed. E.H. Rose ), Academic Press.
Morris, B. (1987) Common Mushrooms of Malawi.Fungiflora, Oslo.
Morris, B. (1988) The folk classification of fungi.Mycologist 2: 8--10.
Tseng, M.C . & Luong, J .H. (1984) Mushroom Culti-vation - technology for commercial production.Annual Reports on Fermentation Processes vol 7.45-77, Academic Press.
Zadrazil , F. (1988) Probleme des Pilztechnologie-Transfer in Entwicklungslander, Speisepilze.
MYCOLOGICAL DISPATCHESThe 9 June 1995 issue of Science has a rare(perhaps unique) mycological cover. Equallyunusual, the fungus being shown is Lecanoradispersa (Pers.) Sommerf., a crustose lichen, oneof those fungi that are models ofsymbiosis but getonly passing mention in mycology courses. Thisexceptional cover signals a paper by A. Gargas,P.T. DePriest, M. Grube & A. Tehler entitled'Multiple Origins of Lichen Symbioses in Fungisuggested by SSU rDNA Phylogeny' (vol. 268, pp.1492-1495). By studying 10 mycobionts and 65other fungi using small subunit ribosomal DNAthe authors determined the relationship of the 10lichen species to the other fungi. They found thatthere were at least five independent origins of thelichen habit, in two disparate groups of ascomy-cetes and three of basidiomycetes. In the ascomy-cetes, species in the Lecanorales, which formhaustorial connections with Trebouxia, appearedto occupy the most basal origin: Lecanora dispersa(Pers.) Sommerf., Lecidea crustulata (Ach.)Spreng. [as Porpidia], and Sphaerophorus globo-sus (Huds.) Vain. The other group of ascolichenspecies are in the Arthoniales where the phyco-biont is frequently Trentepohlia: Arthonia radiata
(Pers .) Ach., Dendrographa leucophaea (Tuck.)Darb., Lecanactis abietina (Ehrh.) Korb., andSchismatomma pericleum (Ach .) Br. The authorsalso predict finding the acquisition of the lichenhabit in other lineages, particularly the Dothi-deales, Graphidiales, Ostropales, andPyrenulales.
Within the basidiolichens the basal positionwas occupied by a few species of Multicla vula thatform loose associations with Coccomyxa or occa-sionally with cyanobacteria. The other twolineages were formed by independent examples:Omphalina ericetorum (F r.) M. Lange [as O.umbellifera (Fr .) Kummer], which , on the clado-gram, appeared to be closely allied with Agaricusbisporus (J . Lange) Imbach and Pleurotus ostrea-tus (Jacq.) Kummer, and Dictyonema pavonia(Sw.) Parb., which appeared to be closely allied toAthelia bombacina Pers. and Schizophyllum com-mune Fr.
The paper is illustrated by a cladogram showingall the included species, with coloured photo-graphs showing a representative of each of thefive lichen lineages.
R.T.M.
PHELL/NUS ROBUSTUS IN WINDSORGREAT PARK
After protests by residents and conservationgroups 80 oak trees in Windsor Great Park are tobe spared. Queen Anne 's Ride had originally beenplanted with a mixture of oak, elm and lime, butthe elms were killed by Dutch Elm Disease, someof the limes had died and it had been intended toreplant the whole three-mile avenue with oak
saplings to give it a uniform appearance. Of 28oaks thought to have been planted in 1720 eighthave already been felled but the others are now tobe kept. One ofthese is host to Phellinus robustus,a rare polypore found at only three other sites inBritain.
M.H.
•
