Radioactive caesium in British mushrooms

Summary

Thirty-four different taxa of larger fungi have been analysed for their content of caesium 137 over a 3 year period. The majority of the material has been collected from various sites in Central Scotland; 38% of the collections were from North Wales and Merseyside. Comparison has been made between the same species from different sites and different species from the same site. It has also been possible to analyse the same species from the same plot on two consecutive years. The levels of caesium 137 in the fungal species analysed were extremely low when compared with their counterparts in Central Europe and it is concluded that the Chernobyl incident had little effect on the accumulation by these fungi of this radionuclide. There is no evidence that edible species accumulate caesium 137 at levels considered to be dangerous for consumption.     

Continuing studies of radioactive caesium in British Mushrooms

Summary

Caesium¹³⁷ was measured in collections of Lactarius blennius and Russula mairei made in September 1999 from the same sites in Central Scotland as material collected and analysed in 1987 and 1990. The results indicated that caesium¹³⁷ is still present in the ecosystem at significant concentrations even after twelve years.     

Scottish Sarcodon imbricatus under scrutiny

Summary

Molecular techniques applied to Scottish collections of Sarcodon imbricatus showed that these collections did not belong to this species but to the closely related S. squamosus. This latter species is accepted as a member of the British mycota.     

The role of the amateur in mycology—what would we do without them!

The amateur's role in the history of mycology will be traced from its early roots deeply based in the collection of fungi for food to the amateur's present day activities. Attention will be drawn to the most important key amateur figures studying fungi solely or as a wider part of natural history in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the early part of the present century. How their work influenced the development of mycology will be demonstrated. It is often forgotten that the authorities attached to fungal names, including those we use in mycology on a daily basis, often belong to amateurs. The true professions of these amateurs, the net-work of correspondents they developed, etc. will be revealed and discussed in the context of an overall understanding of fungi as organisms. In addition the formation of mycological societies, and how they have become a focus of amateur activity and a source of accurate and disciplined information valuable to professional scientists will be plotted. The kind of work undertaken by amateurs I refer to will be demonstrated by documenting the activities of the British Mycological Society which celebrated its centenary in 1996. The continuing work of this band of workers and their counterparts throughout the world in the closing years of the millennium will be described. It is argued that they are nationally important and necessary resources, despite many governments or their advisers, especially the most influential ones, being under the delusion that systematics is not cutting edge science. It is also emphasized that amateurs will have an even more important role to play in the future as custodians of knowledge—until hopefully opinions change. The essential points of this paper were addressed to the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Mycological Society of Japan held at Kyoto University, Kyoto, on 16–17, May 1998.     

Histological and histochemical techniques applied to the acaricales

Summary Schedules and technical methods in the preparation of permanently stained slides of members of the Agaricales are given. The results obtained from the examination of sections of members of the Bolbitiaceae and Boletaceae so prepared are discussed. The work described is that originally carried out by the late Dr.Max Barrett.     

On the way towards a red data book on British fungi

Summary

The history, development and consolidation of fungal conservation and recording in Britain are provided, as are the means by which the foundations have been laid for the production of a future Red Data Book.     

A sequestrate Psilocybe from Scotland

Summary

A purplish brown-spored, gasteroid basidiomycete found in association with Psilocybe semilanceata in Midlothian, Scotland is shown by molecular methods to be only a morphotype of P. semilanceata. The significance of the results in relation to many similar sequestrate collections of so-called members of the genera Cyttarophyllum, Galeropsis, Gastrocybe and Weraroa in national herbaria are investigated.