British Columbia Ectomycorrhizal Research Network

The British Columbia Ectomycorrhizal Research Network (BCERN) web site brings together sections of the complete Manual of Concise Descriptions of North American Ectomycorrhizae (CDNAE); the Ectomycorrhizae Descriptions Database (EDD); Photoprofiles of Ectomycorrhizae (PoE), the Matchmaker for Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest (MMPNW) database, and links to other sites.

BCERN History

BCERN was initiated in the 1990s by a group of academic and government researchers in British Columbia (BC) engaged in studies of how ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) are affected by forest practices and change with stand succession (eg. Goodman and Trofymow, 1998). At the time the presence of EMF was typically done through surveys of ephemeral fungal fruiting bodies (mushrooms). However, a method that focused on fungal colonization of tree root tips, which can be sampled throughout the year, was needed for a more comprehensive portrayal of EMF communities. Ectomycorrhizae (EM) could visually assessed, photographed, features and characteristics described (Ingleby et al. 1990), and where possible, the fungal species in the ectomycorrhizae identified. The latter was done by tracing EMF hyphae to a sporocarp of a known species or extracting DNA of different EMF types and comparing the EM DNA RFLP pattern with DNA from sporocarps. In addition to fungal species, the descriptions also portray the variation in mantle morphology that may provide insights into functional traits. The network of researchers recognized the need to share the information on EMF gained from such studies and collaborated to prepare and publish in 1996 the methodology and first folio of descriptions in a Manual of Concise Descriptions of North American Ectomycorrhizae (Goodman et al 1996).

In 2000 following publication of several folios of the CDNAE, editors and contributors to the manual recognized the need for an online version of the manual and a synoptic database of ectomycorrhizal features for comparison of ectomycorrhizal types (Goodman et al. 2000). The database (DDE) was to have similarities to the DEEMY database and incorporate records from DEEMY (Agerer and Rambold 1998). DEEMY was based on information for primarily European ectomycorrhizae assembled by Agerer the editor of the Colour Atlas of Ectomycorrhizae (Agerer 1987) and Descriptions of Ectomycorrhizae (Agerer 1996). DDE was the main application on the BCERN web subsite which also included the Introductory sections of the CDNAE. A web version for Matchmaker for Mushrooms for the Pacific Northwest (MMPNW) was developed in 2001 in collaboration with Gibson, author of the original Windows program (Leary, 2009), so links for fungal species in DDE could be made to descriptions of mushrooms of those species in MMPNW. The BCERN subsite was initially hosted on a collaborative website forestry-dev.org developed by A. Thomson and included his other web-based applications.

In 2006 the forestry-dev.org site was taken down because of software legacy issues and in 2007 proposals were submitted by BCERN members to develop additional content and rewrite the web applications. At this time many studies were funded in British Columbia examining alternatives to clearcutting and how they could affect or help maintain landscape biodiversity, including ectomycorrhizal fungi. The revised BCERN subsite, completed in 2010, included the addition of Photoprofiles of Ectomycorrhizae consisting of brief descriptions, images and DNA sequence data, revisions and additions to the ectomycorrhizae database (EDD), and updates to MMPNW. Links were also added to EDD for specimens described in CDNAE and PoE that had DNA sequence data accession in GenBank. The decreasing cost to obtain DNA sequence data and taxon-specific DNA barcodes for fungi was an important advance in EMF identification during this period (Janowski and Leski 2023).

Public access to the website (forestrydev.org) hosting BCERN was removed from public access in 2023 due to software legacy issues and security concerns, primarily for other applications on the website. A successful proposal to the CFS ForSite program in 2024 led to a new project to 1) Develop and post to the NRCan Publications server a downloadable PDF version of the complete CDNAE manual, 2) Update the EDD database with all EMF descriptions and images in CDNAE, PoE, and DEEMY and rewrite the search application in PHP, 3) Prepare individual PDFs for all mushroom descriptions in the MMPNW database which could then be linked to fungal species in EDD, and in future include links to it from the DAVFP collections database of accessioned fungal sporocarps. https://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/herbarium/

Over the years BCERN has provided access to an interlinked set of database applications and used by regional, national, and international researchers and biologists for the identification of ectomycorrhizal fungal species. The databases represent collaborative inputs from researchers within the Canadian Forest Service (CFS), external agencies, academic institutions, and mycological societies. As detailed on the following pages external granting agencies funded much of the work to conduct the research, develop the databases and website with the CFS providing a portal and a server for to make the BCERN website publicly accessible. https://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/projects/111

References

Agerer R. (ed.) 1987-1998. Colour atlas of ectomycorrhizae. Einhorn-Verlag Eduard Dietenberger GmbH Schwabisch Gmund, Munich.

Agerer R. (editor) 1996-1998. Descriptions of Ectomycorrhizae. Einhorn-Verlag Eduard Dietenberger GmbH Schwabisch Gmund, Munchen, Germany.

Agerer, R. and Rambold, G. 1998. DEEMY, a DELTA-based system for characterization and DEtermination of EctoMYcorrhizae. Version 1.1. ISSN 1432-5942. University of Munchen, Munchen.

Goodman, D.M., Durrall, D., Trofymow, J.A. et Berch, S. (éditeurs). 1996-2009. A manual of concise descriptions of North American ectomycorrhizae: including microscopic and molecular characterization. Mycologue Publications, Ressources naturelles Canada, Ministère des Forêts de la Colombie-Britannique. https://ostrnrcan-dostrncan.canada.ca/handle/1845/276292

Goodman, D.M. et Trofymow, J.A. 1998. Distribution of ectomycorrhizas in micro-habitats in mature and old-growth stands of Douglas-fir on southeastern Vancouver Island. Soil Bio. Biochem. 30(14):2127-2138. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0038-0717(98)00094-7

Ingleby, K., Mason, P.A., Last, F.T. et Fleming, L.V.1990. Identification of ectomycorrhizas, ITE re-search publication no. 5. HMSO. https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/7646/1/Ectomycorrhiza.pdf

Janowski, D. et Leski, T. 2023. Methods for identifying and measuring the diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Forestry. 96(5): 639-652. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpad017

Leary, H. 2009. Fungi on EFlora BC. Fungifama. Août:4. https://svims.club/newletter

Trofymow, J.A., Goodman, D.M. et Thomson, A.J. 2001. Developing an Online Database of Descriptions of Ectomycorrhizae. J. Ecosyst. Mgmt. 1(1). https://jem-online.org/index.php/jem/article/view/211

Links

• Mycologue Publications
• Pacific Forestry Centre's Forest Pathology Herbarium (DAVFP)
• University of British Columbia Herbarium - Fungi
• MycoMatch (Matchmaker) Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest