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Glandeuse Pinéale
THEIR specialist knowledge saved the life of author Nicholas Evans, who suffered severe kidney failure after eating a poisonous mushroom picked on a Scottish estate.
Now, scientists have warned that there is a critical shortage of mycologists - experts in identifying and studying fungi - and have called for urgent funding to train new recruits.
Leading Scottish mycologist Dr David Minter has launched the first fungus conservation organisation - in a bid to raise awareness of the importance of the species and attract more young scientists to the field.
Experts believe that only 7 per cent of the world's fungi species have been identified - leaving more than 90 per cent as yet undiscovered. Fungi are used in the production of foods including red wine, chocolate and bread, as well as medicines such as penicillin - while scientists are also investigating the possibility of using certain types of fungus to help clean up oil spills such as the five million barrel leak in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year.
"Some fungi are beneficial for humans, others are not so good," said Dr Minter. "But there are much more positive aspects to fungi than people think."
Dr Minter said that the number of mycologists working at the main UK hubs of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh and London's Kew Gardens had halved since he began working in the industry in the 1970s. "The UK Government was first warned that there was a shortage of mycologists in the 1940s and the situation has got worse and worse ever since," he added.
"We have politicians who will spend billions of pounds on an Olympic Games and the like - but begrudge an amount of money which would keep a very important science alive. There are around 4,000 species of birds in the world and 1.5m different fungi, but we've 200 times as many bird experts in this country as we have mycologists."
There is currently only one full-time fungus expert working at the Botanic Gardens, while Dr Minter is an associate research mycologist at the organisation.
Two years ago, Evans, who wrote bestselling novel The Horse Whisperer, picked and ate deadly webcap mushrooms instead of edible ceps while staying at his brother-in-law's Altyre House estate in Moray. When he phoned doctors shortly after the incident - which has left him, along with his wife and another friend, in need of a kidney transplant - the Botanic Gardens was forced to call upon the services of retired mycologist Professor Ray Watling, who is in his 70s.
"They had to wheel out a man who has been retired for years," said Dr Minter, adding that at 59, he is close to retirement age himself. "It doesn't bear thinking about what would happen in the future if the shortage is not addressed."
Dr Minter has launched the International Society for Fungal Conservation with the support of 50 scientists from around the globe.
The group met for the first time at the Botanics last week and is to adopt a formal constitution and map out its initial objectives by the end of October.
Professor Mary Gibby, director of science at the Botanic Gardens, said: "Fungi are important to all our lives, not just providing us with bread, beer and medicines, but fundamental to the functioning of our planet."
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: "Funding decisions are a matter for individual universities and the Scottish Funding Council."
http://www.scotsman.com/news/UK-critica ... 6516241.jp
Now, scientists have warned that there is a critical shortage of mycologists - experts in identifying and studying fungi - and have called for urgent funding to train new recruits.
Leading Scottish mycologist Dr David Minter has launched the first fungus conservation organisation - in a bid to raise awareness of the importance of the species and attract more young scientists to the field.
Experts believe that only 7 per cent of the world's fungi species have been identified - leaving more than 90 per cent as yet undiscovered. Fungi are used in the production of foods including red wine, chocolate and bread, as well as medicines such as penicillin - while scientists are also investigating the possibility of using certain types of fungus to help clean up oil spills such as the five million barrel leak in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this year.
"Some fungi are beneficial for humans, others are not so good," said Dr Minter. "But there are much more positive aspects to fungi than people think."
Dr Minter said that the number of mycologists working at the main UK hubs of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh and London's Kew Gardens had halved since he began working in the industry in the 1970s. "The UK Government was first warned that there was a shortage of mycologists in the 1940s and the situation has got worse and worse ever since," he added.
"We have politicians who will spend billions of pounds on an Olympic Games and the like - but begrudge an amount of money which would keep a very important science alive. There are around 4,000 species of birds in the world and 1.5m different fungi, but we've 200 times as many bird experts in this country as we have mycologists."
There is currently only one full-time fungus expert working at the Botanic Gardens, while Dr Minter is an associate research mycologist at the organisation.
Two years ago, Evans, who wrote bestselling novel The Horse Whisperer, picked and ate deadly webcap mushrooms instead of edible ceps while staying at his brother-in-law's Altyre House estate in Moray. When he phoned doctors shortly after the incident - which has left him, along with his wife and another friend, in need of a kidney transplant - the Botanic Gardens was forced to call upon the services of retired mycologist Professor Ray Watling, who is in his 70s.
"They had to wheel out a man who has been retired for years," said Dr Minter, adding that at 59, he is close to retirement age himself. "It doesn't bear thinking about what would happen in the future if the shortage is not addressed."
Dr Minter has launched the International Society for Fungal Conservation with the support of 50 scientists from around the globe.
The group met for the first time at the Botanics last week and is to adopt a formal constitution and map out its initial objectives by the end of October.
Professor Mary Gibby, director of science at the Botanic Gardens, said: "Fungi are important to all our lives, not just providing us with bread, beer and medicines, but fundamental to the functioning of our planet."
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: "Funding decisions are a matter for individual universities and the Scottish Funding Council."
http://www.scotsman.com/news/UK-critica ... 6516241.jp