National Mycological Herbarium

• Background
• Mycology Herbarium use
• Link to the National Fungal Identification Service

Background:

The National Mycological Herbarium/Herbier National de Mycologie is internationally recognized under the acronym DAOM, as listed in Index Herbariorum. DAOM stands for Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Mycology. The collection holds over 300,000 preserved specimens (both numbered and accessioned and major exsiccatae holdings) which makes it the largest mycological herbarium in Canada.

Fungi, along with bacteria, viruses, nematodes and MPLOs cause the majority of known plant diseases worldwide, with fungal diseases being caused by the most varied number and types of species and genera. It has long been recognized that fungi can be notoriously difficult to identify because of subtle differences and sometimes limited morphology. Current trends in identification involving cladistical analysis of selected amplified, sequenced and aligned DNA segments are helping to overcome such problems but in all cases the names appended to standards for sequence data are based upon preserved specimens. DAOM was started by Dr. H. T. Güssow, the first Dominion Botanist between 1909 and 1920 as a small reference collection for the identification of plant pathogenic fungi being encountered on imports or crops in Canada. Güssow was the first to recognize the existence in North America of potato wart caused by a fungus, Synchytrium endobioticum, from Newfoundland in 1909, and as a result he helped draft the Destructive Insect and Pest Act in 1910, a model for the protection of Canada’s natural and agricultural resources. Güssow recognized the difficulties in identifying fungi without reference materials so by 1920 he solicited assistance from the renown American mycologist, J.B. Ellis, who donated considerable numbers of duplicates of foliicolous (leaf disease) fungal collections. He also purchased for Canada from the US Department of Agriculture (via C.L. Shear) several reference sets of foreign exsiccatae (“Exsiccatae” are numbered, formally distributed duplicated collections, often accompanied by published lists, and often disseminated to dozens of herbaria in fascicles of 100 numbers, for the purposes of standardizing the use of names). Another initiative was specimen exchange, which started with the USDA at about that time. In 1920 responsibility for research on forest pathology and plant pathology resided within one federal department. As a result representative collections of the causal agents of tree diseases and decay fungi were acquired, making DAOM one of North America’s centres of expertise on both agricultural and forest fungi. In 1929 Ibra Conners was transferred from Winnipeg to become both the curator of the National Mycological Herbarium and the official compiler of the Canadian Plant Disease Survey. Conners visited several major herbaria in the US and organised DAOM in an efficient system as a result. He amalgamated the initially separated forestry and plant pathology collections. As editor and compiler of the CPDS, Mr. Conners established a practice of not accepting disease reports from beyond known geographic ranges or on unrecorded hosts in the absence of supporting specimens. This high standard established the credibility of the Department of Agriculture’s research on new plant pathogens. The significance of the National Mycological Herbarium and the reliability of the Canadian Plant Disease Survey increased lockstep.

From the 1930s to the present time, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and its predecessors have maintained in Ottawa a specialized central systematics unit for the identification and compilation of taxonomic information on fungi and fungal pathogens. The research staff added reliably identified specimens, collected samples across Canada and at ports of entry, and isolated fungi from all manner of products and produce. The exchange program brought in invaluable representative samples from countries primarily involved with trade. The current holdings of over 300,000 specimens includes thousands of type specimens and the major collections of former staff: J.W. Groves, J.A. Parmelee, D.B.O. Savile, A.W. McCallam, I. Mounce, R. Macrae, M. Nobles, S.J. Hughes, K.A. Pirozynski, R. Arnold, M. Elliott, R.A. Shoemaker, J. Ginns, L.K. Weresub, and D.J.S. Barr and subsets of collections by W.B. Kendrick and D.W. Malloch. Through gifts or purchases DAOM has acquired major collections of G.R. Bisby and A.H.R. Buller (Fungi of Manitoba vouchers), G.D. Darker (personal collections including types), W.L. Gordon, W. Jones, M. Larsen, R.F. Cain (duplicates of personal collection), A. Melderis (Swedish fungi), W.D. Sutton (Canadian fungi), L.E. Wehmeyer (personal herbarium including types), K.A. Harrison (former AAFC Kentville herbarium including types of Hydnaceae), H.J. Brodie (personal herbarium including Nidulariaceae types), and M.E. Barr (recent Canadian collections from B.C.). DAOM is also responsible for curating the John Dearness herbarium which contains hundreds of type specimens of plant pathogens. Curators of the National Mycological Herbarium following Ibra Conners have been Doug Savile (1954-1967), Jack Parmelee (1967-1987), Jim Ginns (1987-1997), and Scott Redhead (1997- present).

While direct responsibility for plant inspection at ports of entry and research on control of specific plant pathogens devolved through division of labour to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency [CFIA] (formerly portions of Food Production and Inspection Branch) and various regional research stations, the National Mycological Herbarium serves as the main central reference collection for exotic and native fungal plant diseases and it is regular consulted or used as a repository for collections by staff in the nearby CFIA. DAOM along with the Canadian Collection of Fungal Cultures (CCFC) serve as a backbone for research on fungal diversity in Canada and for systematics research in mycology.

Mycology Herbarium use:

1. Publication and updates to the "Compendium of Plant Disease and Decay Fungi in Canada" used across Canada and the USA by plant pathologists, researchers, universities and protection agencies is possible using the collection as it is the only comprehensive available source for this information.
    
2. Herbarium specimens and exiccati in conjunction with a survey of other North American herbaria allowed the determination that one species was in fact rare and endangered in old growth forests while another was not. This data lends credibility to environmental studies conducted at controversial sites.
    
3. CFIA staff use the herbarium and literature to identify unknown organisms found during the inspection of agricultural goods and to confirm disease species. A recent discovery of a new species of bunt which was confused with karanl bunt prevented Canadian grain from being quarantined. Phytosanitary certification is crucial to the nursery, horticultural, fruit and vegetable industries. CFIA is aided in pest risk assessments using herbarium information. Herbarium material is used to identify possible non-tariff trade barrier organisms. A recent identification which determined that a fungus was not pathogen allowed an exchange of forest products between provinces to proceed.
    
4. The mycology staff rely on the extensive and comprehensive herbarium specimens and appropriate literature to complete identification requests from clients. Fungi show amazing variation and several morphs which make identifications difficult when only partial or immature samples are submitted. Quick identification of ingested poisonous mushrooms by our resident poison control contact often requires herbarium specimen material.
    
5. Conducts loans and exchanges of specimens nationally and internationally. Its acronym DAOM is cited in hundreds of scientific papers throughout the world in acknowledgement of specimens needed and used to describe and identify species. The recognition has prompted numerous prominent mycologists to donate their research materials to the herbarium (Bisby, Dearness, Russel, Gordon, Brodie).
    
6. The herbarium is a physical and historical archive of species existence and distribution. The electronic inventorying of all records will contribute to Canadian Biodiversity initiatives and international databases. New molecular technologies can be applied to old specimens to elucidate and verify species concepts. The herbarium maintains hundreds of TYPE specimens which are the internationally recognized standards used to define a species.