REPORT OF THE ACTIVITIES
OF THE INTERNATIONAL MYCOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (August 1998-February 2000)
Meredith Blackwell, Department
of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
USA
Prepared 9 February 2000
The International Mycological Association (IMA), founded in 1971, represents the interests of 20,000 mycologists worldwide. It is a non profit making organization, the purpose of which is the encouragement of mycology in all its branches. The International Mycological Association constitutes the Section for General Mycology of the International Union of Biological Societies (IUBS), the primary biological component of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). The IMA is managed by its officers and Executive Committee who are elected by the General Assembly of delegates at each Congress.
Important activities of the IMA are sponsorship of International Mycological Congresses, representation of mycological interests at an international level, and encouragement of liaison with and development of national, regional, and international bodies that have mycological interests. Toward these aims a web site is maintained and other activities are pursued.
The IMA web site <http://lsb380.plbio.lsu.edu/ima/index.html>
receives 5-10 hits a day, mostly from North America, Europe, and Asia,
and very few from Africa. We provide web site printouts on request.
The Sixth International Mycological Congress was
held in Jerusalem, Israel, 23-29 August 1998. The meeting, organized
by Prof. Margalith Galun, attracted about 700 participants from 53 countries:
Number of delegates by country
| Argentina 1
Australia 11 Austria 9 Barbados 1 Belgium 4 Brazil 8 Bulgaria 1 Canada 12 Chile 1 China 6 Colombia 3 Czech Republic 6 Denmark 15 |
Finland 1
France 23 Germany 57 Greece 1 Hungary 11 India 2 Ireland 1 Israel 143 Italy 16 Japan 29 Kazakhstan 2 Kenya 1 Latvia 1 |
Lithuania 1
Mexico 6 Netherlands 25 New Zealand 8 Nigeria 1 Palestinian Authority 1 Peru 1 Poland 7 Portugal 2 Romania 4 Russia 7 Singapore 1 Slovak Republic 7 |
Slovenia 5
South Korea 3 Spain 7 Scotland 1 Sweden 10 Switzerland 8 Taiwan 9 Turkey 8 Ukraine 1 United Kingdom 57 USA 99 Zimbabwe 1 South Africa 9 |
22 February 1999
To the mycologists of the
Mycological Society of the Philippines:
As a representative of the world-wide mycological community, I am pleased to greet you on the occasion of the inaugural meeting of the Mycological Society of the Philippines. Mycologists throughout the world will watch the development of your infant society over the next few years, and we will see rapid growth, because, although the society may be young, mycologists of the Philippines have been active for many years. Early in my career I had contact with two Philippine women, both of whom were interested in Myxomycetes. I remember them as the first mycologists I knew of from outside the United States. One woman had spent time studying with my major professor, Constantine J. Alexopoulos, during a sabbatical leave, and the second was a student who received a Master’s degree with him. Her research provided evidence that the average size of the spores of Physarum nicaraguense could vary depending upon the growth substrate. Thus, the basic concept of substrate influence on the growth habit of slime molds (and fungi), was introduced to me by a Philippine mycologist!
One of the stated goals of the MSP, the discovery of “the missing fungi,” is of broad interest to mycologists throughout the world, and one which only Philippine mycologists can accomplish fully. You are fortunate in having localities with many substrates and hosts to provide a diverse mycota, but a more important factor that will contribute to your success in biodiversity studies is that you live among the fungi that await discovery. You can search their habitats day after day in order to discover ephemeral sporocarps before they are rotted by other fungi and bacteria or eaten by animals; you are on the spot to study their biology in the field and to attempt to culture them, especially the difficult ones that require many attempts before growth is seen in a culture dish. Intimate knowledge comes from repeated observation that is possible only when one resides in the fungal localities. We look forward to the results of your studies and offer our support.
The International Mycological Association congratulates the Mycological Society of the Philippines and has broadcast this message on the IMA web site (http://lsb380.plbio.lsu.edu/ima/index.html)!
With best wishes,
Meredith Blackwell
President
International Mycological
Association
In 1999 the La Asociación Latinoamericana de Micología
(ALM) (Latin American Association for Mycology), an outgrowth of the Committee
for Latin America strengthened its hemisphere ties by signing a General
Agreement for joint research initiatives, exchange of scientific personnel
and scientific and teaching materials, participation in meetings and other
scientific exchanges with the Mycological Society of America. In
keeping with the agreement, US and Latin American mycologists participated
in a workshop preceding the La Asociación Latinoamericana de Micología
(ALM) Congress held in September 1999 at Universidad Simon Bolivar and
Rancho Grande at Henry Pittier National Park <http://lsb380.plbio.lsu.edu/ima/ALMworkshop.photos>.
ALM continues to maintain an excellent searchable bilingual website.
AFFILIATED
SOCIETIES
•British Lichen Society.
Dr. O. W. Purvis, Deptartment of Botany, The National History Museum, Cromwell
Road, London, SW7 5BD United Kingdom.
•International Society for
Mushroom Science. Dr. K. S. Burton, Executive Secretary, Horticultural
Research Institute, Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF , United Kingdom.
•Mycological Society of
Finland. Suomen Sieniseura Ry, Unioninkatu 44, 00170 Helsinki 17, Finland.
•Societa Veneziana de Micologia.
Mr. Giovanni Robich, Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Via S. Croce 1730,
I-30100 Venezia, Italy.
•South African Society for
Plant Pathology. Dr. J. F. Fourie, Fruit and Fruit Technology Research
Institute, Private Bag X5013, Stellenbosch 7600, Republic of South Africa.
•Unione Micologico Italiana.
Prof. Dr. G. Govi, Centro di Micologia, Universita di Bologna, Via Filippo
Re 8, I-40126 Bologna, Italy.
•Czech Scientific Society
of Mycology. Dr. Ludmila Marvanova, Czech Collection of Microorganisms
(CCM), Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Tvdr*ho 14, 602 00, Brno,
Czech Republic.
•Associacione Micologica
G. Bresadola. Museo di Scienze Naturali, Via Calepina 14, I-38100 Trento,
Italia.
| PRESIDENT:
Meredith Blackwell Department of Biological Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA, USA 70803 Phone: 225-388-8551 or -8485 Fax: 225-388-8459 Email: btblac@unix1.sncc.lsu.edu |
PAST PRESIDENT:
Franz Oberwinkler Chair of Special Botany and Mycology Director of the Botanical Garden Institute of Botany, Rm 107 University of Tübingen Tübingen Germany |
| SECRETARY-GENERAL:
James B. Anderson Department of Botany Erindale Campus Univsity of Toronto Mississauga, ON, CANADA L5L 1C6 Phone: 416-828-5362 Fax: 416-828-3792 Email: janderso@credit.erin.utoronto.ca |
TREASURER:
Nils Hallenberg Departemnt of Systematic Botany University of Goteborg Box 461 Goteborg, SWEDEN SE-405 30 Phone: 46-31-7732659 Fax: 46-31-7732677 Email: nils.hallenberg@systbot.gu.se |
HONORARY PRESIDENTS:
| Geoffrey C. Ainsworth (UK)
(Died 25 October 1998) Position currently vacant
|
Karl Esser
Allgemeine Botanik Ruhr-Universität Bochum D-44780 Bochum Germany Phone: +49-234-32-22211 Fax: +49-234-32-14211 Email: karl.esser@ruhr-uni-bochum.de |
| David L. Hawksworth
114 Finchley Lane Hendon,London,NW4 1DG United Kingdom Phone/Fax: 44 181 203 4282 Email: Myconova@btinternet.com |
John Webster
12 Countess Wear Road Exeter EX2 6LG Tel: +44 1392 279448 Fax: +44 1392 264668 Email: J.Webster@exeter.ac.uk |
VICE-PRESIDENTS:
| Cletus P. Kurtzman
Microbial Properties Research NCAUR, ARS, USDA 1815 N. University Street Peoria, IL 61604-3999 USA Phone: 309-681-6561 Fax: (309) 681-6672 kurtzman@mail.ncaur.usda.gov |
Anxious J. Masuka
Kutsaga Research Company (Pvt) Ltd. Airport Ring Road PO Box 1909, Harare, Zimbabwe Phone: 263-46879-9 Anxious_Masuka@kutsaga.co.zw |
| Leif Ryvarden
Department of Botany, Univ. of Oslo P.O. Box 1045, Blindern N-0316 Oslo, NORWAY Phone: 47-22 85 46 23 Fax: 47-22 85 67 17 leif.ryvarden@bio.uio.no
|
Junta Sugiyama
Prof. Emeritus Department of Botany The University Museum The University of Tokyo 3-1 Hongo 7 chrome Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113 -0033 Japan ujsugi@mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp |
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
| Régis Courtecuisse
Département de Botanique Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Université de Lille II. B.P. 83 F-59006 Lille Cedex, France. rcourtec@phare.univ-lille2.fr |
Peter R. Johnston
Landcare Research, Herbarium PDD Private Bag 92170 Auckland, NEW ZEALAND Phone: +64 9 815 4200 (ext 7307) Fax: 64-9-8497093 johnstonp@landcare.cri.nz |
| Pavel Lizon
Department of Plant Systematics Institute of Botany D.bravsk. 14 SK-842 23 Bratislava Slovakia botupali@savba.savba.sk |
Akira Nakagiri
Institute for Fermentation, Osaka (IFO) 17-85, Juso-honmachi 2-chome, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka 532-8686 JAPAN Phone +81-6-300-6555 Fax +81-6-300-6814 anakagi@mb.infoweb.ne.jp |
| Pier Luigi Nimis
Department of Biology University of Trieste Via Giorgieri 10 34127 Trieste Italy Phone: +39 40 676 3885, fax: 568855 nimis@univ.trieste.it |
Mario Rajchenberg
Protection Department Centro de Investigacisn y Extensisn Forestal Andino Patagonico C.C. 14 9200 ESQUEL, Chubut Argentina Phone/Fax: +54-945-53948 CIEFAP <ciefap@teletel.com.ar> |
| Soren Rosendahl
Department of Mycology University of Copenhagen Oster Farimagsgade 2D DK-1353 Copenhagen K Denmark Phone: 45 353-22314 fax: 45 353-22321 soerenr@bot.ku.dk |
Gioconda San Blas
Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cient'ficas (IVIC) Centro de Microbiologia y Biologia Celular Laboratorio de Micologia Apartado Postal 21827 Caracas 1020A, Venezuela gsanblas@pasteur.ivic.ve |
| Brian Spooner
Mycology Dept., Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, United Kingdom Tel.: 0181 332 5256 Fax: 0181 332 5284 b.spooner@rbgkew.org.uk |
Brett A. Summerell
Royal Botanic Gardens Mrs MacQuaries Rd Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia Phone: + 61 2 9231 8189 Fax: + 61 2 9241 1135 brett@rbgsyd.gov.au |
| John W. Taylor
Dept. Plant & Microbial Biology, 111 Koshland Hall Univ. California Berkeley, CA, USA 94720-3102 Tel: 510-642-5366 Fax: 510-642-4995 jtaylor@socrates.berkeley.edu
|
Wen-ying Zhuang
Systematic Mycology and Lichenology Laboratory (SMLL) Institute of Microbiology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100080 China Tel: 0086-010-62555692 Fax: 0086-010-62560912 zhuangwy@sun.im.ac.cn |