Subject: BEN # 101

From: [email-masked] (Adolf Ceska)
Date: 5 May 1995 00:58:41 -0700

BBBBB    EEEEEE   NN   N             ISSN 1188-603X
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BBBBB    EEEEE    NN N N             BOTANICAL
BB   B   EE       NN  NN             ELECTRONIC
BBBBB    EEEEEE   NN   N             NEWS

No. 101                              May 5, 1995

[email-masked]        Victoria, B.C.
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 Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2
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NEW ASPECTS OF THE SYSTEMATICS OF BRYOPHYTES
From: Jan-Peter Frahm <[email-masked]>
       originally posted on [email-masked]

Under  the title "New Aspects of the Systematics of Bryophytes",
M. Bopp and I. Capesius from the university of  Heidelberg  pub-
lished  a  new  cladogram based on 18S rDNA sequences of Junger-
maniidae, Musci and Marchantiidae. Their  cladogram  shows  that
Marchantiidae  (used  were  Riccia, Reboulia,  Marchantia, Cono-
cephalum, Preissia)  have nothing in common with Jungermanniidae
(Scapania, Calypogeia,  Fossombronia).  This  may  suggest  that
Marchantiidae  have  developed  independently from the remaining
liverworts, which makes sense, if one considers that else thalli
should have evolved twice within the hepatics  and  if  the  ad-
vanced structure of the thalli of Marchantiidae are considered.

I  think  this  is  a  remarkable  result, from which systematic
conclusions should be drawn.

Ref.: Naturwissenschaften 82: 193-194 (1995)

MORE ON TRUFFLES [BEN # 98]
From: The European MagAZine, 21-27 April 1995, p. 10.

The southern tip of Australia is an excellent place to grow  the
highly  prized  French black truffle (Tuber melanosporum). There
have been several attempt to grow black truffle  outside  France
using a tree inoculation technology developed in France. In 1991
a  team  based in Oregon produced the first French black truffle
outside France. New Zealand and Israel  has  also  experimented,
but  so far only the Australians plan a strategy of mass produc-
tion to penetrate the French market.

The Perigord Truffles of Tasmania (PTT) are expected to  produce
their  first  batch  of truffles in winter of 1997. Although the
first harvest will be small, the company plans to have a massive
200 hectares under cultivation by the end of  the  decade.  Full
production is forecast for 2010, when the expected yield will be
around 12 tonnes a year.

In  the  northern hemisphere this expensive fungus is normally a
winter delicacy. The Australian imports may cost even more  than
the  local  French truffles, but PTT hopes that truffle devotees
will pay the price  of  having  their  fix  through  the  summer
months.

PTT's  timing  could  not  be better. Since the beginning of the
year the french black truffle has been  under  attack  from  the
Chinese  'counterfeit'  operation [see BEN 98]. Around 20 tonnes
of this hoax delicacy has already shown up in France this  year.
French  legislators are now looking at ways to curb this massive
influx, and a new law is expected to  prevent  Chinese  truffles
being  sold  on  the  open  market.  However, they will still be
available in France by mail order, so the problem is not  likely
to disappear by next season.

MOUNTAIN GOATS IN THE OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK, WASHINGTON STATE

Houston,  D.B.,  E.G.  Schreiner & B.B. Moorhead. 1994. Mountain
goats in Olympic National Park: Biology  and  management  of  an
introduced  species. Scientific Monograph NPS/NROLYM/NRSM-94/25,
US Department of Interior, National Park  Service,  Denver,  CO.
293 p. ISSN 0363-0722 [softcover]
Available  from  the  Publications  Coordinator,  National  Park
Service, Natural Resources Publication  Office,  P.O.Box  25287,
Denver, CO 80225-0287.

PLANTED FORESTS SYMPOSIUM, JUNE 28 - JULY 1, 1995 - CORVALLIS
From: "James R. Boyle" <[email-masked]> (abbrev.)

With  the  Pacific  Northwest  region  of the United States as a
backdrop, leaders in  a  number  of  forest-related  areas  will
illustrate  the  variety, nature and significance of planted and
managed forests in our societies. The Planted Forests  Symposium
will discuss attributes and values of these forests in all their
forms  from extensively planted forests in mountainous wildlands
to intensively cultured fiber plantations. Planted  forest  sys-
tems  will  be  emphasized  in  appropriate  context  with other
managed forests and with native forest systems.

For Further Information Contact: Conference  Assistant,  College
of Forestry, Oregon State University, Peavy Hall 202, Corvallis,
OR 97331-5707, Telephone (503) 737-2329, Fax (503) 737-4966,
E-mail: [email-masked]

WWW SITE LISTS FOR BOTANY AND ECOLOGY
From: "Anthony R. Brach" <[email-masked]>

Here  are  the  locations of the WWW servers with my list of WWW
sites of interest to

botanists:
http://meena.cc.uregina.ca//bio/botany.html
http://biomserv.univ-lyon1.fr/Ecology-WWW.html

ecologists:
http://biomserv.univ-lyon1.fr/Ecology-WWW.html