the fungi are among us: jean marc moncalvo
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The Fungi are Among us: Jean Marc MoncalvoTRANSCRIPT
The Fungi are Among us
Jean-Marc Moncalvo
Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto
Moon Bay Biologics, Inc.
AGRI-FOOD AND HEALTH FOR NORTHERN ONTARIO: FUTURE PROSPECTS Saturday, September 21st, 2013 Hidden Valley Resort, Huntsville, Ontario
Presentation Outline
• What are Fungi, and what do they do?
• Past uses of Fungi by humans
• Present uses
• Fungi for food, health and wellness:
some perspectives for Northern Ontario
What are Fungi?
Jean-Marc Moncalvo
Most fungi are cryptic organisms that spend most of their life cycle by
producing microscopic vegetative hyphae (mycelium) underground or
buried in their host.
http://home.wanadoo.nl/abiemans/e_mycelium.html
Asexual Reproduction
Sexual Reproduction(fructification)
What are Fungi?
Most fungi are cryptic organisms that spend most of their life cycle by
producing microscopic vegetative hyphae (mycelium) underground or
buried in their host.
Asexual Reproduction
Sexual Reproduction(fructification)
Typically invisible by the naked eye, or “molds”
Invisible by the naked eye
Visibleby the naked eye
xvo
What are Fungi?
Most fungi are cryptic organisms that spend most of their life cycle by
producing microscopic vegetative hyphae (mycelium) underground or
buried in their host.
Asexual Reproduction
Sexual Reproduction(fructification)
Typically invisible by the naked eye, or “molds”
Invisible by the naked eye
Visibleby the naked eye
xvo
Microfungi Macrofungi
Yeasts and lichens are Fungi
How many Fungi are out there?
• About 100,000 known species
• Most are microfungi
• It has been estimated that only about
5-10% of the total fungal diversity is
known to Science
How many Fungi are out there?
• About 100,000 known species
• Most are microfungi
• It has been estimated that only about
5-10% of the total fungal diversity is
known to Science
===> huge bioprospecting potential
What Fungi do?
They play major roles in all terrestrial ecosystems as
• Decomposers / saprobes
• Mutualists / symbionts
• Parasites / pathogens / predators
What Fungi do?Decomposers / saprobes / wood-rots
Wood-rot(pic. from E. Barnatrd)
http://media.web.britannica.com/http://www.anbg.gov.au/
Wood decaybrown-rot (top) and white-rot (bottom)
Litter decay
What Fungi do?Mutualists / symbionts
Mycorrhizal association with tree roots (pic. from T. Bruns)
Association with termite nests ; cultivated by leaf-cutter ants
(pic. from D. Pegler)
What Fungi do?Parasites / pathogens / predators
Nematode-trapping fungus(pic. from G. Barron)
Diseases of plants including commerciallyimportant trees and cereals, e.g., Smut on corn
Insect killers
http://homesremedies.net/
Pathogens and allergens of animals (including humans)http://www.davidmoore.org.uk/
Ancient uses of Fungi by humansFungi carried by the Iceman
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/
Ancient uses of Fungi by humansFungi carried by the Iceman
Piptoporus betulinus
http://www.mushroomexpert.com/
Ancient uses of Fungi by humansFood & Drinks
http://www.popsci.com/
http://grainandgrain.files.wordpress.com/
http://static.guim.co.uk/
http://canadasrock.ca/
http://bigfatwine.com/
Ancient uses of Fungi by humansTraditional medicine: e.g., Ganoderma
http://www.wellnet-bolt.hu/
http://upload.wikimedia.org/
Blockbusters modern fungal drugs
Pics fromK. Seifert
Penicillin, from Penicillium
Cyclosporin, etc…
Fungi
and
Humans
:
Friends
and
Foes
Fungi for Food, Health and WellnessSome perspectives for Northern Ontario
• Farming
• Forest mushrooms
• Health products
• Bioprospecting
Fungi for Food, Health and Wellness : Some perspectives for Northern Ontario
Mushroom farming
• Exist already locally? YES
• Is its practice innovative? NOOnly the “classics” are cultivated: button mushrooms, portobellos, oyster
mushrooms, shiitake, and a few others
Room for improvement:• Cultivation of different species / strains
• Strain optimization for outdoor/indoor production with regard to the local
environment, e.g., climate, availability of substrate, etc.
Is there already local knowledge for improvement? YES
$$ Infrastructure / investment for the proposed improvements: low
$$ in return? I don’t know
Fungi for Food, Health and Wellness : Some perspectives for Northern Ontario
Forest mushrooms
• Wild edible mushrooms are not harvested(and there are plenty of them!!!)
----- Lack of consumer awareness locally
----- No system in place for exportation to the international market
$$ Infrastructure / investment for improvements: low
$$ in return? Overall low, but could be significant for entrepreneurs and for
people living in remote communities close to the wilderness.
Fungi for Food, Health and Wellness : Some perspectives for Northern Ontario
Forest mushrooms
• Wild edible mushrooms are not harvested(and there are plenty of them!!!)
----- Lack of consumer awareness locally
----- No system in place for exportation to the international market
$$ Infrastructure / investment for improvements: low
$$ in return? Overall low, but could be significant for entrepreneurs and for
people living in remote communities close to the wilderness.
• There are “medicinal mushrooms” growing wild in our
forests!
Ganoderma, Chaga, … Stay tuned for the upcoming presentation by
- Peter Schleifenbaum
- Grant Lauzon
Fungi for Food, Health and Wellness : Some perspectives for Northern Ontario
Forest mushrooms
• Limited use of ectomycorrhizal mushroom (EM) in
reforestation projects / ecosystem health----- There is limited biological knowledge of the EM-tree system
----- This is still a field in need of basic scientific research
$$-wise:
----- not for investors; GAIA phylantrops welcome!
----- in Canada, funding for basic science is being drastically cut by the
current government.
Fungi for Food, Health and Wellness : Some perspectives for Northern Ontario
Health products - Nutraceuticals
• Already produced locally? YES
• Is its practice innovative? Yes and No
Stay tuned for the upcoming presentation by
- Danielle Franz (Probiotics)
- Mukund Jha and Grant Lauzon (Chaga)
Room for improvement:• Optimization of the amount of desired metabolites in the final products
(e.g., antioxydants etc.)
• Quality control; comparative studies with other similar products
Is there already local knowledge for improvement? YES
$$ Infrastructure / investment for the proposed improvements: medium
$$ in return? Medium to High
Fungi for Food, Health and Wellness : Some perspectives for Northern Ontario
Health products - Cosmeceuticals
• Already produced locally? NO
• Is the use of fungi in cosmetics innovative? Yes and No
Stay tuned for the upcoming presentation by
- Warren Chen
Is there already local knowledge for improvement? YES
$$ Infrastructure / investment for the proposed improvements: medium
Potential $$ in return? High to very high (marketing needed here)
Fungi for Food, Health and Wellness : Some perspectives for Northern Ontario
Health products - Bioprospecting
• Goals: ----- To discover novel bioactive fungal metabolites (e.g., antibiotics, anti-
cancer drugs, etc.)
----- To optimizing the production and extraction of metabolites that have
proven health benefits (e.g., antioxydants etc.)
• Already conducted locally? Yes and No
Is there already local knowledge for development? Yes
Is there already a significant existing infrastructure for development? No
[but definitively YES when partnering with research facilities that are
available in Toronto, in Canada, and / or internationally]
$$ Infrastructure / investment for Research & Development: high
Potential $$ in return? High to very high
Acknowledgments
• Rob Deline, for organizing this venue
• Richard Worsfold and the OCE, for having
supported an earlier research proposal on
the topic of fungal metabolites
• The ROM Governors, NSERC, CFI and
Genome Canada for having supported my
research on Fungi in the last ten years