Botany 2008 Conference Program

Botany 2008 Plenary Address As we are now well engaged in the 6th Major Extinction (“6 X”) on planet Earth, our biosphere is quickly changing, eroding the life support systems that have allowed humans to ascend. Unless we put into action policies and technologies that can cause a course correction in the very near future, species diversity will continue to plummet, with humans not only being the primary cause, but one of the victims. What can we do? Fungi, particularly mushrooms, oﬀer some powerful, practical solutions, which can be put into practice now. Paul Stamets will present six inventions which help steer ecosystems and humanity to a healthier future. Paul will discuss the evolution of mushrooms in ecosystems and how fungi can help heal environments. As environmental health and human health are inextricably interconnected, fungi oﬀer unique opportunities that capitalize on mycelium’s diverse properties. Fungi are the grand molecular dis-assemblers in nature, decomposing plants and animals, creating soils. Forest dwelling mushroom mycelium can achieve the greatest mass of any living organism - this characteristic is a testimonial to the inherent biological power of the fungus. Paul’s work with mycelium shows how these largely untapped organisms can replace chemical insecticides, break down toxic wastes, including petroleum-based products such as diesel, dioxins, and numerous other toxins into non-toxic forms. Understanding mycelium’s production of antibiotics is useful not only to compete with bacteria in nature but has also proven useful for preventing vectors of diseases that aﬄict animals, and ultimately humans. About a dozen species of medicinal mushrooms will be explored from a historical perspective leading to the clinical studies in which Paul is participating. Moreover, he will discuss his work with the U.S. Department’s Bioshield BioDefense program, wherein his extracts were the ﬁrst natural products from hundreds of thousands of samples tested found to be potent inhibitors of pox, bird ﬂu and other viruses. As ecosystems become stressed, diseases proliferate, and many scientists predict a viral storm is on the horizon, one symptom of the Earth reacting to the insults we have levied. More recent research shows mushrooms have a surprisingly broad range of antiinfective properties, especially against E. coli and Staph bacteria. If it were not for the biological prejudice against ‘mushrooms’, science would be be�er prepared for facing these challenges. Paul will demonstrate that mycelium oﬀers many of the solutions we sorely need. Paul Stamets Solutions from Nature: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World Paul Stamets has wri�en six mushroom-related books. Several are used as textbooks around the world by the gourmet and medicinal mushroom industries. He is the author of many scholarly papers in peer-reviewed journals (The International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms; Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (eCAM, Oxford University Press); Herbalgram, and others). He has wri�en more than a twenty patents. He started a mushroom wholesale and retail sales business, Fungi Perfecti, LLC, in 1980. (See www.fungi.com). The business has four laboratories, 10,000 sq. �. of clean rooms, and is equipped with 20+ laminar ﬂow benches for doing in vitro propagation work. Paul has received several environmental awards. He is an advisor to the Program of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Medical School, Tucson; on the Editorial Board of The International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms, and was appointed to the G.A.P./G.M.P. Board of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia. Paul is the supplier and co-investigator of the ﬁrst two NIH funded clinical studies using medicinal mushrooms in the United States. His strain collection is extensive and unique, with many of the strains coming from old growth forests. He is involved in several other research trials ongoing and pending. He received the 1998 “Bioneers Award” from The Collective Heritage Institute, and the 1999 “Founder of a New Northwest Award” from the Paciﬁc Rim Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils. In 2008, Paul received the National Geographic Adventure Magazine’s Green-O-vator and the Argosy Foundation’s E-chievement Awards. Paul is married to Dusty Yao, whose shares a passion for fungi. The two also share a love of the Old Growth forests, and believe that fungi can help save the world. Plenary Address Sunday, July 27 7:30 PM Room 2 Woodward All Society Mixer to follow MacInnes Field 13 12 http://www.fungi.com

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Botany 2008 Conference Program Contents Welcome To Vancouver General Meeting Information Scientific Field Trips Scientific And Educational Workshops Botany 2008 Plenary Address Botany 2008 Special Lectures Participating Societies Exhibitors And Sponsors Saturday, July 26 Sunday, July 27 Monday, July 28 Tuesday, July 29th Wednesday, July 30th Thursday, July 31th Poster Presentations Author Index By Session Number Week At A Glance Map - University Of British Columbia

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