Meinhard Michael Moser
Encyclopedia
Meinhard Michael Moser was an Austrian mycologist. After showing interest in natural sciences in his youth, he studied at the University of Innsbruck. However, his university career was interrupted when he was forced to complete military service, and so he trained as a military translator. He was stationed in eastern Europe during World War II
, before being captured and placed in a prisoner of war
camp. He was released in 1948, then completed his studies.
After receiving his doctorate in 1950, he worked in England for six months, researching the symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi. Upon his return to Austria, he took up a position with the Federal Forestry Research Institute, where he took part in influential research on the use of mycorrhizal fungi in reforestation. In 1953, he published the first edition of one of his most important works; a monograph
of the Agaricales
and Gastromycetes of central Europe. He began lecturing at the University of Innsbruck in 1956, and in 1972 he became the inaugural head of the first Institute of Microbiology in Austria. He remained with the Institute until his retirement in 1991. His studies continued until his death in 2002. An influential mycologist, he received a number of awards throughout his life, and numerous fungal taxa have been named in his honour.
, Austria
, to parents Margaretha and Josef Moser. His father was a teacher at a technical college in the city, while his mother was the daughter of noted botanist Emil Johann Lambert Heinricher
. Moser attended primary school and grammar school in the city, and showed an interest in natural sciences from a young age. His interest was cultivated by Heinricher, and Moser's earliest paintings of mushrooms date to 1935 when he was 11 years old.
In 1942, Moser enrolled at the University of Innsbruck, taking classes in botany, zoology, geology, physics and chemistry. At this time, Austria was under the control of Nazi Germany
and did not exist as an independent state. Moser became an authorised mushroom controller and instructor, and it was officially requested that he attend mycological seminars around Germany and Austria. At these seminars, he met a number of prominent mycologists, including E. Thirring. Thirring showed Moser some of the issues surrounding the large genus Cortinarius
, which remained an interest for the rest of his life. In 1943, aged 19 and after only three terms at Innsbruck, his studies were interrupted so he could perform military service. Having shown earlier promise in linguistics, he was trained as an interpreter, then sent to the Balkan Peninsula. He continued an active interest in mycology, collecting and identifying mushrooms and reading Rolf Singer
's Das System der Agaricales.
In 1945, when Moser was 21 years old and still carrying out active military service, he was captured in Czechoslovakia
and made a prisoner of war
. He was imprisoned in a labour camp in Crimea
, in the Ukraine
. His time at the camp was not easy; working in construction, he had to work to his physical limits, and was involved in a serious crash which killed several other prisoners. Moser was released in 1948, and chose to return to his studies at the University of Innsbruck. His first publication came in 1949; "Über das Massenauftreten von Formen der Gattung Morchella auf Waldbrandflachen" ["Mass-fruiting of forms of the genus Morchella on forest-fire areas"] was published in the journal Sydowia. In 1950, under the supervision of Arthur Pisek, Moser completed his doctoral thesis, "Zur Wasserökologie der höheren Pilze, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung von Waldbrandflächen" ["Water relations in higher fungi with special emphasis on forest-fire areas"]. During his time at university, Moser became involved with a number of mycological societies, including the Societé Mycologique de France, the British Mycological Society
and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Mykologie.
and, in 1951, he moved to England, where he stayed for six months. There, he performed research in the laboratory of Jack Harley in Oxford
, looking into the symbiosis between fungi and forest trees, and spent some time performing taxonomic studies at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. After his return to Austria, he was, in 1952, offered a research post at the Federal Institute for Forestry Research at Imst
, which he accepted. There, he used what he had learnt about the symbiosis of fungi and trees to the practical issue of reforestation
in the Alps
, and developed a method for the use of ectotrophic mycorrhizal fungi for the "inoculation" of trees, which later became standard practice around the world. This work later led to Singer to refer to Moser as "one of the pioneers of mycorrhiza research, both basic and applied."
In his time at the Federal Institute, Moser continued his taxonomic studies. In 1953, he published the first edition of his Die Blätter und Bauchpilze (Agaricales und Gastromycetes), a monograph
of the Agaricales
and Gastromycetes of central Europe, containing 3150 taxa. The work served as an update on Adalbert Ricken
's Vademecum für Pilzfreunde, though reflecting Moser's taxonomic views, which were highly influenced by Singer. The book was part of a series named Kleine Kryptogamenflora von Mitteleuropa, edited by Helmut Gams. The work, which became known simply as "Moser", was updated and republished numerous times over the following decades, and translated into English and Italian. His monograph of the Agaricales was also published separately from this work. René Pomerleau described a 1967 reprint of the Agaricales monograph, containing descriptions of 2547 species, as "probably the most complete and up-to-date descriptive flora of this group of fungi for central Europe". Die Blätter und Bauchpilze (Agaricales und Gastromycetes) became important for the study of biodiversity
in and out of Europe, and was a "much used and appreciated field manual". The work continued to be used as an authoritative reference for several decades; in 1981, it was still being called "the most-used and most authoritative handbook on larger European fleshy fungi".
". During this time, he continued to publish. His monograph on the genus "Phlegmacium", now considered to be part of Cortinarius, was published in 1960 as part of Die Pilze Mitteleuropas series. Unlike the previous three books in the series, which were all written by German authors, the work addressed mushrooms which were of less interest to amateur mycologists; for instance, the genus was not considered of much interest in terms of edible mushrooms. The book did draw on Moser's expertise concerning mycorrhizal relationships. The work listed 166 species, including some "exotic" species, and some described for the first time in that volume. The illustrations, which came in the form a number of coloured plates, were mostly Moser's own work; Singer described these in a review of the book as "both in original execution and reproduction among the best that have been published." Discussing the book as a whole, Singer said that "this volume outstanding for its good print, attractive appearance, and interesting contents, should be present in every mycological library".
In 1963, Moser published a second work in the Kleine Kryptogamenflora von Mitteleuropa series, Ascomyceten (Schlauchpilze). This work was a monograph of Ascomycetes, focussing on the Discomycetes
. Though not as well known as his earlier book, it was well received in the mycological community. Mycologist Richard Korf, reviewing the work in an article published in Mycologia
, said that "the book belongs on the shelf of every mycological library in Europe", praising the "[e]xcellent, workable keys to the orders, families, genera, and European species". Korf wrote that, "[i]f a single fault can be found, it is surely the lack of documentation provided." However, a combination of a lack of time and Moser's comparative lack of expertise in Ascomycetes prevented subsequent editions of the work.
Moser was promoted to Associate University Professor in 1964, and, two years later, the Faculty of Science of the University of Innsbruck recommended that a chair of microbiology should be created at the Botanical Institute in Innsbruck. The Federal Ministry of Education accepted the recommendation. Moser was the only candidate for the position, and was unanimously named by a number of leading European botanists and mycologists for the post in 1967. As such, 1972 saw the foundation of the first Institute of Microbiology in Austria, with Moser at its head. He remained in charge of the institute until his retirement. He taught on a wide range of subjects, including the taxonomy
of fungi, ecology
of fungi, mycogeography, bacteria
, viruses, chemotaxonomy
, molecular genetics
, microbial toxicology, immunology
and symbiosis
. During his career at the university, he oversaw over 60 doctoral theses, in addition to a number of diploma theses.
Moser, in 1975, published Cortinarius Fr. und nahe verwandte Gattungen in Südamerika, which was coauthored by Egon Horak. The work, along with his earlier monograph of "Phlegmacium", proved to be some of Moser's most important, serving to encourage others to engage with Cortinarius in a meaningful way. Cortinarius Fr. und nahe verwandte Gattungen in Südamerika was a study of Cortinarius, Dermocybe
and Stephanopus
, a new genus first described in that work, in South America, and was dedicated to Singer. The work contained descriptions of 276 new species. Alexander H. Smith
stressed the significance of the work, saying "Anyone who has not worked in the systematics of Cortinarius cannot fully appreciate the magnitude and importance of this work to the general subject of the distribution and speciation of the higher fungi."
, Norway, he suffered a series of heart attacks. After being admitted to hospital, his condition rapidly declined before his death. Egon Horak and colleagues, writing for the journal Mycological Research, described Moser's death as "an irreplaceable loss to the international community of
mycological science."
1978) and the Kardinal Innitzer Preis (Vienna
1985). In 1986, he was made a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
, and he became a foreign member of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in 1992. He was recognised by a number of mycological societies, including becoming an honorary member of the American Mycological Society in 1992 and Centenary Fellow of the British Mycological Society in 1996. He also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Lyon
in 1984, and in 1990 was awarded honorary citizenship of Borgotaro, Italy
.
The genera Moserella
(Pöder & Scheuer, 1994) and Chromosera
(Redhead, Ammirati & Norvell, 1995) were named in Moser's honour, as were the species Acariniola moseri (T. Majewsky & J. Wisn.), Collybia moseri ((Antonín & Noordel.) Bon), Conocybe moseri (Watling), Cortinarius moseri ((E. Horak) E. Horak), Cortinarius moserianus (Bohus), Cortinarius meinhardii (Bon), Entoloma moserianum (Noordel.), Gerronema moseri (Singer), Gymnopus moseri (Antonín & Noordel.), Hebeloma moseri (Singer), Hydropus moserianus (Bas), Hygrocybe moseri (Bon), Lactarius moseri (Harmaja), Lasiosphaeria moseri (O. Hilber), Leucoagaricus moseri (Wasser), Peziza moseri (Aviz.-Hersh. & Nemlich), Phaeocollybia moseri (Band.-Muñoz & Guzmán), Psathyrella moseri (Singer), Psilocybe moseri
(Guzmán), Pyxidiophora moseri (T. Majewsky & J. Wisn.), Sericeomyces moseri ((Wasser) Heinem.), Thaxteriola moseri (T. Majewsky & J. Wisn.), Tricholoma moseri (Singer), Tricholoma moserinanum (Bon), Tricholoma moseri (Singer), Tubaria moseri (Raithelh.), and Wardomyces moseri (W. Gams).
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, before being captured and placed in a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp. He was released in 1948, then completed his studies.
After receiving his doctorate in 1950, he worked in England for six months, researching the symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi. Upon his return to Austria, he took up a position with the Federal Forestry Research Institute, where he took part in influential research on the use of mycorrhizal fungi in reforestation. In 1953, he published the first edition of one of his most important works; a monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
of the Agaricales
Agaricales
The fungal order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms , or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The order has 33 extant families, 413 genera, and over 13000 described species, along with five extinct genera known only from the fossil record...
and Gastromycetes of central Europe. He began lecturing at the University of Innsbruck in 1956, and in 1972 he became the inaugural head of the first Institute of Microbiology in Austria. He remained with the Institute until his retirement in 1991. His studies continued until his death in 2002. An influential mycologist, he received a number of awards throughout his life, and numerous fungal taxa have been named in his honour.
Early life, university and military service
Moser was born on 13 March 1924 in InnsbruckInnsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, to parents Margaretha and Josef Moser. His father was a teacher at a technical college in the city, while his mother was the daughter of noted botanist Emil Johann Lambert Heinricher
Emil Johann Lambert Heinricher
Emil Johann Lambert Heinricher was an Austrian botanist from Laibach . In 1879 he received his doctorate at Graz, and later was an assistant to Simon Schwendener in Berlin and Julius von Sachs in Würzburg...
. Moser attended primary school and grammar school in the city, and showed an interest in natural sciences from a young age. His interest was cultivated by Heinricher, and Moser's earliest paintings of mushrooms date to 1935 when he was 11 years old.
In 1942, Moser enrolled at the University of Innsbruck, taking classes in botany, zoology, geology, physics and chemistry. At this time, Austria was under the control of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and did not exist as an independent state. Moser became an authorised mushroom controller and instructor, and it was officially requested that he attend mycological seminars around Germany and Austria. At these seminars, he met a number of prominent mycologists, including E. Thirring. Thirring showed Moser some of the issues surrounding the large genus Cortinarius
Cortinarius
Cortinarius is a genus of mushrooms. It is suspected to be the largest genus of agarics, containing over 2000 different species and found worldwide. A common feature among all species in the genus Cortinarius is that young specimens have a cortina between the cap and the stem, hence the name,...
, which remained an interest for the rest of his life. In 1943, aged 19 and after only three terms at Innsbruck, his studies were interrupted so he could perform military service. Having shown earlier promise in linguistics, he was trained as an interpreter, then sent to the Balkan Peninsula. He continued an active interest in mycology, collecting and identifying mushrooms and reading Rolf Singer
Rolf Singer
Rolf Singer was a German-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists of gilled mushrooms in the 20th century....
's Das System der Agaricales.
In 1945, when Moser was 21 years old and still carrying out active military service, he was captured in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and made a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. He was imprisoned in a labour camp in Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. His time at the camp was not easy; working in construction, he had to work to his physical limits, and was involved in a serious crash which killed several other prisoners. Moser was released in 1948, and chose to return to his studies at the University of Innsbruck. His first publication came in 1949; "Über das Massenauftreten von Formen der Gattung Morchella auf Waldbrandflachen" ["Mass-fruiting of forms of the genus Morchella on forest-fire areas"] was published in the journal Sydowia. In 1950, under the supervision of Arthur Pisek, Moser completed his doctoral thesis, "Zur Wasserökologie der höheren Pilze, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung von Waldbrandflächen" ["Water relations in higher fungi with special emphasis on forest-fire areas"]. During his time at university, Moser became involved with a number of mycological societies, including the Societé Mycologique de France, the British Mycological Society
British Mycological Society
The British Mycological Society is a learned society established in 1896 to promote the study of fungi.-Formation:The Society was formed based on the efforts of two local societies, the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club of Hereford and the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union. The curator of the Hereford...
and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Mykologie.
England and the Federal Institute for Foresty Research
Due to his doctoral thesis, Moser received a research grant from the British CouncilBritish Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
and, in 1951, he moved to England, where he stayed for six months. There, he performed research in the laboratory of Jack Harley in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, looking into the symbiosis between fungi and forest trees, and spent some time performing taxonomic studies at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. After his return to Austria, he was, in 1952, offered a research post at the Federal Institute for Forestry Research at Imst
Imst
Imst is a city in the Austrian federal state of Tyrol. It lies on the River Inn in western Tyrol, some 55 km west of Innsbruck and at an altitude of 828 m above sea-level...
, which he accepted. There, he used what he had learnt about the symbiosis of fungi and trees to the practical issue of reforestation
Reforestation
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, and developed a method for the use of ectotrophic mycorrhizal fungi for the "inoculation" of trees, which later became standard practice around the world. This work later led to Singer to refer to Moser as "one of the pioneers of mycorrhiza research, both basic and applied."
In his time at the Federal Institute, Moser continued his taxonomic studies. In 1953, he published the first edition of his Die Blätter und Bauchpilze (Agaricales und Gastromycetes), a monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
of the Agaricales
Agaricales
The fungal order Agaricales, also known as gilled mushrooms , or euagarics, contains some of the most familiar types of mushrooms. The order has 33 extant families, 413 genera, and over 13000 described species, along with five extinct genera known only from the fossil record...
and Gastromycetes of central Europe, containing 3150 taxa. The work served as an update on Adalbert Ricken
Adalbert Ricken
Adalbert Ricken was a German Roman Catholic priest and mycologist who was a native of Fulda.He attended the seminary for Roman Catholic priests in Fulda, and afterwards was a priest and chaplain in several locations in the Fulda diocese...
's Vademecum für Pilzfreunde, though reflecting Moser's taxonomic views, which were highly influenced by Singer. The book was part of a series named Kleine Kryptogamenflora von Mitteleuropa, edited by Helmut Gams. The work, which became known simply as "Moser", was updated and republished numerous times over the following decades, and translated into English and Italian. His monograph of the Agaricales was also published separately from this work. René Pomerleau described a 1967 reprint of the Agaricales monograph, containing descriptions of 2547 species, as "probably the most complete and up-to-date descriptive flora of this group of fungi for central Europe". Die Blätter und Bauchpilze (Agaricales und Gastromycetes) became important for the study of biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
in and out of Europe, and was a "much used and appreciated field manual". The work continued to be used as an authoritative reference for several decades; in 1981, it was still being called "the most-used and most authoritative handbook on larger European fleshy fungi".
University of Innsbruck
In 1956, Moser began lecturing on microbiology at the University of Innsbruck, with the title of "PrivatdozentPrivatdozent
Privatdozent or Private lecturer is a title conferred in some European university systems, especially in German-speaking countries, for someone who pursues an academic career and holds all formal qualifications to become a tenured university professor...
". During this time, he continued to publish. His monograph on the genus "Phlegmacium", now considered to be part of Cortinarius, was published in 1960 as part of Die Pilze Mitteleuropas series. Unlike the previous three books in the series, which were all written by German authors, the work addressed mushrooms which were of less interest to amateur mycologists; for instance, the genus was not considered of much interest in terms of edible mushrooms. The book did draw on Moser's expertise concerning mycorrhizal relationships. The work listed 166 species, including some "exotic" species, and some described for the first time in that volume. The illustrations, which came in the form a number of coloured plates, were mostly Moser's own work; Singer described these in a review of the book as "both in original execution and reproduction among the best that have been published." Discussing the book as a whole, Singer said that "this volume outstanding for its good print, attractive appearance, and interesting contents, should be present in every mycological library".
In 1963, Moser published a second work in the Kleine Kryptogamenflora von Mitteleuropa series, Ascomyceten (Schlauchpilze). This work was a monograph of Ascomycetes, focussing on the Discomycetes
Discomycetes
Discomycetes is a former taxonomic class of Ascomycete fungi which contains all of the cup, sponge, brain, and some club-like fungi. It includes typical cup fungi like the scarlet elf cup and the orange peel fungus, and fungi with fruiting bodies of more unusual shape, such as morels, truffles and...
. Though not as well known as his earlier book, it was well received in the mycological community. Mycologist Richard Korf, reviewing the work in an article published in Mycologia
Mycologia
Mycologia is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi, including lichens. It first appeared as a bimonthly journal in January of 1909, published by the New York Botanical Garden under the editorship of William Murrill. It became the official journal of...
, said that "the book belongs on the shelf of every mycological library in Europe", praising the "[e]xcellent, workable keys to the orders, families, genera, and European species". Korf wrote that, "[i]f a single fault can be found, it is surely the lack of documentation provided." However, a combination of a lack of time and Moser's comparative lack of expertise in Ascomycetes prevented subsequent editions of the work.
Moser was promoted to Associate University Professor in 1964, and, two years later, the Faculty of Science of the University of Innsbruck recommended that a chair of microbiology should be created at the Botanical Institute in Innsbruck. The Federal Ministry of Education accepted the recommendation. Moser was the only candidate for the position, and was unanimously named by a number of leading European botanists and mycologists for the post in 1967. As such, 1972 saw the foundation of the first Institute of Microbiology in Austria, with Moser at its head. He remained in charge of the institute until his retirement. He taught on a wide range of subjects, including the taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of fungi, ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
of fungi, mycogeography, bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
, viruses, chemotaxonomy
Chemotaxonomy
Chemotaxonomy , also called chemosystematics, is the attempt to classify and identify organisms , according to demonstrable differences and similarities in their biochemical compositions. The compounds studied in most of the cases are mostly proteins, amino acids and peptides...
, molecular genetics
Molecular genetics
Molecular genetics is the field of biology and genetics that studies the structure and function of genes at a molecular level. The field studies how the genes are transferred from generation to generation. Molecular genetics employs the methods of genetics and molecular biology...
, microbial toxicology, immunology
Immunology
Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...
and symbiosis
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
. During his career at the university, he oversaw over 60 doctoral theses, in addition to a number of diploma theses.
Moser, in 1975, published Cortinarius Fr. und nahe verwandte Gattungen in Südamerika, which was coauthored by Egon Horak. The work, along with his earlier monograph of "Phlegmacium", proved to be some of Moser's most important, serving to encourage others to engage with Cortinarius in a meaningful way. Cortinarius Fr. und nahe verwandte Gattungen in Südamerika was a study of Cortinarius, Dermocybe
Dermocybe
The fungi of the Dermocybe group, commonly known as Skin-heads, form a group within the huge genus Cortinarius. They are generally considered to be a subgenus though some authorities consider them to form a genus in their own right....
and Stephanopus
Stephanopus
Stephanopus is a genus of fungi in the Cortinariaceae family. The genus contains five species found in South America....
, a new genus first described in that work, in South America, and was dedicated to Singer. The work contained descriptions of 276 new species. Alexander H. Smith
Alexander H. Smith
Alexander Hanchett Smith was an American mycologist known for his extensive contributions to the taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher fungi, especially the agarics.-Early life:...
stressed the significance of the work, saying "Anyone who has not worked in the systematics of Cortinarius cannot fully appreciate the magnitude and importance of this work to the general subject of the distribution and speciation of the higher fungi."
Retirement and later life
In 1991, at the earliest possible date, Moser retired from his teaching position to avoid the administrative burden and to focus on his research into Cortinarius and related genera. He continued to write up until his death. After his retirement, he continued to work heavily, typically beginning work at 5 am. He died on 30 September 2002. After returning from 7th International Congress in OsloOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway, he suffered a series of heart attacks. After being admitted to hospital, his condition rapidly declined before his death. Egon Horak and colleagues, writing for the journal Mycological Research, described Moser's death as "an irreplaceable loss to the international community of
mycological science."
Recognition
Throughout his life, Moser received a number of awards, including the Clusius Medal (BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
1978) and the Kardinal Innitzer Preis (Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
1985). In 1986, he was made a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Austrian Academy of Sciences
The Austrian Academy of Sciences is a legal entity under the special protection of the Federal Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every field, particularly in fundamental research...
, and he became a foreign member of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in 1992. He was recognised by a number of mycological societies, including becoming an honorary member of the American Mycological Society in 1992 and Centenary Fellow of the British Mycological Society in 1996. He also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Lyon
University of Lyon
The University of Lyon , located in Lyon and Saint Etienne, France, is a center for higher education and research comprising 16 institutions of higher education...
in 1984, and in 1990 was awarded honorary citizenship of Borgotaro, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The genera Moserella
Moserella
Moserella is a genus of fungi within the Sclerotiniaceae family; according to the 2007 Outline of Ascomycota, the placement in this family is uncertain. This is a monotypic genus, containing the single species Moserella radicicola....
(Pöder & Scheuer, 1994) and Chromosera
Chromosera
Chromosera is a genus of fungi in the Hygrophoraceae family. The genus is monotypic, containing the single species Chromosera cyanophylla. The generic name honors the mycologist Meinhard Moser, and also alludes to the distinct coloration of the mushrooms....
(Redhead, Ammirati & Norvell, 1995) were named in Moser's honour, as were the species Acariniola moseri (T. Majewsky & J. Wisn.), Collybia moseri ((Antonín & Noordel.) Bon), Conocybe moseri (Watling), Cortinarius moseri ((E. Horak) E. Horak), Cortinarius moserianus (Bohus), Cortinarius meinhardii (Bon), Entoloma moserianum (Noordel.), Gerronema moseri (Singer), Gymnopus moseri (Antonín & Noordel.), Hebeloma moseri (Singer), Hydropus moserianus (Bas), Hygrocybe moseri (Bon), Lactarius moseri (Harmaja), Lasiosphaeria moseri (O. Hilber), Leucoagaricus moseri (Wasser), Peziza moseri (Aviz.-Hersh. & Nemlich), Phaeocollybia moseri (Band.-Muñoz & Guzmán), Psathyrella moseri (Singer), Psilocybe moseri
Psilocybe moseri
Psilocybe moseri is a species of mushroom in the Strophariaceae family. The mushroom contains the medicinal compound psilocybin....
(Guzmán), Pyxidiophora moseri (T. Majewsky & J. Wisn.), Sericeomyces moseri ((Wasser) Heinem.), Thaxteriola moseri (T. Majewsky & J. Wisn.), Tricholoma moseri (Singer), Tricholoma moserinanum (Bon), Tricholoma moseri (Singer), Tubaria moseri (Raithelh.), and Wardomyces moseri (W. Gams).
Cited texts
- Korf, Richard P. (1964). Untitled review of Ascomyceten (Schlauchpilze). MycologiaMycologiaMycologia is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi, including lichens. It first appeared as a bimonthly journal in January of 1909, published by the New York Botanical Garden under the editorship of William Murrill. It became the official journal of...
56 (5): 788. - Korf, Richard P. (1981). Unititled review of 700 Pilze in Farbfotos. MycologiaMycologiaMycologia is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi, including lichens. It first appeared as a bimonthly journal in January of 1909, published by the New York Botanical Garden under the editorship of William Murrill. It became the official journal of...
. 73 (2): 376. - Pomerleau, René (1968). Untitled review of Kleine Kryptogamenflora, Band II/b2. Basidiomyceten II. Die Rohrlinge und Blatterpilze (Agaricales). MycologiaMycologiaMycologia is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi, including lichens. It first appeared as a bimonthly journal in January of 1909, published by the New York Botanical Garden under the editorship of William Murrill. It became the official journal of...
60 (5): 1126–7. - Singer, RolfRolf SingerRolf Singer was a German-born mycologist and one of the most important taxonomists of gilled mushrooms in the 20th century....
(1960). Unititled review of Die Gattung Phlegmacium (Scgleimkopfe). ("Die Pilze Mittleeuopas" Band IV). MycologiaMycologiaMycologia is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi, including lichens. It first appeared as a bimonthly journal in January of 1909, published by the New York Botanical Garden under the editorship of William Murrill. It became the official journal of...
52 (5): 823–5. - Smith, Alexander H.Alexander H. SmithAlexander Hanchett Smith was an American mycologist known for his extensive contributions to the taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher fungi, especially the agarics.-Early life:...
(1975). Untitled review of Cortinarius Fr. und nahe verwandte Gattungen in Südamerika. MycologiaMycologiaMycologia is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi, including lichens. It first appeared as a bimonthly journal in January of 1909, published by the New York Botanical Garden under the editorship of William Murrill. It became the official journal of...
67 (5): 1078–9.