Next Meeting: March 18, 2010
Jennifer Kerekes: A look at the diversity and ecology of saprotrophic fungal communities
Jennifer Kerekes is a PhD candidate studying the ecology and diversity
of saprotrophic fungal communities with Dr. Tom Bruns at the University
of California, Berkeley. Saprotrophic, or decomposer, fungi play very
important ecological roles in litter decomposition and nutrient recycling.
However, saprotrophic fungal community diversity and function are still
not well understood. The goals of her current research are to characterize
the species and functional diversity of the basidiomycete component of
the saprotrophic fungal communities in both natural grassland and forest
ecosystems.
Past speakers
Recent speakers at our monthly SOMA meetings.
2009
- William Rubel, with David Arora: The History of Amanita muscaria as an Edible Mushroom And a Look at Cultural Bias in Field Guides
- DVD by Taylor Lockwood, The Good, the Bad, and the Deadly: a special showing of the latest DVD by Taylor Lockwood.
- David Campbell, Rocky Monsoon Mushrooms: A peek at summer fungi of southwestern Colorado
- Nicole Hynson, When fungi host plants: unraveling the role of mycorrhizal specificity in myco-heterotrophic plants
- Elio Schaecter, Mushrooms Through the Ages
- Maggie Rodgers, Hooked on Mushroomers?
- Kathryn Harper, Toxic and Hallucinogenic Mushroom Identification via a DNA-based Macroarray
- Gary Lincoff, Appearance and Reality: Knowing what’s what and why in the fungi
2008
- Glenn Shepard, Jr, Attitudes toward and Uses of Mushrooms in Traditional Cultures: An overview
- Dimitar Bochantev, Sierra Nevada—Fungal Diversity along the roads less travelled
- David Rust, A mushroomer's Guide to Sudden Oak Death
- Chris Kjeldson, Why Fungi: From Elvis the King to Environmental Engineers
- David Campbell, Fungimental Mycophagy: a forest-to-table discussion about the basics and beyond of eating wild mushrooms
- Mia Maltz, Amazon Mycorenewal Project
- Dorothy Beebee, Fiber and Fungi—the First Forty Years
- Dr. Tom Volk, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
2007
- Dr. Sveta Yamin-Pasternak, PhD, Polar Regions Research, National Science Foundation: "From Tomorrow to Yesterday with a Myco-Scope Lens: Mushroom Tales from Russia and Alaska"
- Taylor Lockwood, New Book: Chasing the Rain: My Treasure Hunt for the World's Most Beautiful Mushrooms
- Dr. Roberto Garibay Orijel, Ph.D., UC Berkeley:"Men and Fungi, a travel through time and civilizations."
- Dr. Terry Henkel, Ph.D., Humboldt State Univeristy:"Going Fungal in the Jungle."
- Darvin DeShazer, Sonoma County Mycological Association.
- Tara Fulgenzi, Humboldt State University:"Boletaceae of Guyana."
- S. Coleman McCleneghan, Ph.D., "Fungal Stories from the Great Smoky Mountain ATBI: Documenting Friends and Foes."
- Gary Lincoff, New York Botanical Garden.
2006
- Dr. Ralph Metzner, Ph.D. Ayahuasca and the psilocybe mushrooms and how they relate to psychotherapy, shamanic journey practices and alchemical divination.
- Bob Engel of Gourmet Mushroom.
- Charmoon Richardson, Wild About Mushrooms Co. "Wild Culinary Mushrooms of Northern California."
- Judy Roger, North American Mycological Association. "The Oregon Chanterelle Study—20 years and Counting…"
- Dr. Beug, Ph.D., North American Mycological Association. "Reflections on Mushroom Poisonings."
- Denise Gregory, San Francisco State University. "Endophytic Fungi."
- Debbie Viess (AKA Amanitarita). "Amanitas of California."
- Leon Shernoff, Illinois Mycological Association and editor of Mushroom, the Journal of Wild Mushrooming. "How do you know when a mushroom is strange?"
2005
- Dr. Rytas Vilgalys, Ph.D., Duke University. "The secret lives of mushrooms."
- Dr. Matteo Garbelotto, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley. "The Tanoak Mycorrhiza Community: Predicting the Effects of P. ramorum."
- Dr. Largent, Ph.D., Humboldt State University, emeritus. "The Fantastic Features of Fungi."
- Andy Wilson, Clark University. "Gymnopus."
- Dr. Dennis Desjardin, Ph.D., San Francisco State University, Mycological Society of San Francisco. "Why I Am A Mycologist."
- Dr. Fred Stevens, Ph.D. "Agaricus of California."
- Carla Mueller. "Enchanted Swedish Mushrooms."
- Dr. Tom Volk, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. "Where Have All The Hydnums Gone?"
2004
- Dr. Bruce Ing, Ph.D., University College, Chester. "The Natural History of Myxomycetes."
- Dr. Gastón Guzmán, Ph.D., Instituto de Ecología at Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. "Traditions Of Mexican Mushrooms: Edible, Medicinal And Sacred."
- Scott Bates, University of Arizona. "Southwestern puffballs and earthstars: monography, phylogeny and spore ultrastructure in the Lycoperdaceae and Geastraceae."
- Dr. Tom Bruns, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley. "Observations on the Natural History of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi."
- Megan Romberg, University of California, Davis. "Experiments in dyeing with Fusarium."
- Dr. Donald Kowalski, Ph.D., California State University Chico, emeritus. "California Slime Molds."
- Dr. Elio Schaechter, Ph.D., San Diego Mycological Society.
- Gary Lincoff, New York Botanical Garden.
2003
- Dr. Jim Trappe, Ph.D.. "Truffles In Australia…And Why Do We Care?"
- Lawrence Glacy,"Panda Nature Reserves in China and their Fungal Ecology."
- Matthew Keile, University of Chicago. "Coprinoid Fungi of Hawaii."
- Dr. Lisa Grubisha, Ph.D.. "Channel Islands: Biogeography of Rhizopogon."
- Janice Alexander, University of California Cooperative Extension and California Oak Mortality Task Force. "Oak Death: Phytophthora ramorum in California."
- Dr. Steve Trudell, Ph.D., University of Washington. "Mycorrhizal Fungi: Foundation of Our Forests."
- Dr. Michael Kuo, Ph.D., Eastern Illinois University. "Everything we Know About Morels."
- Dr. Rod Tulloss, Ph.D..