Florida Fungi: The Diversity Hidden Beneath your Feet

Matthew Smith is a professor of Plant Pathology and curator of the Fungal Collection (Fungarium) of the Florida Museum of Natural History. He studies fungi, with much of his research focused on the ecology and evolution of ectomycorrhizal fungi, which have a close association with tree roots. This group includes truffles! Smith has described new genera of fungi and >50 new species, including several new truffles and truffle-like fungi. In this talk, he provides an overview of what fungi are, and explains how they are fundamentally different from plants and animals. He discusses the diversity of fungi, challenges to understanding the true extent of their diversity and impacts in our environment. Dr. Smith discusses work from his lab exploring the diversity of fungi in Florida and provides an overview of some of Florida’s most colorful and interesting fungi.

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Host or Publisher Tallahassee Scientific Society