North American Mycological Association

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Barbara Ching

President

Salma St. John

1st Vice President

Connie Durnan

2nd Vice President

Howard Goltz

Secretary

Melodie Gates

Treasurer

Christy Ecsedy

Membership Secretary

Bruch Reed

Executive Secretary

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Join us to learn more about fungi, have more fun, and make friends

The North American Mycological Association welcomes all people with an interest in mushrooms and mycology without regard to race, gender, age, color, national origin, ethnic background, socioeconomic status, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. Go to http://www.namyco.org/join.php. Members of affiliated clubs receive a $5 discount. For only $25 ($30 for non-affiliated members), you will receive 6 issues of The Mycophile, full access to our expanded website, and a standing invitation to all NAMA-sponsored forays. Members enjoy all the benefits NAMA has to offer, including our newsletter, The Mycophile, which is full of educational articles and news about upcoming forays.

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Lichen Basics

Lichens are amazing organisms. They are all around us and we hardly notice them. Found on soil, tree bark, rocks and even some under water, they are actually two organisms living together (symbiosis). The major component is a fungus (mycobiont), hence they are classified as fungi — the vast majority being ascomycetes. Lichens are fungi that have taken up farming, and they are known as lichenized fungi. There are four major growth forms — crustose, foliose, fruticose and squamulose.
To see the page on Lichens written by Dorothy Smullen, follow this link...

McIlvainea Vol. 29:

Animal-Fungal Interactions 4: Observations of Coleopteran use of Ganoderma and other fungi in the southern Appalachian Mountains

Umbilicaria mammulata, photo by Jason Hollinger

Todd Elliott

A diversity of North American beetles rely on fungi for a substantial portion of their life cycle, but there has been limited research into the larger ecological implications of these associations. The dieback of eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) has led to an increase in the fruiting numbers of the shelf fungus Ganoderma tsugae; in some areas, this has in turn caused an increase in the populations of pleasing fungus beetles (Megalodacne heros).

This paper is the fourth in a series of research on Animal-Fungal Interactions, including bowerbirds, hedgehogs and brush-tailed porcupines.

Todd Elliott is a champion fiddler, storyteller, and performing artist who has played music and told tales on stages from Carolina to California. He has worked with TV networks including PBS, National Geographic Channel, and UNC-TV. Todd has been involved with research projects exploring biological diversity on six continents and has discovered and described organisms new to science. He is currently a PhD student in the department of Ecosystem Management, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.