Check out even more videos at the WMS YouTube Channel!

April 2021 lecture -
Hunting Morels in Wisconsin with mycologist Michael Scott Zirpoli
Michael Scott Zirpoli is a mycologist and science educator.

At the time, Michael was at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Michael's personal research work has been funded by grants from The Stuntz Foundation and The Puget Sound Mycological Society and in 2018 he was the recipient of The Mike Beug Scholarship. Michael's current research is focused on morels, studying their taxonomic distribution, ecology, biology and their potential for cultivation. His work has involved DNA analysis, cultural analysis, field collection of over 150 unique specimens, and attempts at indoor and outdoor cultivation.

In this video, Michael presents on the taxonomic distribution of morels with a focus on North American morels, especially those found in Wisconsin. He  shares tips and tricks for hunting morels learned from his time in the field in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and will compare and contrast habitat and distribution between the PNW and the Midwest.

Michael Zirpoli has his own YouTube channel here, with the punny name "QuestionableMorels" - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOtEZAn1y7TA5AInHHIPRXA & has a video up on morel cultivation prospects!
 2022 lecture - The Joy of Fungal Sex - Patrick Leacock, PhD.
This presentation looks at the strange and wonderful diversity of reproductive strategies and life cycle options. Ever since fungi arrived on the land and developed hyphae, they have explored many ways to propagate, soon rejecting the basic male-female sex paradigm. Fusion of compatible hyphae controlled by mating genes replaced the use of single-celled gametes. Some fungi have two mating types; other fungi can have hundreds or thousands. Many fungi such as molds reproduce asexually, but when the going gets tough, some fungi can self-reproduce sexually. Mushrooms have gone a step further to keep their options open. Rather than cells having a diploid nucleus following mating, the nuclei from the two mated individuals remain separate, forming a dikaryon with two haploid nuclei in each cell. This allows a mated individual to fuse with and “fertilize” an un-mated individual by donating compatible nuclei. Oh and those mushrooms that we love to collect and cook for dinner – those are spore-producing sex organs.

Patrick Leacock, PhD is a mycologist documenting the mushrooms of the Chicago Region with collections going to the Field Museum of Natural History, where he worked for 14 years and continues as an associate. He now teaches botany and mycology at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He assists on forays as a scientific advisor for the Illinois Mycological Association. He started his mushroom activities with the Minnesota Mycological Society and obtained his PhD from the University of Minnesota. Patrick served as Voucher Coordinator for 20 years documenting fungi at the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) annual forays. Visit Patrick's website at www.mycoguide.com ... you can also find Patrick on iNaturalist!