SVIMS South Vancouver Island Mycological Society Meeting and Presentation When: Thursday, Dec 6, 2018, 7:00 pm Where: Pacific Forestry Centre 506 West Burnside Road Saanich, BC What: Talk on " Wet and wild? Theories about the evolution of truffle-like fungi " Cortinarius mushrooms are abundant and present worldwide of in a dizzying array of morphologies. Through microscopy and DNA sequencing we are able to better understand how to distinguish one species from another and to learn about the origin of the diversity of the world around us. Emma will talk about the evolution of the gorgeous Cortinarius violaceus group as well as theories about the evolution of truffle-like fungi based on climate. Who: Emma Harrower Emma Harrower grew up in Vancouver, BC, Canada. She was first inspired to learn about the biodiversity of fungi when she received a job to photograph and catalog symbiotic mycorrhizal root-tips. When she learned how many mushroom species in BC remain unidentified and misidentified, she led a study to find out how many species of webcaps (Cortinarius) there are in the province of British Columbia using genetics alone. Emma’s interest in Cortinarius species brought her to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where she completed a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, studying the systematics and worldwide biogeography of the Cortinarius violaceus group as well as theories about the evolution of truffle-like (sequestrate) fungi. She has authored eight scientific publications in journals such as Mycologia, Botany, and MycoKeys.
