2020 Annual Meeting Homepage

The Mycological Society of America’s First Virtual Meeting
MSA 2020: Mycology from the Cloud

#MSAfungi20

All content from the 2020 MSA Virtual meeting was recorded, and was available to MSA members for 6 months following the meeting. 

Karling Lecture: Gregory Jedd, National University of Singapore

“Fungal Mycelia as Complex Microfluidic Systems”

From rapid invasive growth to fruiting body development, the fungal mycelium underlies core features of the fungal lifestyle. The lecture will focus on the mycelium as a microfluidic network allowing long-distance transport and bulk cytoplasmic migration. I will describe distinct taxa-specific flow-control mechanisms, and show how cytoplasmic flow can play a deterministic role in the specification of hyphal fate.

Presidential Address: MSA President Anne Pringle

“How to Count? Lichens, Buller, and Fungal Individuality”

The rich intellectual history of our thinking on fungal individuality  reflects distinct literatures focused on different groups and species, for example, lichens and Neurospora. While lichenologists accept genetic mosaics may be common, Neurospora is a model for probing the molecular underpinnings of rejection of “other”.  In my talk I will focus on simple questions with no simple answers:  What is an organism?  How shall we count individual fungi in nature? I will base my answers on a decade-long survey of lichens growing on the tombstones of a Petersham cemetery. My central thesis: lichens are organisms and should be counted as such.

Symposia

“Teaching Mycology Online: Lessons Learned”

Organizers: 

The MSA Eduction Committee

 

Many of us were asked to transition our undergraduate and graduate courses to online instruction this spring and summer with little preparation or support, and it’s possible that we will be expected to do the same thing this fall. The Mycology Teaching Symposium included best practices for online teaching, resources for online educators, and advice from mycologists currently overcoming the various challenges encountered when teaching online. 

“Fungal Community Structure, Dynamics and Function in Decaying Wood”

Organizers: Lynne Boddy and Michelle Jusino

Contributors: 

    • Lynne Boddy, Cardiff University, Wales, UK
    • Michelle Jusino, University of Gainesville, FL, USA
    • Emma C. Gilmartin, Cardiff University, Wales, UK & Woodland Trust, UK
    • James Skelton, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
    • You Li, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
    • Andrew J. Johnson, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
    • Jiri Hulcr, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
    • Matthew E. Smith, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
    • Yu Fukasawa, Assistant Professor, University Tohoku, Japan
    • Francois Maillard, Postdoctoral Associate, University of Minneapolis, MN
    • Daniel Lindner, USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI, USA
    • Mark Banik, USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI, US
    • Jonathan Palmer, USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI, US
    • Frederik Matt, USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI, US
    • Edward J. Pyne, Cardiff University, Wales, UK 

“Fungal Community Structure and Change in the Heart-rot and Hollowing of Standing Angiosperm Trees”  by: Lynne Boddy, Emma C Gilmartin 

“Relationships in Decay: Ambrosia Beetles Host Phylogenetically Diverse Basidiomycete Fungi” by: Michelle A Jusino, James Skelton, You Li, Andrew J. Johnson, Jiri Hulcr, and Matthew E. Smith 

“Linking Wood-Decay Fungal Community Functions to Forest Dynamics” by: Yu Fukasawa 

“Why Predicting Outcomes is so Difficult: Intra-specific Competition and Incremental Changes in Temperature Influence Fungal Community Composition and Functional Outcomes in Wood Decomposition” by: Daniel L. Lindner, Mark Banik, Michelle Jusino, Jonathan Palmer, Frederik Matt

“Fungi in Sapwood: Endophytes and Origins of Decay” by: Emma C. Gilmartin, Michelle A. Jusino, Edward J. Pyne, Mark T. Banik, Daniel L. Lindner, Lynne Boddy 

Wood decomposition is usually brought about by a community of fungi which interact with each other, and with other organisms. The structure and activity of these communities change with time, and in response to the presence of other organisms and environmental conditions. Understanding fungal community structure and dynamics is essential for modeling and predicting ecosystem function in a globally changing environment. While solid progress has been made on describing wood decay communities in the 20th century, with modern technologies we are now able to achieve a deeper understanding, and the time is now ripe to review recent, exciting progress. 

Virtual Poster and Graphical Abstract Sessions

You can view the posters and graphical abstracts submitted here!

Awards Ceremony​

The Mycological Society of America recognizes excellence in research, teaching and service among its membership by celebrating students, teachers, and researchers. 

Thank you to all of the 2020 award applicants, and congratulations to the awardees!

The winners of the MSA Distinctions and MSA Fellow awards were announced the day of the meeting. 

2020 MSA Student, Research, and Travel Award Winners 

Annual MSA Auction

The annual MSA auction was held online this year, and raised over $2000 for the Society! 

Review the MSA Virtual Meeting Code of Conduct