Amanita phalloides (Death Cap Mushroom)

Cat will explain how scientists determined the death cap mushroom, Amanita phalloides, was an invasive species, and why we should care. She'll then tell you about 10 years of research at Pt Reyes National Seashore examining how Amanita phalloides spreads. Lastly, Cat will outline her ongoing work to determine the ecological role of Phalloides' toxins, and will present her preliminary findings.

Cat Adams is interested in how chemical ecology influences interactions between plants and fungi. For her PhD in Tom Bruns' lab, Cat is studying the invasive ectomycorrhizal fungus, Amanita phalloides. The death cap mushroom kills more people than any other mushroom, but how the deadly amatoxins influence its invasion remains unexplored.

Speaker: Catherine Adams