Michael Hood, Associate Professor and Chair of the Biology Department, Amherst College
Tuesday, November 17, 7-9pm

Michael researches the impacts of diseases in natural populations, with a main focus on fungi. He loves discussing this diverse kingdom and the important functions of fungi in the environment. Both saviors and villains, fungi are vital to many ecosystem services and the establishment of natural communities; while other groups cause diseases in plants and animals, some rivaling the devastation of The Great Plague. This talk will go beyond fungi as familiar mushrooms, to discuss ecological interactions of fungi, whether inducing sex changes in plants, lassoing microscopic eelworms, or forming the oldest known symbiosis of life on land. Join Michael for a wide-ranging, illustrated talk that will reveal the hidden lives of these amazing organisms. Find out more about our local mushrooms through other Hitchcock Center programs this fall. Donations and registration appreciated