Detangling the Wood Wide Web: Assessing Functionality of Common Mycelial Networks

Culinary Historians of Chicago

Detangling the Wood Wide Web: Assessing Functionality of Common Mycelial Networks Willow AbshireSims What lies beneath our feet when we walk through a forest? A massive web of mycelium runs underground, connecting trees by the roots in a network commonly referred to as the “Wood Wide Web”. But what do we know about this “Wood Wide Web”? Perhaps more importantly: what don’t we know, and where might future research take us in our understanding of these interactions? Bio: Willow AbshireSims is a Masters student at Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden. She graduated from Christopher Newport University in 2019 with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Biology. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, foraging, and collecting rocks. Her favorite fungus is Marasmius oreades (Fairy Ring Mushrooms). Image: Attached image sourced from: http://www.envision-dtp.org/2017/investigating-the-transfer-of-carbon-between-trees-via-common-mycorrhizal-networks/ Recorded via Zoom on October 5, 2020 IllinoisMyco.org