On the third Tuesday of each month from September thru May, the Mycological Society of San Francisco hosts a General Meeting open to Members and the public. The Society has maintained our schedule of events using electronic media, Zoom, to meet and share our mission to educate about the kingdom of Fungi.
In-person meeting at the Randall Museum
Doors open at 6:30pm
Hospitality hour and ID of mushroom specimens in the Buckley Room.
At 7:20pm everyone moves to the Theater. General meeting and Zoom session start at 7:30pm.
First Announcements are made followed by the featured presentation of the evening and attendee questions.
We wind up at 8:30pm, people who are able-bodied help stack chairs;
the room needs to be cleared by 9:00.
General meetings are open to the public.
Talk Title: Comparing the Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Communities of three Pinus Species on California's Far North Coast
This master's project investigates the communities of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi associated with three pine species occurring in coastal Humboldt and Mendocino Counties: Bishop pine (Pinus muricata), shore pine (Pinus contorta subsp contorta), and Monterey pine (Pinus radiata). Now in its culmination phase, this research has revealed variation in ECM fungal community composition among the three pine species, and quantified the influences of host species, native range overlap, and geographic distance on the community of ECM fungi present. Additionally, edaphic soils variables across all sites were correlated with patterns in ECM fungal diversity and species richness. From an ecological perspective, this project has identified keystone fungal symbionts that may have not been previously inventoried, and elucidate the flexibility of the ECM fungi that participate in symbiotic mutualisms. Ectomycorrhizal fungi are critical components of pinaceous forests, by quantifying the communities of ECM fungi across different pine tree hosts I hope to highlight the importance of biodiversity and the factors influencing the occurrence of fungal symbionts.
Monika Richardson grew up on the San Francisco Peninsula where she developed a love for the ecosystems of the coastal regions of California. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and has spent 7 years working for various government and nonprofit conservation organizations such as Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Mendocino Land Trust, and Feather River RCD.
After years of being obsessed with identifying and looking for mushrooms, Monika decided to enter a master's program at Cal Poly Humboldt to investigate the symbiotic mutualisms between fungi and plants. She is excited to be studying something she finds so fascinating and is happy to be in the beautiful and wet Humboldt county.
When not looking for mushrooms, Monika spends her time surfing, co-managing a compost company, and playing music.
| 11/18/2025 |    |