The Fungus Among Us: What Fungi Are And Why They Are Important with Gary Emberger, Ph.D.

What do puffballs, dead man’s fingers, fairy rings, soft drinks, destroying angels, powdery mildews, ringworm, corn smut, Beano, stink horns, morels, truffles, dandruff, beer, shiitakes, chestnut trees, bread, stone-washed jeans and Roquefort cheese all have in common? They all involve a fungus! Fungi are everywhere and affect us every day. We enjoy eating some. Others will kill us. Some fungi cause diseases. Some cure diseases. Many plants cannot live without fungi. Some plants cannot live because of them. Fungi have been recognized since antiquity, yet to most people are little understood and somewhat mysterious. Neither plants nor animals, fungi are considered to be a separate kingdom of organisms. This presentation will explain what fungi are, survey their diversity, discuss their importance in ecosystems and review how they impact our lives.

Gary Emberger, Ph.D. taught mycology, plant taxonomy, medicinal botany and other biology courses at Messiah University from 1981 to 2018. He completed a B.S. in biology at Pennsylvania State University and earned a M.S. and a Ph.D. in plant pathology at Pennsylvania State University and North Carolina State University, respectively. Students enjoyed mycology because the field trips, lab work and lectures opened their eyes to a vast kingdom of organisms that were mostly unfamiliar to them. Emberger maintains an active interest in the diversity of fungi that utilize wood as a substrate, and he is the author of the online identification guide to “Fungi Growing on Wood.”