About the event

The event will be led by Dr. Christian Taylor. Christian is a fungal ecologist and science teacher based in Exeter specialising in the relationships between fungi, trees and animals. He has studied fungal ecology in Canada, India and in the UK as part of his PhD project which he completed at University of Bath. He currently works for the School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences at The Open University, teaching ecological and biological sciences. Christian is on the Education and Outreach committee of the British Mycological Society and is on the Microbiology in Schools Advisory Committee (MiSAC). He is also a science associate of SPUN (society for the protection underground networks) an international organisation set up by Dr. Merlin Sheldrake who wrote the book Entangled Life.

In terms of what to expect on the foray; we will discover the underlying mycelia that connect mushrooms to trees and help to create niche spaces for the accommodation of animals in forests. We shall separate toxic from medicinal and potentially edible fruiting bodies and delve into aspects of the ecology of fungal relationships with each other, with plants and animals, and understand the biology of fungal life cycles. This will be a beginner's guide to welcome you to the Kingdom of Fungi, but will also be interesting for those with intermediate and advanced knowledge of particular taxonomic groups.

Dr. Christian Taylor is an Associate Lecturer at School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, The Open University.