Having trouble registering? You can register directly on Eventbrite or email [email protected], and we will be happy to assist you with the registration process. Please include your name and zipcode.
Have you heard that trees can “talk” to each other through underground fungal networks? It’s one of the most captivating ideas in forest ecology.
Back by popular demand after Parts I & II, expert Christian Schwarz, co-author of Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, returns to explore the fascinating science behind fungal networks and plant communication. Nearly 30 years after the “Wood Wide Web” concept captured the imaginations of people worldwide, research continues to reveal both exciting discoveries and surprising complexities.
This 90-minute live, interactive event will take you beneath the forest floor to understand how fungi connect plants, what scientists have learned, and where the mysteries remain.
Here’s what this event has in spore for you:
- Discover how mycorrhizal networks actually function in nature
- Explore the evidence for plant communication through fungal connections
- Live Q&A with Christian Schwarz to get your questions answered
What we’ll explore:
- How it works: The fascinating biology of mycorrhizal networks and what “communication” means in the fungal world
- What research reveals: Current scientific understanding of nutrient exchange, chemical signaling, and plant interactions through fungal networks
- The bigger picture: How popular science stories shape our understanding of nature—and why getting the details right matters for conservation
You’ll leave this event with:
- A deeper understanding of the hidden fungal world beneath our feet
- Knowledge of what mycorrhizal networks do for forests and ecosystems
- The ability to share accurate, wonder-filled information about fungal ecology with others
You don’t need to have attended Parts I or II—when you register, we’ll send you both previous sessions as a bonus.
Register now for the event on Tuesday, January 27, at 7:00 p.m.. The event will be recorded.
About Our Speaker
Christian Schwarz is an educator and naturalist from California. Although he primarily spends his time seeking, photographing, collecting, teaching about, and publishing research on North American macrofungi, he is passionate about biodiversity in general, and especially the ‘big pictures’ of ecology, evolution, and biogeography. He has co-authored two field guides — Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast and Mushrooms of Cascadia (both with Noah Siegel). He is a research associate at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and the Ken Norris Center for Natural History at UC Santa Cruz, where he has taught undergraduate courses in mycology and community science.
