How Mushrooms Changed the World

David Hibbett, Professor of Biology, Clark University 2017–2018 Fellow, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University Fungi receive little attention in mainstream media, but these organisms have an enormous impact on ecosystems and on the production of food and pharmaceuticals. As decomposers, fungi recycle nutrients and are key contributors to the global carbon cycle. David Hibbett will examine the diversity of fungal decay mechanisms and how they have evolved across geologic time. He will also address the controversial hypothesis that fungal evolution contributed to the decline in coal formation at the end of the Carboniferous Period. Public lecture delivered March 27, 2018 for Harvard Museum of Natural History, one of the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, as part of the Evolution Matters Lecture Series. Series supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit.