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Listen to Leif’s podcast, Applied Mycology: Discussions on the various ways that fungi influence ecology and human culture and how they can be leveraged to address challenges of the modern world. Topics include mushroom cultivation, soil health, bioremediation, medicinal mushrooms and more.
Email Leif: Mycoscapes@gmail.com
In this creative exploration of applied ecology, fungi, and mycoremediation, Environmental scientist & educator (and good friend!) Leif Olson takes us on a journey of understanding fungi, how they function in the environment, mycoremediation and the importance of diversity and holism in approaching challenges of environmental degradation. He also gives us simple, actionable steps for how we can all bolster the health of the environment where we live! The first part of the episode builds out our knowledge and framework for understanding why the actionable steps at the end will work, and at 48:00 is where he gives us specific steps to bolster our local environments, so if you’re just looking for that, skip there!
Recommendations for further study from Leif:
Show notes
- How fungi work in the environment: they’re unique because they can digest their surroundings! They’re a crucial part of cycling organic material and helping plants acquire nutrients
- Fungi & Mycorrhizae as the multiple internets of the soil (not a single internet!). They’re sometimes collaborating, sometimes competing - what they’re working towards overall is nutrients to be acquired out of the soil, as well as soil to be built.
- The fungi we have inside us: Yeasts!
- Endophytes: fungi that live inside plants and assist them with various processes, examples and explanation of endophytes doing their thing
- Mycoremediation: facilitating a compled chain of reactions, and a diversity of fungi & bacteria help tackle challenging & complex contaminants. Doing this work in the “real world” is very site specific, and differs greatly from reality of laboratory testing
- The importance of holism/a holistic approach in bioremediation: not constraining out thinking a a single methodology or kingdom of life. These are complex systems with many variables, and the phyto-, myco-, and bacterial parts are all important for approaching environmental degradation.
48:00 Practical things everyone can do to boost their ecology where they live
- Covering the soil! Barren soil dries out a lot faster, and microorganisms can’t perform their functions when dry. Naked soil gets oxidized, meaning the nutrients get burned up and released as gas (!). Then, when bare soil is rained on, the water compacts the soil and basically crushes the passageways/cavities microorganisms would live in and/or plant roots would grow in. Mulch to create a hospitable environment for soil microorganisms!
2. Dialing in the type of mulch: woody plant material or leaves that’s aged naturally colonizes with the fungi that’s around the environment or in it. Keeping tabs on the organic matter on your site is important! Seeing organic matter as future soil and treating it like the resource it is. 3. is remineralizing soil but I ran out of space to put the steps!
