Summary of the course

The course is a survey of the diversity of fungi, their biology, and their impact on other organisms. We will spend the first part of the course examining the biodiversity and systematics of fungi, the second exploring how they work, and the third investigating their roles in the environment and in human affairs. You’ll learn through hands-on labs how to work with fungi and identify them.

Goals of this course

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
Marcel Proust

Surprisingly few people know anything about fungi, despite the fact that we are constantly surrounded by them: we breathe their spores; we eat their fermentations; we brave the diseases they cause. The trick is in learning to see them, and in understanding why they’re important.

In this course we will get together several times a week to learn about the kingdom of Fungi. We will appreciate them. Be occasionally grossed-out. Explore fungal diversity. We’ll study some of the various functions of fungi in the world. We’ll learn how fungi can be identified, using a microscope and taxonomic keys. How do fungi get their names? What’s it like to be a mycologist?

I expect you to leave the course girded with the following mycological skills:

ü Understand some of the varied roles fungi play in ecosystems.

ü Understand how fungi are put together, and how they work.

ü Be able to recognize a fungus when you see one.

ü Given an unknown fungus, know what to look for to identify it, and be able to find an appropriate key or book to do so.

ü Be able to make and maintain a culture of a fungus.

ü Be able to sketch a typical life cycle for each of the major groups of fungi.

ü Understand the “good” and “bad” impacts of fungi on other organisms.

ü Be able to tell others, convincingly, why fungi are cool.

Fungi, PLPA 309

Tentative Course Schedule, Fall 2007

DATE	Lecture (9:05–9:55am)	Lab (1:25–4:25pm)

R Aug. 23	Introduction to Fungi	No Lab
T Aug. 28	Fungus basics
R Aug. 30	Ascomycetes	Ascomycetes
T Sept. 4	Ascomycetes II
R Sept. 6	Anamorphic fungi; yeasts	Ascomycetes & anamorphic fungi
T Sept. 11	Basidiomycetes
R Sept. 13	Basidiomycetes II	Basidiomycetes
T Sept. 18	Zygomycota
R Sept. 20	Chytridiomycota, and other swimmers	Zygomycetes, chytrids
T Sept. 25	Oomycota and Hyphochytridiomycota
R Sept. 27	Slime Molds (R.A. Humber)	Slime molds & oomycetes
T Oct. 2	Fungal Phylogeny

R Oct. 4	FIRST PRELIM	Culture Collection tips
T Oct. 9	FALL BREAK-no class

R Oct. 11	Cytology	Cytology
T Oct. 16	Molecular Genetics
R Oct. 18	Physiology	Physiology & Genetics
T Oct. 23	Mycorrhizae (T. Pawlowska)
R Oct. 25	Lichens (R. Dirig)	Lichens & Mycorrhizae
T Oct. 30	Spore Dispersal
R Nov. 1	TBA (what would you like to learn?)	Ecology & Dispersal

T Nov. 6	SECOND PRELIM

R Nov. 8	Fungi & Plant Disease	Plant Pathogenic Fungi
T Nov. 13	Fungi & Animals
R Nov. 15	Biocontrol	Fungi and Animals
T Nov. 20	Medical Mycology
R Nov. 22	THANKSGIVING BREAK — no class	no lab
T Nov. 27	Fungi & Food
R Nov. 29	Mycotoxins, mushroom poisoning, hallucinogens	Fungi and Food; Review session
FINAL EXAM Wednesday December 12 from 9:00-11:30, room 336 PS

Textbook:

W.B. Kendrick. The Fifth Kingdom. 3rd Edition. Mycologue Publishing.

free through the course web site:

http://www.plantpath.cornell.edu/Courses/pp309/index.html

User: XXxxx

Password: xxxxxx (case sensitive)

You do not need to purchase the text, which can be accessed via the class web page.

If you are seriously interested in mycology, consider purchasing one or both of the following books, which provide more in-depth treatments and will serve you well for years. They will not be used as texts in this course, but certainly come in handy. I use them almost daily:

P.M. Kirk, P.F. Cannon, J.C. David, J.A. Stalpers. 2001. Ainsworth and Bisby's dictionary of the fungi. 9th ed., Egham, UK: CAB International. 655p.

Alexopoulos, C.J., C.W. Mims, and M. Blackwell. 1996. Introductory mycology. 4th ed., New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Grades

15% First Prelim (Oct. 4)

15% Second Prelim (Nov. 6)

10% Laboratory Notes (handed in at end of each lab)

15% Writing assignment (see separate handout)

20% Collection Assignment (see separate handout)

25% Final Examination (Dec. 12)

Participation

This includes attendance at lectures and labs (see below) and your active participation in discussions. It also includes the consideration you show for your peers in keeping the lab in decent shape, in helping each other learn, and in sharing the cool things you find. I will not “bell” or “curve” the grades in this course to control how many As I give out. There is therefore no reason for competitive or hostile behavior. Although no part of your grade is explicitly designated for participation, poor participation may be reflected in deductions of up to 10% from your overall grade.

Prelims and Exams

The first prelim, on October 4th during lecture period, covers all material treated up to that date. The second prelim, on November 6th during lecture period, covers material treated after the first prelim. The Final Examination, on Thursday December 12 from 9:00-11:30 covers all the information you’ve learned during the course.

Attendance

Students who miss a laboratory must meet with the Professor or TA to catch up on missed material, and are expected to have a compelling excuse.

Students who miss more than one lab will lose participation points (up to 10%), plus an additional 5% of their final grade for each lab missed.

I’m serious.

Academic Integrity

It is costing you a lot of money to be here to learn, so do it right. Plagiarism, cheating, and vandalism of your peers’ experiments are a disservice to yourself as well as your professor. If you are having trouble completing assignments on time, or don’t understand the point of an exercise, please talk to the professor or TA. Cornell’s “Code of Academic Integrity” fully describes the behaviors I’m talking about, and is recommended reading. Violating this code will result in a zero score on the exam or assignment concerned, possibly in your suspension from the course, and perhaps even a permanent notation on your student record. Your professor isn’t jaded yet and takes this stuff seriously. So it’s not worth it.

The Code: http://web.cornell.edu/UniversityFaculty/docs/AI.Acknow.pdf

Help is available

Of course, of course, please do feel free to ask for help when you need it. Your TA and professor are sincerely devoted to helping you learn this stuff, and there’s really no such thing as a stupid question. Our guest lecturers are experts on their topics and are also happy to answer questions:

Richard A. Humber (slime molds) rah3@cornell.edu

Eric B. Nelson (oomycetes) ebn1@cornell.edu

Robert E. Dirig (lichens) red2@cornell.edu

Office Hours

Professor Hodge’s office hours are on Fridays, 11am through 1pm. At other times, make an appointment with Professor Hodge (phone 255-5356; email kh11@cornell.edu) or try your teaching assistant. Professor Hodge’s office and laboratory are in rm. 401 Plant Science.