Hi. My name is Dr. Gregory Mueller. I am a curator and Chair of The Field Museum's Department of Botany. I am currently conducting a survey of mushrooms and related fungi occurring in northern Illinois and Indiana to determine what species are present, where they occur, and how they are affected by human activity (i.e. air pollution and restoration efforts). Fungi are important parts of an ecosystem because they decompose organic matter like wood to recycle the nutrients and also form partnerships with plants by providing them with increased minerals and water.

One of the sites I work at is the Swallow Cliff Woods Forest Preserve. I am studying how the reintroduction of fire as a management tool in the preserve affects the kinds of fungi that live in this ecosystem. Forest preserve staff and volunteers have begun restoration efforts by reintroducing fire to the area in a controlled way and by removing invasive species that have been replacing native species. The goal of this restoration is to open up the woodland by reducing the non-native and invasive plants that form thickets so that native wildflowers, grasses, and tree seedlings have both the space and the sunlight they need to grow. My project will provide information on fungal ecology and biology that is crucial to forest management and conservation.

continue to the ecosystem

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