Meet the Scientist

Name: Gregory Mueller
Position/Title: Curator, Mycology and Department Chair
Department: Botany

1. What do you study related to biodiversity (what are your research questions, what organisms do you work on)?

I work on the biology and ecology of fungi, especially mushrooms. My work is providing vital information for the management and conservation of temperate and tropical forests, particularly in the Chicago region, Costa Rica, and China.

Several projects focus on mycorrhizas, an essential symbiotic relationship between certain of these fungi and the roots of trees such as oaks and pines. Because mycorrhizas appear to be negatively affected by pollution, I believe that they are a good group to use to monitor environmental stress on forests. I am currently collaborating with scientists at University of Illinois, Chicago and Argonne National Laboratories on a study investigating the effect that the increase in nitrogen coming into our forests from autos and industry is having on fungi and their associated plants.

In other conservation related research, I have been looking at how fungi respond to restoration efforts in the Chicago area and conservation practices in Costa Rica. My comparative study of fungi in China and eastern North America is looking at the effects of geological history on the two populations that are so strikingly similar. I also am investigating the evolutionary history, global distribution, and diversity of a group of mushrooms that have served as a model system for studying mycorrhizas.

2. How do you study biodiversity (for example, what technological tools and methodologies do you use in your research)?

My work starts with collection—either specimens that we have in our collections at the museum or material that I collect during fieldwork. Specimens, and their related data on where and when they were collected and their ecology, tell us a lot about the species history and biology.

Fieldwork is very important in my work as it enables me to study the fungi in their natural habitat, find new species, and to collect data on the specimens and their ecology—data that scientists were previously unable to obtain because they did not have the field tools that we now have, such as digital cameras, GPS devices, etc. Back in the Museum, I use a wide variety of tools to study these specimens, including computer assisted microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and DNA sequencing.

3. Where do you study biodiversity?

My principle field study sites are in the Chicago region, Costa Rica, and China. I also work in various countries in South America and I hope to begin working in New Zealand and Australia.

4. How might your research have implications for biological conservation?

Macrofungi (e.g. mushrooms, boletes, puffballs, and bracket fungi) are an integral part of all forest and grassland systems. They are intimately involved with such basic processes as nutrient cycling, nutrient uptake, decomposition of organic matter, water regulations, plant-to-plant interactions, and interactions among other soil associated organisms.

Many macrofungi form a symbiosis with trees that is essential and mutually beneficial to both tree and fungus. This symbiosis, termed ectomycorrhiza, provides the trees with minerals and water, and protects the tree from root pathogens. It has recently been shown that the fungi can link trees together below ground—enabling trees to “share” carbohydrates and minerals, and creating a dynamic, interacting community.

Other macrofungi are critical decomposers. Macrofungi along with some bacteria, are the only organisms capable of decomposing cellulose and lignin, the two primary constituents of plant material. Therefore, these saprobic fungi are the primary recyclers in plant communities.

A relatively few species are pathogens of plants. In natural plant communities, these fungi are essential to promote age diversity in forest communities. However, in plantations, they cause millions of dollars of damage annually.

Additionally, many macrofungi are important food sources for small mammals as well as food sources and egg-laying sites for insects and other invertebrates. Additionally, people use macrofungi for food and for their medicinal qualities. In some regions these fungi make up an important component of the diet as well as the local economy where they are sold to supplement income.

5. How did you become interested in science? What made you want to be a scientist, and how did you get to The Field Museum?

I’ve always been interested in nature and how things interact with each other. As a child in a large family (5 boys) our family vacations were usually camping trips. I wanted to grow up to be a Forest Ranger. In college I became exposed to Botany and then met a professor who studied fungi. It was that professor who introduced me to the incredible world of fungi and who started me on my profession. I came to The Field Museum from The University of Washington in Seattle were I was a Postdoctoral Research Associate.

6. Describe important collaborations for your scientific endeavors (describe your work with other researchers, organizations, or scientific groups, local or indigenous peoples, etc.)

My work is very collaborative. When working in other countries, it is critically important to work closely with local scientists to successfully obtain the necessary data, learn from them, and help enhance in-country scientific capacity. In Chicago, I work closely with my colleagues at University of Chicago and University of Illinois at Chicago. In this collaboration, my expertise in fungi and systematics is complementary to my colleagues’ expertise in ecology, plant physiology, etc. I work with symbiotic fungi so I feel that I need to be a symbiotic biologist.

I also am closely involved with a number of scientific institutions that enable me to carry out my work; build worldwide capacity in mycology and conservation biology; and serve the general public. Here is a partial list:

I am on call for the Illinois Poison Center and regional hospitals to help identify poisonous mushrooms.

I have been active in Chicago Wilderness and served as the Chair of the Review Committee for Research and Education Grants for 4 years.

Besides training graduate students at Chicago universities, I have also been on graduate student committees at the University of Costa Rica and the National University in Mexico City.

I am the International Coordinator for Fungal programs at the Costa Rican National Biodiversity Institute and am a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Species Survival Commission, Fungal Specialist Group.

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