July 2026 AMS virtual seminar: Ryan Stephens, on animal-mediated dispersal of ectomycorrhizal fungi!

We invite you to attend our upcoming AMS virtual seminar. This month, we're delighted to feature Ryan Stephens, an assistant professor at East Tennessee State University.

Multi-trophic interactions shape animal-mediated dispersal of ectomycorrhizal fungi

Ryan Stephens

Department of Biology,

East Tennessee State University

Thursday, 30 July 2026

10 am (AEST) / 12 pm (NZST) 

Register here

Summary

Many ectomycorrhizal fungi have evolved to fruit belowground as truffles, relying on mammals to consume and disperse their spores. This mutualism benefits both partners by providing mammals with a nutrient-rich food resource while facilitating fungal spore dispersal. Drawing on research conducted across the eastern and midwestern United States, this talk explores the ecological processes that shape mammal-mediated fungal spore dispersal across multiple trophic levels. I will discuss how truffle volatile compounds influence small mammal foraging behavior, how variation in small mammal community composition affects spore dispersal potential, and how predators contribute to fungal dispersal by examining both secondary dispersal by mammalian carnivores and the effects of fungal spore passage through avian predators, including hawks and owls, on spore viability. Together, these studies demonstrate how interactions among fungi, mammals, and predators influence the movement of ectomycorrhizal fungi across forested landscapes.

About Ryan

Ryan Stephens is an assistant professor at East Tennessee State University in the Department of Biology. Ryan earned his PhD in Earth and Environmental Science at UNH in 2018. He studies how habitat associations, resource availability, and biotic interactions influence the dietary niche of mammals and their functional roles in forested systems as dispersers of mycorrhizal fungi.

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