Fungal identification
Summary
Fungal Identification is an advanced level course that is aimed biologists and environmental scientists in the community. Healthcare professionals who, in their profession, need to learn how to identify large fungi to assess poisoning risks are welcome. We pay special attention to the identification of poisonous fungi, the disease picture and the symptoms that arise in connection with the ingestion of various poisonous fungi. The course addresses the ecological significance and use of the fungi in nature conservation.
About
The fungi form a large and versatile organism group that is of great importance to all our natural ecosystems. During this course you have the opportunity to get to know the most common large fungi in the Nordic countries and gain knowledge of their biology and environmental requirements. Particular focus is on safely identifying the deadly poisonous species that occur, and on various fungal toxins and the symptoms they produce. You are also trained to use microscopic features to ensure the identification of the genus and species. Species identification based only on the external morphology of the fruiting bodies has its limitations and this knowledge is put into perspective to information that comes from, for example, molecular phylogenetic working methods. You get practical training in the field during an intensive week at one of the field stations.
For further information, see NABiS website.
Prerequisites and selection
Requirements
Admission to this course requires university studies of a minimum of 60 credits in Biology. To provide the requirement in English by an internationally recognized test, for example TOEFL, IELTS, the English proficiency should be equivalent to the level of English 5/English Course A from Swedish Upper Secondary School.
Facilities
The teaching is given as a distance course. The teaching during the fireld week takes place at our field station Kristineberg outside Fiskebäckskil.
Recommended study route
This course is given as a distance course with self-study and assignments, as well as an intensive week with species identification in the field. During the field week we stay at a field station. Through day excursions during the week, we practice how to identify species in different ecosystems. There is a compulsory attendance on the field part of the course and there is also an examination of your knowledge of species at the end of the field week.
