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Fungi –Friends or Foes of the Forest? Public Talk


Date : 1 December 2018
Time: 9.30 am
Place: Auditorium, MNS HQ JKR641, JalanKelantan, Bukit Persekutuan

You are invited to attend an upcoming talk hosted by Flora SIG, in the month of December.

Since arriving in Malaysia nearly two years ago, Dominic has discovered growing interest in the flora of the rainforest. He has a degree in Zoology, but his passion for animals has taken a step back as he has realized the complexity and vulnerability of the rainforest ecosystem on which all animal depends.

In the talk, he looks at the world of Fungi –a group often overlooked and yet so instrumental in the creation and sustainability of forests in every context. From their early evolution as among the first organisms to exist out of the water, he looks at how this was achieved and the literally ground-breaking adaptations the fungi used to achieve this. He addresses also the role of the fungi in the rainforest as an integral part of the rainforest’s ongoing existence, the vast range of lifestyles fungi have adopted, and the benefits and disbenefitsthat fungi offer to mankind.

The talk is well illustrated too, reflecting the incredible range of forms that fungi have adopted in their role as the Jekyll and Hydesof the jungle.


Brief Bio For the Speaker Dominic O’sullivan.

Semi-retired from a career in hospital management, Dominic has been resident in Malaysia now for almost two years. From an early age, he has had a passion for nature and he went on to study for a BSc(Hons) Zoology –the best three years of his life!

Since settling in KL, he is now a very active member of MNS giving time regularly to supporting the UCF Nursery, Flora SIG, and activities organized at the NEC at FRIM. Determined to make a difference, he is also hoping to become a co-opted member of Council. He has also supported the TasikokiWildlife Rescue & Education Centre in North Sulawesi, helping students from schools and universities across the globe to understand the state of the planet, deforestation, pollution, and the horrors of the Illegal Wildlife Trade.

He believes strongly that everyone has a responsibility to tackle Greed, Ignorance and Indifference, and in the important role of Education in this context. To this end, he is avidly supporting educational activities in a wide range of settings, including school visits to the Nursery and UCF, weekend groups to NEC, and talks through the Flora SIG –that is when he is not getting his hands dirty or his feet wet!

He assures me that, while he may not be an expert in many of the areas that he will be presenting, he is enjoying expanding his knowledge base which he is happy to share with any audience willing to listen.

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