Project Advisor(s) (Students Only)
Dr. Bohdan Dziadyk
Presentation Type (All Applicants)
Poster Presentation
Disciplines (All Applicants)
Biodiversity | Biostatistics | Botany | Integrative Biology | Plant Biology
Description, Abstract, or Artist's Statement
Morel mushrooms, Morechella esculenta and M. deliciosa, are known delicacies across the globe, ranging from exquisite dishes in French cuisine to Eastern palates such as Japanese Matsutake. According to literature, true morels diverged as their own genus about 129 million years, again which has led to the development of more than 177 species and have been part of the human diet since their beginning. However, the elusiveness of morels has contributed to the mushrooms infamy for rarity, and has even been known to sell for more than $40 per pound. This project seeks to aid in the search for morels by focusing on plausible locations for Morchella esculenta and M. deliciosa on the Augustana campus. Specific parameters such as amount of sunlight, moisture, slope and temperature were used as limiting factors to narrow the locations of morels using the GIS system. Four maps were initially created to allow for variability in weather and time frames due to the unpredictable weather. After the ideal moisture map is selected, morels will be plotted using statistical regression models to determine if the specified parameters were congruent with determining the location of the fungi. Size, biomass, moisture levels, soil acidity and temperature also will be recorded to provide adequate data in these microclimates to account for variations in results. If successful, the majority of morels will be found in areas that have roughly 40% moisture levels, on south facing slopes, after optimum air (21° C) and soil (4.5° C) temperatures in late April have been achieved.
Augustana Digital Commons Citation
Stanevicius, Emily M.. "Mapping Morels: Predicting the Locations of Morchella Species Through Environmental Factors Using the GIS System" (2016). Celebration of Learning.
https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/celebrationoflearning/2016/posters/11
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Included in
Biodiversity Commons, Biostatistics Commons, Botany Commons, Integrative Biology Commons, Plant Biology Commons
Mapping Morels: Predicting the Locations of Morchella Species Through Environmental Factors Using the GIS System
Morel mushrooms, Morechella esculenta and M. deliciosa, are known delicacies across the globe, ranging from exquisite dishes in French cuisine to Eastern palates such as Japanese Matsutake. According to literature, true morels diverged as their own genus about 129 million years, again which has led to the development of more than 177 species and have been part of the human diet since their beginning. However, the elusiveness of morels has contributed to the mushrooms infamy for rarity, and has even been known to sell for more than $40 per pound. This project seeks to aid in the search for morels by focusing on plausible locations for Morchella esculenta and M. deliciosa on the Augustana campus. Specific parameters such as amount of sunlight, moisture, slope and temperature were used as limiting factors to narrow the locations of morels using the GIS system. Four maps were initially created to allow for variability in weather and time frames due to the unpredictable weather. After the ideal moisture map is selected, morels will be plotted using statistical regression models to determine if the specified parameters were congruent with determining the location of the fungi. Size, biomass, moisture levels, soil acidity and temperature also will be recorded to provide adequate data in these microclimates to account for variations in results. If successful, the majority of morels will be found in areas that have roughly 40% moisture levels, on south facing slopes, after optimum air (21° C) and soil (4.5° C) temperatures in late April have been achieved.