The breadth and depth of understanding of many areas concerning basidiomycetes has increased dramatically since the premier publication of Frankland et al., Decomposer Basidiomycetes: their Biology and Ecology. New vistas have opened up with the advent of powerful computing, modeling and molecular approaches helping to greatly increase the general understanding of the ecology of basidiomycetes. This is tantamount to understanding the role of fungi in natural ecosystems because they are major agents of decomposition and nutrient cycling. These remarkable advances have been incorporated into this volume that discusses all aspects of saprotrophic basidiomycete ecology.
Entirely rewritten and updated throughout, this Second Edition maintains and enhances the features of the first edition. The Fungal Community, Second Edition continues to cover the entire spectrum of fungal ecology, from studies of individual fungal populations to the functional role of fungi at the ecosystem level, and to present mycological ecology as a rational, organized body of knowledge.;Acting as a bridge between mycological data and ecological theory, The Fungal Community, Second Edition offers such new features as an emphasis on the nonequilibrium perspective, including the impact of habitat disturbance and environmental stress; more information on the ecological genetics of fungal populations; a chapter on the fitness of genetically altered fungi when released into the environment; an examination of fungal morphological and physiological adaptations from the evolutionary ecologist's point-of-view; an explication of the effect of fungi and insect interactions on fungal community structure and decomposition processes; a section on the importance of fungi in determining patterns of plant community development; and a chapter on modeling fungal contributions to decomposition and nutrient cycling in ecosystems.;With over 3700 references, The Fungal Community, Second Edition is a resource for mycologists; microbial ecologists; microbiologists; geneticists; virologists; plant pathologists; cell and molecular biologists; biotechnologists; soil, forest, and environmental scientists; and graduate-level students in these disciplines.
This book gives an overview of gene transfer and stability in those aquatic and terrestrial environments where bacteria and fungi can survive and interact genetically. It examines the role played by sex between microbes in the evolution of populations and their survival. Special emphasis is placed on methodology, including the analysis by novel techniques of genetic material extracted directly from soils, rivers and lakes. The natural spread of antibiotic resistance and the safe use of genetically manipulated microbes are matters of considerable scientific, medical and public concern upon which the investigations presented here have direct bearing. This unique collection will be of value to specialist researchers in applied microbiology, ecology and biotechnology as well as biomedical scientists interested in the environmental risks of genetic engineering.
The publication of Volume. 10 of Advances in Microbial Ecology repre sents something of a milestone in the history of modern microbial ecol ogy. Advances in Microbial Ecology was established by the International Committee on Microbial Ecology (ICOME) to provide a vehicle for in depth, critical, and even provocative reviews to emphasize current trends in the rapidly expanding field of microbial ecology. Martin Alexander was the Founding Editor of the series and was responsible for editing the first five volumes. The next five volumes were edited by Kevin Marshall. Advances in Microbial Ecology has attained recognition as an authorita tive source of information and inspiration for practicing and prospective microbial ecologists. The Editorial Board usually invites contributions from leading microbial ecologists, but also encourages individuals to sub mit outlines of unsolicited contributions to any member of the Board for consideration for publication in Advances. Contributions to Volume 10 again cover a broad range of topics related to microbial ecology. Interactions between microorganisms are well represented with chapters on bacterium-virulent bacteriophage interactions by R. E. Lenski, on fungal communities in the decay of wood by A. D. M. Rayner and L. Boddy, on recognition in the nematode nematophagous fungus system by B. Nordbring-Hertz, and on phago trophic phytoflagellates by R. W. Sanders and K. G. Porter. Chapters with both an ecological and a biogeochemical flavor include those on atmo spheric CO and H2 by R.
Fungi are ubiquitous in the world and responsible for driving the evolution and governing the sustainability of ecosystems now and in the past. Fossil Fungi is the first encyclopedic book devoted exclusively to fossil fungi and their activities through geologic time. The book begins with the historical context of research on fossil fungi (paleomycology), followed by how fungi are formed and studied as fossils, and their age. The next six chapters focus on the major lineages of fungi, arranging them in phylogenetic order and placing the fossils within a systematic framework. For each fossil the age and provenance are provided. Each chapter provides a detailed introduction to the living members of the group and a discussion of the fossils that are believed to belong in this group. The extensive bibliography (~ 2700 entries) includes papers on both extant and fossil fungi. Additional chapters include lichens, fungal spores, and the interactions of fungi with plants, animals, and the geosphere. The final chapter includes a discussion of fossil bacteria and other organisms that are fungal-like in appearance, and known from the fossil record. The book includes more than 475 illustrations, almost all in color, of fossil fungi, line drawings, and portraits of people, as well as a glossary of more than 700 mycological and paleontological terms that will be useful to both biologists and geoscientists. - First book devoted to the whole spectrum of the fossil record of fungi, ranging from Proterozoic fossils to the role of fungi in rock weathering - Detailed discussion of how fossil fungi are preserved and studied - Extensive bibliography with more than 2000 entries - Where possible, fungal fossils are placed in a modern systematic context - Each chapter within the systematic treatment of fungal lineages introduced with an easy-to-understand presentation of the main characters that define extant members - Extensive glossary of more than 700 entries that define both biological, geological, and mycological terminology
Fungi play vital roles in all ecosystems, as decomposers, symbionts of animals and plants and as parasites. Thus their ecology is of great interest. It has been estimated that there may be as many as 1. 5 million species of fungi, many of which are still undescribed. These interact in various ways with their hosts, with their substrates, with their competitors (including other fungi) and with abiotic variables of their environment. They show great variation in morphology, reproduction, life cycles and modes of dispersal. They grow in almost every conceivable habitat where organic carbon is available: on rock surfaces, in soil, the sea and in fresh water, at extremes of high and low temperature, on dry substrata and in concen trated solutions. Fungal ecology is therefore an enormous subject and its literature is voluminous. In view of this we have had to be selective in the material we have included in this book. We have chosen to concentrate on subjects in which we have some personal experience through either research or teaching. We preferred to tackle a few subjects in depth instead of attempting to cover a wider range of topics superficially. We are conscious of the extensive gaps in coverage: for example on the ecology of lichens, of fungal plant pathogens and of the complex interactions between fungi and animals. It is some justification that book-length treatments of these subjects are available elsewhere.
This title discusses the various strategies in plant ecology and vegetation processes and ecosystem properties - the biological interaction of organisms and their physical environment.
Fungi research and knowledge grew rapidly following recent advances in genetics and genomics. This book synthesizes new knowledge with existing information to stimulate new scientific questions and propel fungal scientists on to the next stages of research. This book is a comprehensive guide on fungi, environmental sensing, genetics, genomics, interactions with microbes, plants, insects, and humans, technological applications, and natural product development.
