This manual covers all groups of fungi and fungus-like organisms and includes over 500 diagrams and line drawings. Descriptions of major groups (phylogenetic and artificial), simplified keys to family, and an illustrated glossary enable placement of common fungi into the appropriate taxonomic category. Text and glossary are coordinated to introduce fundamentals of mycological terminology. Over 30 pages of references are provided for literature on identification of cultures and specimens, and references are also given for contemporary phylogenetic research on each major taxonomic group. Publisher.
"This new edition of the universally acclaimed and widely used textbook on fungal biology has been completely rewritten, drawing directly on the authors' research and teaching experience. The text takes account of the rapid and exciting progress that has been made in the taxonomy, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, pathology and ecology of the fungi. Features of taxonomic significance are integrated with natural functions, including their relevance to human affairs."--BOOK JACKET.
The variety of the mycological world is far greater than most people imagine. Tens of thousands of fungal species have been described and many more are known only from the abundance of their genes in soil and water. Fungi are hugely important as agents of wood decay in forests, and, as parasites, they have caused the deaths of millions of people by ravaging crops and reshaping natural ecosystems. Fungi perform a variety of essential functions in ecosystems, and are important to both agriculture and biotechnology. Their importance is now becoming better appreciated among scientists, though there is much still to be understood concerning their taxonomy and evolution. This Very Short Introduction highlights the variety and extraordinary natures of fungi, revealing the remarkable facts of fungal biology and the global significance of these enchanting organisms. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
The fifth order of the natural kingdom is made up of an estimated 1.5 million species of fungi, found in every habitat type worldwide. The Book of Fungi takes 600 of the most remarkable fleshy fungi from around the world and reproduces each at its actual size, in full colour, and accompanied by a scientific explanation of its distribution, habitat, association, abundance, growth form, spore colour and edibility. Location maps give at-a-glance indications of each species known global distribution, and specially commissioned engravings show different fruitbody forms and provide the vital statistics of height and diameter. Theres a place, too, for readers to discover the more bizarre habits of fungi from the predator that hunts its prey with lassos to the one that entices sows by releasing the pheromones of a wild boar. Mushrooms, morels, puffballs, toadstools, truffles, chanterelles fungi from habitats spanning the poles and the tropics, from the highest mountains to our own gardens are all on display in this definitive work.
The book deals with fungi, deftly defined as “the organisms studied by mycologists”. The fungi are now placed under three kingdoms: Fungi, Protozoa and Chromista/Straminopila due to their phylogenetic heterogeneity. In the last decade, world wide research projects: the “Deep Hypha” and AFTOL (Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life), have provided a phylogenetic classification based on genetic relatedness as evidenced by DNA sequencing data. The ‘Eumycotan fungi’, the ‘Protozoan fungi’ and the ‘Chromistan fungi’ represent distinct monophyletic groups. i.e. each group has a common ancestor and all are its descendants. The classification offered by above mega research projects and accepted by Dictionary of Fungi (2008) and leading international journals, forms the basis of this book. There are many surprises: Fungi and Animalia together form a monophyletic group. But there is no common name for them, and are called as “sister groups”. The mycologists would discover emergence of a new world of ‘modern mycology’ gleaned from recent publications. The book starts with History of Mycology remembering Louis Pasteur’s famous quote “History of science is science itself”. There are 31 chapters describing the form and function of fungi. Their symbiotic associations, chemical activities, secondary metabolites, mycotoxins, heterothallism, parasexuality and sex hormones are described under exclusive chapters. Each chapter is followed by a ‘summary’, and ‘test questions’. The book will be indispensable for students of botany, microbiology, plant pathology and medical mycology.
This new edition of The Fungi provides a comprehensive introduction to the importance of fungi in the natural world and in practical applications, from a microbiological perspective.
Fungi: Biology and Applications, Second Edition provides a comprehensive treatment of fungi, covering biochemistry, genetics and the medical and economic significance of these organisms at introductory level. With no prior knowledge of the subject assumed, the opening chapters offer a broad overview of the basics of fungal biology, in particular the physiology and genetics of fungi and also a new chapter on the application of genomics to fungi. Later chapters move on to include more detailed coverage of topics such as antibiotic and chemical commodities from fungi, new chapters on biotechnological use of fungal enzymes and fungal proteomics, and fungal diseases of humans, antifungal agents for use in human therapy and fungal pathogens of plants.
