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.

"...a number of chapters provide excellent summaries of the modern methods available for studying fungal ecology, along with those more traditional methods that are still extremely valuable...overall it is a hugely valuable compendium of fungal ecology research. It is a must for the library shelf." -Lynne Boddy, Cardiff University, UK, Mycological Research, 2006 "These 44 chapters are an excellent starting point for anyone interested in fungal communities, in the broadest sense of the term. It is a book for dipping into...may be the last comprehensive treatment of fungal communities before the molecular revolution." -Meriel Jones, University of Liverpool, UK, Microbiology Today "... the scope of the work is tremendous. ... Excellent chapters providing overviews of methods ... provide a snap shot of the current approaches used to understand fungal communities at several levels of organization. This book should probably be on the shelf of every student of mycology, and many ecologists too. For all students, this book should be a valuable resource and source of inspiration." -Daniel Henk, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, London, in Inoculum, Vol. 59, No. 3, May 2008 "Thorough taxonomic and subject indices further aid the reader in navigating through multiple authors’ treatments of subjects of interest." - Anthony Amend, Department of Botany, University of Hawaii at Manoa in Economic Botany, V. 61 ? In all subjects in science, new findings and the use of new technologies allow us to develop an ever-greater understanding of our world. Expanded and updated coverage in the fourth edition includes: Adds new sections on Integrating Genomics and Metagenomics into Community Analysis, Recent Advances in Fungal Endophyte Research, Fungi in the Built Environment, and Fungal Signaling and Communication Includes a broader treatment of fungal communities in natural ecosystems with in-depth coverage of fungal adaptations to stress and conservation Expands coverage of the influence of climate change on fungi and the role of fungi in organically polluted ecosystems Includes contributions from scientists from 20 nations to illustrate a true global approach for bridging gaps between ecological concepts and mycology

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.

Mycology is a frontier area of research in life sciences. Fungi represent one of the three major evolutionary segments along with plants and animals. Fungal multidimensional features with basic and applied value projected their potential beyond routine systematics, diversity and environmental studies. In view of tremendous developments in the field of Mycology, the present treatise emphasizes various aspects of contemporary issues in mycology. It comprises 22 chapters with emphasis on the fungal ecology, diversity and metabolites. The topics treated include aquatic ecology, diversity and phylogeny, mutualism and interactions, potential metabolites, pathology and toxins, fungal infections and prevention, cell permeabilization and advances in monocarboxylate transporters in yeasts with an emphasis on cancer therapy. This volume is of special interest to mycologists as a valuable source of information on the frontier areas of mycology dealing with diversity, ecological amplitudes, methods of assessment, novel metabolites and bioprospecting avenues

Mycology is a frontier area of research in life sciences. Fungi represent one of the three major evolutionary segments along with plants and animals. Fungal multidimensional features with basic and applied value projected their potential beyond routine systematics, diversity and environmental studies. In view of tremendous developments in the field of Mycology, the present treatise emphasizes various aspects of contemporary issues in mycology. It comprises 22 chapters with emphasis on the fungal ecology, diversity and metabolites. The topics treated include aquatic ecology, diversity and phylogeny, mutualism and interactions, potential metabolites, pathology and toxins, fungal infections and prevention, cell permeabilization and advances in monocarboxylate transporters in yeasts with an emphasis on cancer therapy. This volume is of special interest to mycologists as a valuable source of information on the frontier areas of mycology dealing with diversity, ecological amplitudes, methods of assessment, novel metabolites and bioprospecting avenues.