The present atlas is addressed mainly to those who, departing from different spheres of interest, are studying the dispersal of fungus spores in the air, like aero biologists, plant pathologists, medical mycologists, allergologists, or those interested in spore morphology as a taxonomic tool. The steadily increasing interest in air pollution problems has also stimulat ed investigations in the microbiological fraction of air pollutants. During the last decades the study of microbial life in the atmosphere has developed to a special branch of biological sciences - aerobiology of which the first studies are from the end of the last century. Besides pollen grains and spores of higher plants and bacteria, fungal diaspores contribute a constant and sub stantial part of the airborne microorganisms. Methods for studying airborne spores are described and critically discussed by e. g. Dimmick and Akers (1969), Ingold (1971) and Gregory (1973). The actual content of fungus spores in the air is a result of complicated processes, all of which are influ enced by external factors in different ways. The influence of the different meteorological factors on spore formation, liberation, transport and deposi tion is essentially discussed by Ingold and Gregory. There are considerable difficulties in identifying detached fungus spores visually. The taxonomy of the fungi is often based on the ontogeny of the spores which cannot be followed by examination of single spores in the air. The conidial development in Deuteromycotina and structure of conidiopho res are excellently described and illustrated by Cole and Samson (1979).

This treatise is focused on early aspects of fungal pathogenesis in plant and animal hosts. Our aim in choosing the topics and contributors was to demonstrate common approaches to studies of fungal-plant and fungal-animal interactions, particularly at the biochemical and molecular Ievels. For example, the initial events of adh«sion of fungal spores to the exposed surface tissues of the host are essential for subsequent invasion of the plant or animal and establishment of pathogenesis. A point of consensus among investigators who have directed their attention to such events in plants, insects, and vertebrates isthat spore adhesion to the host cuticle or epithelium is more than a simple binding event. lt is a complex and potentially pivotal process in fungal-plant interactions which "may involve the secretion of ftuids that prepare the infection court for the development of morphological stages of the germling" and subsequent invasion of the host (Nicholson and Epstein, Chapter 1). The attachment of the fungal propagule to the arthropod cuticle is also "mediated by the chemical components present on the outer layer of the spore wall and the epicuticle . . . . Initial attachment may be reinforced further by either the active secretion of adhesive materials or the modification of spore wall materiallocated at the [fungal spore arthropod] cuticle interface (Boucias and Pendland, Chapter 5).

Environmental Mycology in Public Health: Fungi and Mycotoxins Risk Assessment and Management provides the most updated information on fungi, an essential element in the survival of our global ecology that can also pose a significant threat to the health of occupants when they are present in buildings. As the exposure to fungi in homes is a significant risk factor for a number of respiratory symptoms, including allergies and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, this book presents information on fungi and their disease agents, important aspects of exposure assessment, and their impacts on health. This book answers the hard questions, including, "How does one detect and measure the presence of indoor fungi?" and "What is an acceptable level of indoor fungi?" It then examines how we relate this information to human health problems. Provides unique new insights on fungi and their metabolites detection in the environmental and occupational settings Presents new information that is enriched by significant cases studies Multi-contributed work, edited by a proficient team in medical and environmental mycology with different individual expertise Guides the readers in the implementation of preventive and protective measures regarding exposure to fungi

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.