This book offers an ecosystem-oriented overview of the diversity, ecological role, and biotechnological applications of marine fungi as well as an in-depth introduction to the marine environment, fungal classification, and ecological principles. It also presents the latest research findings on coastal marine and oceanic ecosystems, such as mangrove, seagrass, salt marsh, algal, coral reef and benthic ecosystems. Focusing on the diversity of fungi as well as their role as symbionts, parasites and saprotrophs, the book also discusses the physiology and biotechnological applications of fungi and highlights topics of future interest. Intended for students and researchers in marine biology and microbiology, it includes detailed descriptions, illustrations, figures, tables, and exhaustive literature citations. A detailed chapter on methods used to study marine fungi, their classification and ecological principles is of particular interest to newcomers in the field.

Marine fungi play a major role in marine and mangrove ecosystems. Understanding how higher fungi with their spectrum of cellulolytic and ligninolytic enzymes degrade wood tissue, while labyrinthuloids and thraustochytrids further contribute to the dissolved organic matter entering the open ocean is essential to marine ecology. This work provides an overview of marine fungi including morphology and ultrastructure, phylogeny, biogeography and biodiversity. Increasingly, biotechnology is also turning to these organisms to develop new bioactive compounds and to address problems such as decomposition of materials in the ocean and bioremediation of oil spills. These potential applications of marine fungi are also treated. In the light of massive marine oil spills in the past years, the importance of understanding marine fungi and their role in the food chain cannot be underestimated.

Marine Mycology: The Higher Fungi deals with the higher marine fungi, i.e., Ascomycotina, Basidiomycotina, and Deuteromycotina. This book combines features of a monograph with those of a text. It includes sections on ecological groups of fungi and other topics, such as phylogeny, ontogeny, physiology, and vertical and geographical distribution, providing information on known facts and open questions. The taxonomic-descriptive part contains complete descriptions of each genus and species, together with substrates, range, etymology of generic and specific names, and literature. There are keys for all species within a given genus, and a general illustrated key leads to the individual species. The taxonomic section is based on examinations of almost all of the filamentous marine fungi, and unpublished data on new hosts and geographical distributions are included for many species. The filamentous higher marine fungi are represented by 149 Ascomycetes, 4 Basidiomycetes, and 56 Deuteromycetes. The majority, namely 191 (91%) of the filamentous fungi, are obligately marine species, whereas the remainder are facultatively marine. One new species and seven new combinations are proposed. The yeasts are treated in a separate chapter and comprise 177 species or varieties.

This definitive account of the biology of both lower and higher marine and estuarine fungi reflects the recent growth of interest in these fascinating plants. The four main themes - ecology, taxonomy, physiology and industrial and applied biotechnology - are each covered by contributors of international repute.

This new edition of Fungi in Ecosystem Processes continues the unique approach of examining the roles of fungi from the perspective of ecosystem functions. It explores how fungi have adapted to survive within particular constraints, how they help to maintain homeostasis in ecosystems, how they facilitate resistance to perturbations, and how they influence the communities of other organisms. Updated and revised, the second edition Expands the section on plant pathogens, invasive species, and insect–fungal interactions Provides more extensive coverage on insect–fungal interactions, including entomopathogens, the links between entomopathogens and endophytes, and symbiotic and mutualistic interactions Adds a new section on fungi in the built environment Presents new material on below-ground to above-ground interactions mediated through fungi, such as mycorrhizal signaling systems for herbivory defense The book also includes expanded coverage of the role of fungi in suppressive soils, aquatic and marine fungi, modern methods of following food chains in fungal–invertebrate trophic interactions, and the physiology of nutrient uptake by mycorrhizae. A necessary update and expansion to previous material, this book provides an essential reference on the current understanding of fungal roles in ecosystem processes. It also identifies directions for future study, including an emphasis on the need for further research on fungi in built environments.

Mycologists now look at the genes of fungi to decipher many features that they have been studying in the past beyond just looking at the morphology and other such traits of these organisms. Fungi are also attracting the attention of scientists in various other disciplines. These include the search for useful fungi in various extreme environments th

This volume brings together a set of papers on marine fungi with three themes, organisms, ecology and applied aspects. The contributors are to honour the 65th birthday of Professor E.B. Gareth Jones for his substantial cocntribution to marine mycology.