Presents the latest advances in the study of the intracellular fate and transport of metal ions in fungi, emphasizing the mechanisms that regulate cellular concentration. The book explains the expanding relationship between molecular genetics and inorganic biochemistry.

Visit the accompanying website from the author at www.blackwellpublishing.com/deacon.

"Fungal Biology" is the fully updated new edition of this undergraduate text, covering all major areas of fungal biology and providing insights into many topical areas.
Provides insights into many topical areas such as fungal ultrastructure and the mechanisms of fungal growth, important fungal metabolites and the molecular techniques used to study fungal populations.
Focuses on the interactions of fungi that form the basis for developing biological control agents, with several commercial examples of the control of insect pests and plant diseases.
Emphasises the functional biology of fungi, with examples from recent research.
Includes a clear illustrative account of the features and significance of the main fungal groups.

This book is an outgrowth of a UNESCO regional workshop entitled Culture Collection and Breeding of Edible Mushrooms. The purpose of the workshop is to provide participants with information on the principles and techniques involved in the genetics and breeding of edible mushrooms.

This book is concerned with the most devastating fungal diseases in history. These are the plagues of trees and crop plants, caused by invisible spores that have reshaped entire landscapes and decimated human populations. The Triumph of the Fungi focuses on the fascinating biology of the well- and lesser-known diseases, and also tells the stories of the scientists involved in their study, and of the people directly impacted by the loss of forest trees like the chestnut, and cash crops such as coffee and cacao. In a surprisingly brief time, human knowledge of the fungi that infect plants has evolved from Biblical superstition, to the recognition of the true nature of plant disease, and, more recently, to a sense of awe for the sophistication of these microbes. The crucial issue of human culpability in these fungal epidemics is addressed in the books closing chapter.

Ten articles provide an overview of the recently flowering research into the genetics and molecular biology of fungus species that are economically significant in industry. The contributors, from a variety of disciplines, report on work in such areas as industrial enzymes, antibiotics, toxins, heter

Fungal Cell Wall: Structure, Synthesis, and Assembly, Second Edition is a compendium of information on the chemical structure, synthesis, and organization of the cell wall of fungi. Reviewing the past 20 years of research in the field, it discusses experimental evidence that demonstrates the role of the cell wall in the growth, development, morphogenesis, and evolution of fungi. Synthesizes 20 Years of Important Research on Fungal Cell Walls More than just a revision, this second edition offers a fresh perspective on what is currently known about the fungal cell wall. It covers recent developments, conflicting theories, and important aspects that are largely forgotten-including critical analysis of the prevalent idea that cell walls from all fungal species have the same basic structure, organization, and behavior as the most popular models of study. Chapters are self-contained and can be read independently, allowing readers to delve into specific topics. The book begins by examining the chemical composition and structure of the fungal cell wall, an area almost closed to modern research. It then describes the structure and synthesis of the most important components of the cell wall and analyzes the mechanisms of cell wall expansion and growth. Throughout, the book identifies the basic concepts that have led to modern ideas about cell walls. The Essential Guide to the Fungal Cell Wall A critical review of fungal cell wall research, this book helps readers understand the role of fungi in nature-both positive and negative-from their symbiotic associations and biotechnological applications to their pathogenicity to plants, animals, and humans.

Fundamentals of Molecular Mycology provides a complete overview of recent developments and applications in molecular mycology. It serves as a comprehensive guide for the identification of fungi and the application of fungal biomolecules in agriculture, food, environment, and pharmaceutical sectors by providing detailed information about application molecular markers and bioinformatics tools for mycology. Covering the most important aspects of molecular mycology, the book focuses on: The application of fungal secondary metabolites in ecosystem management and sustainable agriculture The application of DNA recombinant techniques to improve industrially important fungal species Different molecular markers and genetic approaches for the taxonomical identification of fungi The bioinformatics tool for the identification of fungal species and its secondary metabolites Advances in molecular tools have created a new path for the mycological research and applications in different sectors. Fundamentals of Molecular Mycology is an excellent source of information on molecular mycology tools and applications in various fields. This book will be valuable to biotechnologists at research institutes, academia, and industry researchers, and professionals. The book is also a rich resources for undergraduate and postgraduate biology students in in mycology, botany, microbiology, fungal biology, biotechnology, and molecular biology as well.

Until now, information on fungal protoplasts has been scattered throughout various sources. With authoritative reviews of protoplast isolation and applications in fungal biology research, Fungal Protoplasts: Applications in Biochemistry and Genetics is the first volume devoted to a major area in experimental mycology-fungal protoplasts.
Written by 18 pioneering experts, this unmatched, illustrated reference presents well-established knowledge of protoplast research as well as newer ideas and methods. The book encompasses advances in protoplast isolation techniques and methodology, uses of protoplasts in physiological, biochemical, and genetic studies, and developments in protoplast fusion that form the basis for transformation and gene cloning experiments, including applications in industrial biotechnology. This fact-filled book also features end-of-chapter bibliographies for further research.

The first source to unite secondary fungal metabolism and morphogenesis in one volume, Secondary Metabolism and Differentiation in Fungi treats biological systems as parts of a whole rather than as a series of individual elements, highlighting research in genetics, molecular biology, and ecology. Featuring the expertise of 19 international authorities, each chapter is a rich source of experimentation ideas. The book facilitates the application of novel techniques to existing problems in molecular mycology and explores potentials for major new research. This indispensable guide to a key scientific field benefits biologists, chemists, and other scientists.

The identification of medically important fungi is an important area of study that warrants further research. The use of traditional and molecular methods of identification provides new insights into differentiation of species and ultimately the line of treatment can be determined. This book covers a diverse group of medically important fungi and diseases, including common dermatophytes, onychomycosis, Coccidiomycosis, Paracoccidioidomycosis, Mycotic keratitis, Sporotrichosis, Histoplasmosis and determination of identity of medically important fingi by uising modern techniques such as PCH and the use of MALDI-TOF: as a rapid and new approach in fungal diagnosis and differentiation.

A fascinating and richly illustrated exploration of the natural history of fungi We know fungi are important, for us as well as the environment. But how they live, and what they can do, remains mysterious and surprising. Filled with stunning photographs, The Lives of Fungi presents an inside look into their hidden and extraordinary world. The wonders of fungi are myriad: a mushroom poking up through leaf litter literally overnight, or the sensational hit of umami from truffle shavings. Alexander Fleming cured infections with mold and spiritual guides have long used psychedelic mushrooms to enhance understanding. Then there are the tiny threads of fungi, called hyphae, that create a communications network for the natural world while decomposing organic matter. Combining engaging and accessible text with beautiful images, The Lives of Fungi lays out all the essential facts about fungi for the mycologically curious.

Fungal Cell Wall: Structure, Synthesis, and Assembly, Second Edition is a compendium of information on the chemical structure, synthesis, and organization of the cell wall of fungi. Reviewing the past 20 years of research in the field, it discusses experimental evidence that demonstrates the role of the cell wall in the growth, development, morphogenesis, and evolution of fungi. Synthesizes 20 Years of Important Research on Fungal Cell Walls More than just a revision, this second edition offers a fresh perspective on what is currently known about the fungal cell wall. It covers recent developments, conflicting theories, and important aspects that are largely forgotten--including critical analysis of the prevalent idea that cell walls from all fungal species have the same basic structure, organization, and behavior as the most popular models of study. Chapters are self-contained and can be read independently, allowing readers to delve into specific topics. The book begins by examining the chemical composition and structure of the fungal cell wall, an area almost closed to modern research. It then describes the structure and synthesis of the most important components of the cell wall and analyzes the mechanisms of cell wall expansion and growth. Throughout, the book identifies the basic concepts that have led to modern ideas about cell walls. The Essential Guide to the Fungal Cell Wall A critical review of fungal cell wall research, this book helps readers understand the role of fungi in nature--both positive and negative--from their symbiotic associations and biotechnological applications to their pathogenicity to plants, animals, and humans.

This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the major applications and potential of fungal biotechnology. The respective chapters report on the latest advances and opportunities in each topic area, proposing new and sustainable solutions to some of the major challenges faced by modern society. Aimed at researchers and biotechnologists in academia and industry, it represents essential reading for anyone interested in fungal biotechnology, as well as those working within the broader area of microbial biotechnology. Written in an accessible language, the book also offers a valuable reference resource for decision-makers in government and at non-governmental organizations who are involved in the development of cleaner technologies and the global bioeconomy. The 21st century is characterized by a number of critical challenges in terms of human health, developing a sustainable bioeconomy, facilitating agricultural production, and establishing practices that support a cleaner environment. While there are chemical solutions to some of these challenges, developing bio-based approaches is becoming increasingly important. Filamentous fungi, 'the forgotten kingdom,' are a group of unique organisms whose full potential has yet to be revealed. Some key properties, such as their exceptional capacity to secrete proteins into the external environment, have already been successfully harnessed for the production of industrial enzymes and cellulosic biofuels. Many further aspects discussed here -such as feeding the hungry with fungal protein, and the potential applications of the various small molecules produced by fungi -warrant further exploration. In turn, the book covers the use of fungal cell factories to produce foreign molecules, e.g. for therapeutics. Strategies including molecular approaches to strain improvement, and recent advances in high-throughput technologies, which are key to finding better products and producers, are also addressed. Lastly, the book discusses the advent of synthetic biology, which is destined to greatly expand the scope of fungal biotechnology. The chapter "Fungal Biotechnology in Space: Why and How?" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License at link.springer.com.

Indian mycologists have extensively studied various groups of fungi such as soil fungi, aquatic fungi, marine fungi, endophytic fungi, fungi associated with man and animals. Though several books on various aspects of fungi are published, this is the first account of the history and developments in mycology in India. It discusses at length various stages of development of mycology including both classical and biotechnological aspects. It begins with a historical account of Indian mycology, followed by a description of research on fossil fungi. Further chapters cover the latest updates on different taxonomic groups of fungi. A dedicated section describes the roles and applications of fungal endophytes. The book also includes research in other important areas such as mushrooms and wood rotting fungi. Different chapters are written by leading mycologists. This book is useful to students, teachers and researchers in botany, microbiology, biotechnology and life sciences, agriculture and industries using fungi to produce various valuable products.

Fungi are an understudied, biotechnologically valuable group of organisms. Due to their immense range of habitats, and the consequent need to compete against a diverse array of other fungi, bacteria, and animals, fungi have developed numerous survival mechanisms. However, besides their major basic positive role in the cycling of minerals, organic matter and mobilizing insoluble nutrients, fungi have other beneficial impacts: they are considered good sources of food and active agents for a number of industrial processes involving fermentation mechanisms as in the bread, wine and beer industry. A number of fungi also produce biologically important metabolites such as enzymes, vitamins, antibiotics and several products of important pharmaceutical use; still others are involved in the production of single cell proteins. The economic value of these marked positive activities has been estimated as approximating to trillions of US dollars. The unique attributes of fungi thus herald great promise for their application in biotechnology and industry. Since ancient Egyptians mentioned in their medical prescriptions how they can use green molds in curing wounds as the obvious historical uses of penicillin, fungi can be grown with relative ease, making production at scale viable. The search for fungal biodiversity, and the construction of a living fungi collection, both have incredible economic potential in locating organisms with novel industrial uses that will lead to novel products. Fungi have provided the world with penicillin, lovastatin, and other globally significant medicines, and they remain an untapped resource with enormous industrial potential. Volume 1 of Industrially Important Fungi for Sustainable Development provides an overview to understanding fungal diversity from diverse habitats and their industrial application for future sustainability. It encompasses current advanced knowledge of fungal communities and their potential biotechnological applications in industry and allied sectors. The book will be useful to scientists, researchers, and students of microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, and environmental biology.

Since the first edition of Identification of Pathogenic Fungi, there has been incredible progress in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of fungal diseases: new methods of diagnosis have been introduced, and new antifungal agents have been licensed for use. However, these developments have been offset by the emergence of resistance to several classes of drugs, and an increase in infections caused by fungi with innate resistance to one or more classes. Identification of Pathogenic Fungi, Second Edition, assists in the identification of over 100 of the most significant organisms of medical importance. Each chapter is arranged so that the descriptions for similar organisms may be found on adjacent pages. Differential diagnosis details are given for each organism on the basis of both colonial appearance and microscopic characteristics for the organisms described. In this fully updated second edition, a new chapter on the identification of fungi in histopathological sections and smears has been added, while colour illustrations of cultures and microscopic structures have been included, and high quality, four colour digital images are incorporated throughout.

This volume highlights molecular methods to study the phytopathogenic rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Chapters in this book cover the history, development, and evolution of the pathogen; molecular methods to increase the knowledge of the biology, genetic, and metabolic diversity of the pathogen; and the pathogen's adaptability. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Magnaporthe oryzae: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for any scientist or researcher interested in learning more about this developing field.

From breakfast toast to evening wine, yeast is the microscopic thing that we cannot live without. We knew what yeast did as an invisible brewer and baker long before we had a clue about the existence of microorganisms. Ten thousand years ago, our ancestors abandoned bush meat and wild fruit in favor of farming animals and cultivating grain. Leaving the forests and grasslands, our desire for beer and wine produced by the fungus was a major stimulus for agricultural settlement. It takes a village to run a brewery or tend a vineyard. We domesticated wild yeast and yeast domesticated us. With the inevitable escape of the fungus from beer vats into bread dough, our marriage with yeast was secured by an appetite for fresh loaves of leavened bread. Over the millennia, we have adapted the technologies of brewing, winemaking, and baking and have come to rely on yeast more and more. Yeast produces corn ethanol and other biofuels and has become the genetically-modified darling of the pharmaceutical business as a source of human insulin and a range of life-saving medicines. These practical uses of yeast have been made possible by advances in our understanding of its biology, and the power of genetic engineering has been used to modify the fungus to do just about anything we wish. We know more about yeast than any other organism built from complex cells like our own. To understand yeast is to understand life. In this book Nicholas P. Money offers a celebration of our favorite microorganism.

Fungi range from being microscopic, single-celled yeasts to multicellular and heterotrophic in nature. Fungal communities have been found in vast ranges of environmental conditions. They can be associated with plants epiphytically, endophytically, or rhizospherically. Extreme environments represent unique ecosystems that harbor novel biodiversity of fungal communities. Interest in the exploration of fungal diversity has been spurred by the fact that fungi perform numerous functions integral in sustaining the biosphere, ranging from nutrient cycling to environmental detoxification, which involves processes like augmentation, supplementation, and recycling of plant nutrients--a particularly important process in sustainable agriculture. Fungal communities from natural and extreme habitats help promote plant growth, enhance crop yield, and soil fertility via direct or indirect plant growth promoting (PGP) mechanisms of solubilization of phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, production of ammonia, hydrogen cyanides, phytohormones, Fe-chelating compounds, extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, and bioactive secondary metabolites. These PGP fungi could be used as biofertilizers, bioinoculants, and biocontrol agents in place of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in eco-friendly manners for sustainable agriculture and environments. Along with agricultural applications, medically important fungi play significant role for human health. Fungal communities are useful for sustainable environments as they are used for bioremediation which is the use of microorganisms' metabolism to degrading waste contaminants (sewage, domestic, and industrial effluents) into non-toxic or less toxic materials by natural biological processes. Fungi could be used as mycoremediation for the future of environmental sustainability. Fungi and fungal products have the biochemical and ecological capability to degrade environmental organic chemicals and to decrease the risk associated with metals, semi-metals, and noble metals either by chemical modification or by manipulating chemical bioavailability. The two volumes of "Recent Trends in Mycological Research" aim to provide an understanding of fungal communities from diverse environmental habitats and their potential applications in agriculture, medical, environments and industry. The books are useful to scientists, researchers, and students involved in microbiology, biotechnology, agriculture, molecular biology, environmental biology and related subjects.

This book presents research on the challenges and potential of fungal contribution in agriculture for food substantiality. Research on fungi plays an essential role in the improvement of biotechnologies which lead global sustainable food production. Use of fungal processes and products can bring increased sustainability through more efficient use of natural resources. Fungal inoculum, introduced into soil together with seed, can promote more robust plant growth through increasing plant uptake of nutrients and water, with plant robustness being of central importance in maintaining crop yields. Fungi are one of nature's best candidates for the discovery of food ingredients, new drugs and antimicrobials. As fungi and their related biomolecules are increasingly characterized, they have turned into a subject of expanding significance. The metabolic versatility makes fungi interesting objects for a range of economically important food biotechnology and related applications. The potential of fungi for a more sustainable world must be realized to address global challenges of climate change, higher demands on natural resources.

Volume 3 covers recent research with expanded coverage on this important area of remediation. Mycoremediation is the form of bioremediation in which fungi-based technology is used to decontaminate the environment. Fungi are among the primary saprotrophic organisms in an ecosystem, as they are efficient in the decomposition of organic matter. Wood-decay fungi, especially white rot, secretes extracellular enzymes and acids that break down lignin and cellulose. Fungi have been proven to be a very cost-effective and environmentally-friendly way for helping to remove a wide array of toxins from damaged environments or wastewater. These toxins include heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, textile dyes, leather tanning industry chemicals and wastewater, petroleum fuels, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, pesticides and herbicides, in land, fresh water and marine environments. Bioremediation of toxic organics by fungi is the most sustainable and green route for cleanup of contaminated sites and we discuss the multiple modes employed by fungi for detoxification of different toxic and recalcitrant compounds including prominent fungal enzymes viz., catalases, general lipase, laccases, peroxidases and sometimes intracellular enzymes, especially the cyrochrome P450 monooxygeneses. Fungi play an important role in the biogeochemical cycling of manganese and other redox-active metals, which is related to their ability to survive radiation and other oxidative challenges. This book covers recent research with more detail on the various types of fungi and associated fungal processes used to clean up wastes and wastewaters in contaminated environments, and discusses their potential for environmental applications.

This pioneering book focuses on Neotropical endophytic fungi, providing a comprehensive overview of their diversity, ecology, and biotechnological applications in medicine, agriculture, and industry. Despite their rich diversity, the endophytic fungi associated with plants of Central and South American biomes remain largely unknown. The book addresses that knowledge gap by offering insights into Neotropic endophytic fungal community.