Molds are everywhere: we inhale their microscopic spores from birth to death. But when an investigation in Ohio revealed that babies suffering from a serious lung illness had been exposed to a toxic black mold in their homes, millions of Americans became nervous about patches of mold in their own basements and bathrooms. Before long, lawsuits were filed by the residents of mold-contaminated homes in every state. By failing to address water damage, building contractors, plumbers, and insurance agents were held liable for exposing families to an unprecedented microbiological hazard. The mold crisis soon developed into a fully-fledged media circus. In Carpet Monsters and Killer Spores, Nicholas Money explores the science behind the headlines and courtroom dramas, and profiles the toxin-producing mold that is a common inhabitant of water-damaged buildings. Nicholas Money tells the most important mycological story since potato blight, with his inimitable style of scientific clarity and dark humor.

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 enhance 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 a 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 degrade 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 detailed book collects standard techniques and cutting-edge methods that are frequently used by the research community studying the fungus Trichoderma reesei. Beginning with overviews of its evolution, its use in the production of industrially-relevant enzymes, and synthetic biology applications, the volume continues with methods covering topics from transformation techniques and gene editing to downstream-analytical applications and -omics analyses and the corresponding bioinformatics approaches. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, 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. Authoritative and practical, Trichoderma reesei: Methods and Protocols serves as an ideal guide for a wide range of audiences, from students who want to familiarize themselves with basic research protocols to experienced scientists who are planning to establish a new method in their laboratories, working with this dynamic fungus.

Mycorrhizae are mutualisms between plants and fungi that evolved over 400 million years ago. This symbiotic relationship commenced with land invasion, and as new groups evolved, new organisms developed with varying adaptations to changing conditions. Based on the author's 50 years of knowledge and research, this book characterizes mycorrhizae through the most rapid global environmental changes in human history. It applies that knowledge in many different scenarios, from restoring strip mines in Wyoming and shifting agriculture in the Yucatan, to integrating mutualisms into science policy in California and Washington, D.C. Toggling between ecological theory and natural history of a widespread and long-lived symbiotic relationship, this interdisciplinary volume scales from structure-function and biochemistry to ecosystem dynamics and global change. This remarkable study is of interest to a wide range of students, researchers, and land-use managers.

LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDRE SIMON AWARD 2021 'Truffle Hound, like a truffle, charms by seducing us' Mark Kurlansky A captivating exploration into the secretive and sensuous world of truffles, the elusive food that has captured hearts, imaginations, and palates worldwide. The scent of one freshly unearthed white truffle in Barolo was all it took to lead Rowan Jacobsen down a rabbit hole into a world of secretive hunts, misty woods, black-market deals, obsessive chefs, quixotic scientists, muddy dogs, maddening smells, and some of the most memorable meals ever created. Truffles attract dreamers, schemers, and sensualists. People spend years training dogs to find them underground. They plant forests of oaks and wait a decade for truffles to appear. They pay GBP2,170 a pound to possess them. They turn into quivering puddles in their presence. Why? Truffle Hound is the fascinating account of Rowan's quest to find out, a journey that would lead him from Italy to Istria, Hungary, Spain, England, and North America. Both an entertaining odyssey and a manifesto, Truffle Hound demystifies truffles-and then remystifies them, freeing them from their gilded cage and returning them to their roots as a sacred offering from the forest. It helps people understand why they respond so strongly to that crazy smell, shows them there's more to truffles than they ever imagined, and gives them all the tools they need to take their own truffle love to the next level. Deeply informed, unabashedly passionate, rakishly readable, Truffle Hound will spark Britain's next great culinary passion.

Current research lays emphasis on exploring natural products for use in nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals to overcome various side effects of synthetic drugs. Fungi occupy an eminent position among natural sources of food and medicinal importance since ancient times. Many fungal species have been eaten as food and used in folk medicine for the treatment of many human ailments as mentioned in traditional medical literature. However, scanty information is available pertaining to the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical importance of fungi which merits an extensive review. This book spotlights the use value macrofungi in human health. Macrofungi with health benefitting properties largely belong to Basidiomycota followed by Ascomycota growing indoor (cultivated) and outdoor (wild). We endeavoured to throw light on the benefits of macrofungal taxa in relation to their food and medicinal significance in human life. We provided knowledge pertaining to the ethnomycological significance of macrofungi with respect to their uses as food and medicine by the people inhabiting different parts of the world. This book highlights the nutritional composition and bioactive compounds present in macrofungi. We also focused on the pharmacological activities of macrofungi contributing towards their medicinal value against several human disorders. We cited many commercially available nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products of macrofungal origin. This work will hopefully serve as a basic reference for general public, mycologists, researches and industry men, interested in consumption, research and marketing of macrofungi.

Over the last decade considerable progress has been made in white biotechnology research and further major scientific and technological breakthroughs are expected in the future. The first large-scale industrial applications of modern biotechnology have been in the areas of food and animal feed production (agricultural/green biotechnology) and in pharmaceuticals (medical/red biotechnology). In contrast, the productions of bioactive compounds through fermentation or enzymatic conversion are known as industrial or white biotchnology. The fungi are ubiquitous in nature and have been sorted out from different habitats, including extreme environments (high temperature, low temperature, salinity and pH); and associated with plants (Epiphytic, Endophytic and Rhizospheric). The fungal strains are beneficial as well as harmful for human beings. The beneficial fungal strains may play important roles in the agricultural, industrial, and medical sectors. The fungal strains and its product (enzymes, bioactive compounds, and secondary metabolites) are very useful for industry (e.g., the discovery of penicillin from Penicillium chrysogenum). This discovery was a milestone in the development of white biotechnology as the industrial production of penicillin and antibiotics using fungi moved industrial biotechnology into the modern era, transforming it into a global industrial technology. Since then, white biotechnology has steadily developed and now plays a key role in several industrial sectors providing both high value nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products. The fungal strains and bioactive compounds also play an important role in environmental cleaning. This volume covers the latest research developments related to value-added products in white biotechnology through fungi.

This book focuses on signaling molecules in plant defense, outlining some of the most important cellular and chemical plant defense strategies during periods of stress and growth. Written by leading experts, it covers topics such as the diversity of plant-growth-promoting fungi, the gene-to-metabolite network of plant-microbe interactions, modulation of plant cellular responses to stress, and how plant nutritional deficiency affects crop production. Together with the companion volume Bioactive Molecules in Plant Defense: Saponins, this book offers an essential source of information for postgraduate students and researchers interested in plant pathology, mycology and sustainable agriculture.

This new book shows the work done by researchers dedicated to the study of different mycorrhizas types, the fungal species associated and their distribution influenced by geographical and environmental factors among the different South American biogeographic regions. The exclusive biotic and abiotic characteristics delimit natural ecosystems with uniques biological communities, where mycorrhizologists have investigated plant symbioses in those ecosystems for decades, providing data from Venezuelan Great Savannah, Andes, Puna, Chaco, Caatinga, Monte, Atlantic Forest, Marginal Forest, Cerrado, Patagonia, Yungas, Rainforest, Andean-Patagonian Forests, and Antarctic section. In these environments, different mycorrhizal associations (arbuscular / ericoid / orchidoid / ectomycorrhizal / mycoheterotrophic) are present in herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees. Mycorrhizal associations were studied from different researching points of view (biodiversity, biological invasions, biotic / abiotic disturbances, altitudinal variations, seasonal changes, land uses). The aim of this Book is to compile research on mycorrhizal fungi and their associations in environments of South America, throughout the synthesis of information from natural and anthropogenic related environments. The book focuses in different bioregions of South America from tropical areas to the southern cone, and it will be useful to those who work on plant-fungal interactions in different vegetation types and in agricultural lands from South America and worldwide.

Over the last decades, scientists have been intrigued by the fascinating organisms that inhabit extreme environments. These organisms, known as extremophiles, thrive in habitats which for other terrestrial life-forms are intolerably hostile or even lethal. Based on such technological advances, the study of extremophiles has provided, over the last few years, ground-breaking discoveries that challenge the paradigms of modern biology. In the new bioeconomy, fungi in general, play a very important role in addressing major global challenges, being instrumental for improved resource efficiency, making renewable substitutes for products from fossil resources, upgrading waste streams to valuable food and feed ingredients, counteracting life-style diseases and antibiotic resistance through strengthening the gut biota, making crop plants more robust to survive climate change conditions, and functioning as host organisms for production of new biological drugs. This range of new uses of fungi all stand on the shoulders of the efforts of mycologists over generations. The book is organized in five parts: (I) Biodiversity, Ecology, Genetics and Physiology of Extremophilic Fungi, (II) Biosynthesis of Novel Biomolecules and Extremozymes (III) Bioenergy and Biofuel synthesis, and (IV) Wastewater and biosolids treatment, and (V) Bioremediation.

This revised and extended edition provides in-depth insights into the benefits and untapped potential of lichen-derived bioactive compounds. The whole spectrum of these compounds' biological and medical functions, from antibiotic to antiviral and anti-carcinogenic properties, is presented. In addition, a new chapter discusses the anti-neurodegenerative and anti-diabetic activities of lichenic secondary metabolites. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable asset for students and researchers in this field.

The present book highlights importance of mycorrhiza in soil genesis wherein it reflects mycorrhizal occurrence and diversity, various tools to characterize them and its impact on soil formation/health together with crop productivity. The edited compendium provides glimpses on the mycorrhizal fungi and their prominent role in nutrient transfer into host plants, and presenting view on application of mycorrhiza for crop biofortification. It focuses on the mechanisms involve in weathering process employed by mycorrhiza with highlighting the current and advanced molecular approaches for studying mycorrhizal diversity. Further, book emphasizes following aspects in details: significance of AMF in phytoremediation of hydrocarbon contaminated sites, the role of mycorrhiza in soil genesis using scientometric approach, the concept of mycorrhizosphere, xenobiotic metabolism, molecular approaches for detoxifying the organic xenobiotics and the role of mycorrhizosphere in stabilizing the environment in an eco-friendly way. In addition, the book will be benign to researchers that involved in mycorrhiza characterization especially by deploying metagenomics/PCR based and non PCR based molecular techniques that may be utilized to study the microbial diversity and structure within the mycorrhizosphere.

Presents the latest R & D information on medicinal mushrooms from diverse geographical locations Offers comprehensive coverage of the most important application areas of medicinal mushrooms Includes contributions by eminently experienced researchers in the field of medicinal mushrooms Medicinal mushrooms are increasingly gaining attention worldwide because of their pharmacologically bioactive compounds, which have demonstrated potent and unique clinical properties. Scientific studies carried out during the last decade have confirmed their efficacy in treating a wide range of diseases. Extracts and bioactive compounds obtained from mushrooms have been used medicinally as anticancer, immunomodulator, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic, neuroprotectant, cardioprotectant, antioxidant, and anti-hypoglycemic agents, and in stem cell-based therapies. Introducing readers to the latest developments in, and ongoing research efforts on, medicinal mushrooms, this book gathers articles contributed by eminent researchers in different disciplines and from around the globe. Highlighting the tremendous potential of mushrooms for the development of new drugs, the topics covered include but are not limited to: Recent progress in research on the pharmaceutical potential of medicinal mushrooms and prospects for their clinicalapplication Edible mushroom neuronutraceuticals: Basis of therapeutics Overview of therapeutic efficacy of mushrooms Mushrooms - a wealth of resources for prospective stem cell-based therapies Mushrooms as potential natural cytostatics

Fungal growths affect both human and animal well-being. Many natural pathogens of laboratory animals alter host physiology, rendering the host unsuitable for experimental uses. While the number and prevalence of few pathogens have declined considerably, many still turn up in laboratory animals and represent unwanted variables in research. Investigators using laboratory animals in biomedical experimentation should be aware of the profound effects that many of these agents can have on research. What does the future hold regarding the natural pathogens of laboratory animals? The selection of an animal model must carefully address issues of the type of human disease to mimic, the parameters to follow, and the collection of the appropriate data to answer those questions being asked. Overall, animal models of fungal infection will continue to deepen our understanding of how these infections occur. This book provides a valuable source of information to biological and biomedical scientists and to clinical and doctoral researchers working in the area of fungal infections and diseases of laboratory animal species.

This book covers the latest data available to understand the mechanisms causing the formation of single species fungal biofilms or polymicrobial biofilms involving fungal species; specific chapters present hot topics such as resistance mechanisms and composition and role of the matrix. Moreover, it reviews updated data on biofilms that contain yeasts or filamentous fungi and develop in the human body or in water and may cause infections. The latest available data for both diagnostic and treatment of infections associated to fungi growing in biofilms is also presented. The activity of antifungal and disinfectant agents against fungal biofilms is discussed in specific chapters and future treatments on natural sources are suggested. This book bridges the gap between basic and applied research. It is the result of many years of research work done by laboratories worldwide, all known for their expertise on fungal biofilms.

This advanced undergraduate textbook examines major aspects of fungal physiology in relation to fungal behavior in natural habitats and, in so doing, provides a firm link between the divergent disciplines of fungal physiology and fungal ecology. A largely mechanistic approach is made within selected areas of fundamental importance. The themes are the functional interaction of the fungus with its abiotic and biotic environment and the reconciliation of laboratory studies with observations made under natural conditions.

Professor Bonner has rewritten more than half of this standard treatise to take account of the great amount of recent research on the cellular slime molds. He has included a larger selection of material, more figures and new plates. The bibliography has been greatly enlarged. Originally published in 1967. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This book covers both the molecular basics of fungal stress response strategies as well as biotechnological applications thereof. The complex regulatory mechanisms of stress response pathways are presented in a concise and well-readable manner. Also, light will be shed on the interconnection of pathways responding to different types of stress. Profound knowledge of stress responses in yeast and filamentous fungi is crucial for further optimization of industrial processes. Applications are manifold, for example in fungicide development, for improving the resistance of crop plants to fungal pathogens, but also in medicine to help curing fungal infections. The book targets researchers from academia and industry, as well as graduate students interested in microbiology, mycology and biomedicine.

This 10th edition, of the acclaimed reference work, has more than 21,000 entries, and provides the most complete listing available of generic names of fungi, their families and orders, their attributes and descriptive terms. For each genus, the authority, the date of publication, status, systematic position, number of accepted species, distribution, and key references are given. Diagnoses of families and details of orders and higher categories are included for all groups of fungi. In addition, there are biographic notes, information on well-known metabolites and mycotoxins, and concise accounts of almost all pure and applied aspects of the subject (including citations of important literature). Co-published by: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

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.

"Offering clear and comprehensive instructions for low-tech growing for a range of budgets, interests, and scales, this book offers practical inspiration and a sense that "hey, I can do this!" -- DANIELLE STEVENSON, owner, DIY Fungi DIY Mushroom Cultivation is full of proven, reliable, low-cost techniques for home-scale cultivation that eliminate the need for a clean-air lab space to grow various mushrooms and their mycelium. Beautiful full-color photos and step-by-step instructions accompany a foundation of mushroom biology and ecology to support a holistic understanding of the practice. Growing techniques are applicable year-round, for any space from house to apartment, and for any climate, budget, or goal. Techniques include: Setting up a home growing space Inexpensive, simple DIY equipment Culture creation from mushroom tissue or spores Growing and using liquid cultures and grain spawn Growing mushrooms on waste streams Indoor fruiting Outdoor mushroom gardens and logs Harvesting, processing, tinctures, and cooking. Whether you hunt mushrooms or dream about growing and working with them but feel constrained by a small living space, DIY Mushroom Cultivation is the ideal guide for getting started in the fascinating and delicious world of fungiculture.

The Pictorial Atlas of Soilborne Fungal Plant Pathogens and Diseases describes the soilborne fungal diseases caused by Oomycetes, Zygomycetes, Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes, and Deuteromycetous (Anamorphic) fungi. Soilborne fungal diseases are significant as both environmental and agricultural problems, yet it is difficult to understand the ecology of pathogenic fungi and its effective control. This book provides very detailed information on many of the commonly and not so commonly encountered groups of soilborne fungi diseases. It will be a useful reference for those teaching and conducting research in mycology, plant pathology, soilborne plant diseases, and the ecology of fungal communities.

Comprehensive and timely, Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms: Technology and Applications provides the most up to date information on the various edible mushrooms on the market. Compiling knowledge on their production, application and nutritional effects, chapters are dedicated to the cultivation of major species such as Agaricus bisporus, Pleurotus ostreatus, Agaricus subrufescens, Lentinula edodes, Ganoderma lucidum and others. With contributions from top researchers from around the world, topics covered include: * Biodiversity and biotechnological applications * Cultivation technologies * Control of pests and diseases * Current market overview * Bioactive mechanisms of mushrooms * Medicinal and nutritional properties Extensively illustrated with over 200 images, this is the perfect resource for researchers and professionals in the mushroom industry, food scientists and nutritionists, as well as academics and students of biology, agronomy, nutrition and medicine.