Gregory P. Cheplick and Stanley Faeth
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195308082
- eISBN:
- 9780199867462
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195308082.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
Symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi are extremely common in nature, ranging from highly parasitic to closely mutualistic. Grasses, which are common and ecologically important components ...
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Symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi are extremely common in nature, ranging from highly parasitic to closely mutualistic. Grasses, which are common and ecologically important components of many ecosystems worldwide, are often infected by clandestine, endosymbiotic fungi that grow within their stems, leaves, and seeds. This book attempts to synthesize the accumulating literature on grass-endophyte symbioses within a modern ecological and evolutionary framework. Topics covered include effects of endophytes on host growth, physiology, reproduction, and competitive ability in both agronomically important forages such as tall fescue and perennial ryegrass and in native grasses. Also, endophyte-host interactions are explored in relation to abiotic (e.g., drought) and biotic stresses (e.g., herbivory). Possible effects of endophyte infection on community and ecosystem-level processes are discussed. The ecological outcomes and coevolutionary dynamics of grass-endophyte associations are shown to be highly contingent on host and endophyte genotypes as well as environmental conditions. In addition to synthesizing much of the current literature on grass-endophyte interactions in natural and managed habitats, this book highlights gaps in current knowledge of specific aspects of symbiosis ecology and suggests many avenues for future research. Endophytic fungi are common in plants yet the nature of these interactions and how they cascade upward to communities and ecosystems are largely unknown.Less
Symbiotic relationships between plants and fungi are extremely common in nature, ranging from highly parasitic to closely mutualistic. Grasses, which are common and ecologically important components of many ecosystems worldwide, are often infected by clandestine, endosymbiotic fungi that grow within their stems, leaves, and seeds. This book attempts to synthesize the accumulating literature on grass-endophyte symbioses within a modern ecological and evolutionary framework. Topics covered include effects of endophytes on host growth, physiology, reproduction, and competitive ability in both agronomically important forages such as tall fescue and perennial ryegrass and in native grasses. Also, endophyte-host interactions are explored in relation to abiotic (e.g., drought) and biotic stresses (e.g., herbivory). Possible effects of endophyte infection on community and ecosystem-level processes are discussed. The ecological outcomes and coevolutionary dynamics of grass-endophyte associations are shown to be highly contingent on host and endophyte genotypes as well as environmental conditions. In addition to synthesizing much of the current literature on grass-endophyte interactions in natural and managed habitats, this book highlights gaps in current knowledge of specific aspects of symbiosis ecology and suggests many avenues for future research. Endophytic fungi are common in plants yet the nature of these interactions and how they cascade upward to communities and ecosystems are largely unknown.
Nicholas P. Money
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195154573
- eISBN:
- 9780199790272
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154573.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Microbiology
Stinkhorns, puffballs, the “corpse finder”, deadly galerina, Satan's bolete, birch conks, black mold, the old man of the woods — the world of fungi is infinitely varied and this book introduces ...
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Stinkhorns, puffballs, the “corpse finder”, deadly galerina, Satan's bolete, birch conks, black mold, the old man of the woods — the world of fungi is infinitely varied and this book introduces readers to a dazzling array of fungi. We learn of Madurella, which can erode bones until they look moth-eaten; Cordyceps, which wracks insects with convulsions, kills them, then sends a stalk out of the insect's head to release more infectious spores; and Claviceps, the poisonous ergot fungus, which causes hallucinations (the women charged with “demonic possession” in Salem in 1691 may have been victims of ergot consumption). The book's author recounts his own childhood introduction to fungi in Mr. Bloomfield's orchard — where trees and fruit were devoured by a rogue's gallery of bitter rot, canker, rust, powdery mildew, rubbery wood and scab — as well as outlining the lives of famed mycologists, including Reginald Buller who wore horse blinders as he walked to work, the better to study luminescent fungi in his dark lab. This book provides an introduction to the biology of fungi as well as insight into how scientists study fungi in the lab and in the field.Less
Stinkhorns, puffballs, the “corpse finder”, deadly galerina, Satan's bolete, birch conks, black mold, the old man of the woods — the world of fungi is infinitely varied and this book introduces readers to a dazzling array of fungi. We learn of Madurella, which can erode bones until they look moth-eaten; Cordyceps, which wracks insects with convulsions, kills them, then sends a stalk out of the insect's head to release more infectious spores; and Claviceps, the poisonous ergot fungus, which causes hallucinations (the women charged with “demonic possession” in Salem in 1691 may have been victims of ergot consumption). The book's author recounts his own childhood introduction to fungi in Mr. Bloomfield's orchard — where trees and fruit were devoured by a rogue's gallery of bitter rot, canker, rust, powdery mildew, rubbery wood and scab — as well as outlining the lives of famed mycologists, including Reginald Buller who wore horse blinders as he walked to work, the better to study luminescent fungi in his dark lab. This book provides an introduction to the biology of fungi as well as insight into how scientists study fungi in the lab and in the field.
Nicholas P. Money
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195154573
- eISBN:
- 9780199790272
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154573.003.0002
- Subject:
- Biology, Microbiology
This chapter discusses the fungal diseases (or mycoses) of humans. Topics covered include benign infections of the skin, hair, and nails caused by fungi called dermatophytes; Madurella mycetomatis, ...
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This chapter discusses the fungal diseases (or mycoses) of humans. Topics covered include benign infections of the skin, hair, and nails caused by fungi called dermatophytes; Madurella mycetomatis, the fungus that causes mycetoma of the foot; a yeast called Cryptococcus neoformans that causes meningitis in about 10% of AIDS patients; melanized fungi; and one group of zygomycete fungi, the Mucorales, which cause a family of infections, termed the mucormycoses.Less
This chapter discusses the fungal diseases (or mycoses) of humans. Topics covered include benign infections of the skin, hair, and nails caused by fungi called dermatophytes; Madurella mycetomatis, the fungus that causes mycetoma of the foot; a yeast called Cryptococcus neoformans that causes meningitis in about 10% of AIDS patients; melanized fungi; and one group of zygomycete fungi, the Mucorales, which cause a family of infections, termed the mucormycoses.
Nicholas P. Money
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195189711
- eISBN:
- 9780199790265
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189711.003.0002
- Subject:
- Biology, Microbiology
This chapter describes the global pandemic of Dutch elm disease caused by the fungus, Ophiostoma ulmi. Dutch elm disease was the worst epidemic of urban trees in history. Besides the fascinating ...
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This chapter describes the global pandemic of Dutch elm disease caused by the fungus, Ophiostoma ulmi. Dutch elm disease was the worst epidemic of urban trees in history. Besides the fascinating biology of the interaction between elm trees and this fungus, the chapter also tells compelling stories about the women scientists, led by Johanna Westerdijk, who first identified the cause of the epidemic.Less
This chapter describes the global pandemic of Dutch elm disease caused by the fungus, Ophiostoma ulmi. Dutch elm disease was the worst epidemic of urban trees in history. Besides the fascinating biology of the interaction between elm trees and this fungus, the chapter also tells compelling stories about the women scientists, led by Johanna Westerdijk, who first identified the cause of the epidemic.
Nicholas P. Money
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195189711
- eISBN:
- 9780199790265
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189711.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Microbiology
This chapter describes the history and continuing impact of the rust fungus, Hemileia vastatrix, on coffee crops. In the 19th century, this pathogen wiped-out coffee crops in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and ...
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This chapter describes the history and continuing impact of the rust fungus, Hemileia vastatrix, on coffee crops. In the 19th century, this pathogen wiped-out coffee crops in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and transformed the country into a tea-producing island. The scientist Harry Marshall Ward played a key role in the story of coffee rust, and was posted to Ceylon in 1880 to identify the cause of the epidemic. Coffee rust remains an exceedingly important agricultural problem in the developing world. A diversity of stories about the biology and sociology of this fungal disease of international importance is presented.Less
This chapter describes the history and continuing impact of the rust fungus, Hemileia vastatrix, on coffee crops. In the 19th century, this pathogen wiped-out coffee crops in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and transformed the country into a tea-producing island. The scientist Harry Marshall Ward played a key role in the story of coffee rust, and was posted to Ceylon in 1880 to identify the cause of the epidemic. Coffee rust remains an exceedingly important agricultural problem in the developing world. A diversity of stories about the biology and sociology of this fungal disease of international importance is presented.
R. Ford Denison
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691139500
- eISBN:
- 9781400842810
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691139500.003.0011
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter examines the interactions between trees and fungus-growing-leaf-cutter ants, arguing that we can learn much from natural communities as long as we don't mistakenly assume perfection. It ...
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This chapter examines the interactions between trees and fungus-growing-leaf-cutter ants, arguing that we can learn much from natural communities as long as we don't mistakenly assume perfection. It shows that natural selection can improve the fitness of each participant in multispecies interactions, regardless of the impact on the community as a whole. The chapter begins with an evolutionary perspective on chemicals as either signals, cues, or manipulation. This is followed by a discussion of the fungus-growing ants, with particular emphasis on their natural strategies for pest control, and the use of biotechnology for biological control of pests. The chapter concludes by stressing the importance of natural ecosystems in providing essential context for understanding the sophisticated adaptations of wild species, before applying them to agriculture.Less
This chapter examines the interactions between trees and fungus-growing-leaf-cutter ants, arguing that we can learn much from natural communities as long as we don't mistakenly assume perfection. It shows that natural selection can improve the fitness of each participant in multispecies interactions, regardless of the impact on the community as a whole. The chapter begins with an evolutionary perspective on chemicals as either signals, cues, or manipulation. This is followed by a discussion of the fungus-growing ants, with particular emphasis on their natural strategies for pest control, and the use of biotechnology for biological control of pests. The chapter concludes by stressing the importance of natural ecosystems in providing essential context for understanding the sophisticated adaptations of wild species, before applying them to agriculture.
Till Roenneberg, Tanja Radic, Manfred Gödel, and Martha Merrow
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195335903
- eISBN:
- 9780199775446
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335903.003.0007
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology
Compared to the overwhelming evidence of active seasonal adaptation in plants and animals, little is known about seasonality and photoperiodism in fungi. To approach this topic in any organism, ...
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Compared to the overwhelming evidence of active seasonal adaptation in plants and animals, little is known about seasonality and photoperiodism in fungi. To approach this topic in any organism, several questions have to be answered: (1) Is there evidence for seasonality?; (2) Is there evidence for photobiology — a prerequisite for detecting changing lengths of day and night?; and, (3) Is there evidence for a circadian system that could be used as internal reference to make sense of the changes in day or night length? This chapter summarizes what is known about the questions enumerated above. It describes the first results of investigating seasonality and photoperiodism in Neurospora crassa, a classic model organism in circadian research. As in other organisms, the Neurospora photoperiodic responses rely on a functional circadian clock that involves determination of night length.Less
Compared to the overwhelming evidence of active seasonal adaptation in plants and animals, little is known about seasonality and photoperiodism in fungi. To approach this topic in any organism, several questions have to be answered: (1) Is there evidence for seasonality?; (2) Is there evidence for photobiology — a prerequisite for detecting changing lengths of day and night?; and, (3) Is there evidence for a circadian system that could be used as internal reference to make sense of the changes in day or night length? This chapter summarizes what is known about the questions enumerated above. It describes the first results of investigating seasonality and photoperiodism in Neurospora crassa, a classic model organism in circadian research. As in other organisms, the Neurospora photoperiodic responses rely on a functional circadian clock that involves determination of night length.
Nicholas P. Money
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195172270
- eISBN:
- 9780199790258
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195172270.003.0008
- Subject:
- Biology, Microbiology
This chapter considers other fungi that grow in buildings. Meruliporia incrassata has become a frequent problem in California, where its massive rootlike organs, called rhizomorphs, snake into homes ...
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This chapter considers other fungi that grow in buildings. Meruliporia incrassata has become a frequent problem in California, where its massive rootlike organs, called rhizomorphs, snake into homes and destroy their timber frames. Serpula lacrymans causes dry rot in Europe and has plagued buildings and wooden ships for hundreds of years. Samuel Pepys was exasperated by the effects of dry rot on the Royal Navy in the 17th century, and Thomas Faraday sought a “cure” for this fungus in the 19th century. Dry rot appeared in the writings of Charles Dickens and Edgar Allen Poe, and is also mentioned in Leviticus. A microbial menace, called the artillery fungus, that uses a miniature cannon to shoot its black spore-filled balls onto new food sources is described. This extraordinary feat of biomechanics causes this fungus to spatter itself onto automobiles, serving as yet another fungal stimulus for lawsuits.Less
This chapter considers other fungi that grow in buildings. Meruliporia incrassata has become a frequent problem in California, where its massive rootlike organs, called rhizomorphs, snake into homes and destroy their timber frames. Serpula lacrymans causes dry rot in Europe and has plagued buildings and wooden ships for hundreds of years. Samuel Pepys was exasperated by the effects of dry rot on the Royal Navy in the 17th century, and Thomas Faraday sought a “cure” for this fungus in the 19th century. Dry rot appeared in the writings of Charles Dickens and Edgar Allen Poe, and is also mentioned in Leviticus. A microbial menace, called the artillery fungus, that uses a miniature cannon to shoot its black spore-filled balls onto new food sources is described. This extraordinary feat of biomechanics causes this fungus to spatter itself onto automobiles, serving as yet another fungal stimulus for lawsuits.
Nicholas P. Money
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195154573
- eISBN:
- 9780199790272
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154573.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Microbiology
This chapter discusses phallic mushrooms. Phallic mushrooms belong to a large group of fungi that includes the more familiar organisms that generate brackets on trees and buttons and portabella caps. ...
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This chapter discusses phallic mushrooms. Phallic mushrooms belong to a large group of fungi that includes the more familiar organisms that generate brackets on trees and buttons and portabella caps. These organisms are members of a group of fungi called the Basidiomycota, a name that refers to a special kind of spore or microscopic seed called the basidiospore. Thirty thousand species of basidiomycete have been described by scientists, and seventy or so are phallic mushrooms and related fungi that manufacture smelly cages.Less
This chapter discusses phallic mushrooms. Phallic mushrooms belong to a large group of fungi that includes the more familiar organisms that generate brackets on trees and buttons and portabella caps. These organisms are members of a group of fungi called the Basidiomycota, a name that refers to a special kind of spore or microscopic seed called the basidiospore. Thirty thousand species of basidiomycete have been described by scientists, and seventy or so are phallic mushrooms and related fungi that manufacture smelly cages.
Nicholas P. Money
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195154573
- eISBN:
- 9780199790272
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154573.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Microbiology
This chapter discusses the invasive growth of the fungus and its voracious appetite. Fungi grow by extending the tips of their hyphae and by branching to initiate new hyphae. As the organism expands, ...
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This chapter discusses the invasive growth of the fungus and its voracious appetite. Fungi grow by extending the tips of their hyphae and by branching to initiate new hyphae. As the organism expands, it forms a maze of filaments whose pattern bears some resemblance to a series of river deltas. This is the colony or mycelium, the feeding phase of the fungus. Most often, hyphal growth is invasive, so mycelia develop inside the food source (or substrate) utilized by the fungus.Less
This chapter discusses the invasive growth of the fungus and its voracious appetite. Fungi grow by extending the tips of their hyphae and by branching to initiate new hyphae. As the organism expands, it forms a maze of filaments whose pattern bears some resemblance to a series of river deltas. This is the colony or mycelium, the feeding phase of the fungus. Most often, hyphal growth is invasive, so mycelia develop inside the food source (or substrate) utilized by the fungus.
Nicholas P. Money
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195154573
- eISBN:
- 9780199790272
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154573.003.0004
- Subject:
- Biology, Microbiology
This chapter discusses fungus that infects insects. The Cordyceps fungus, for instance, is capable of piercing the chitinous exoskeleton of insects. Although Cordyceps poses no threat to humans, its ...
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This chapter discusses fungus that infects insects. The Cordyceps fungus, for instance, is capable of piercing the chitinous exoskeleton of insects. Although Cordyceps poses no threat to humans, its relative Claviceps is a source of great misery to us. Claviceps is the ergot fungus, a pathogen of rye whose toxins cause blood vessels to constrict so powerfully that hands and feet become gangrenous, causing patients to shed their nails and, eventually, their hands or feet. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Ascobolus immerses, and lichens are also described.Less
This chapter discusses fungus that infects insects. The Cordyceps fungus, for instance, is capable of piercing the chitinous exoskeleton of insects. Although Cordyceps poses no threat to humans, its relative Claviceps is a source of great misery to us. Claviceps is the ergot fungus, a pathogen of rye whose toxins cause blood vessels to constrict so powerfully that hands and feet become gangrenous, causing patients to shed their nails and, eventually, their hands or feet. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Ascobolus immerses, and lichens are also described.
Nicholas P. Money
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195154573
- eISBN:
- 9780199790272
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154573.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Microbiology
This chapter discusses the biology of a cross-section of aquatic fungi. In fast-flowing creeks, foams froth around half-submerged branches or at the bottom of waterfalls. Cakes of foam trap and ...
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This chapter discusses the biology of a cross-section of aquatic fungi. In fast-flowing creeks, foams froth around half-submerged branches or at the bottom of waterfalls. Cakes of foam trap and concentrate the same kinds of marvelous spores all over the world: some are star-shaped with thin limbs connected to a central hub, others are crescent-shaped or sigmoid (an elongated S twisted into an extended helix), and a few combine these features and look like animals created by balloon sculptors. These are the conidia of Ingoldian hyphomycetes, named for their discoverer, Cecil Terence Ingold. As a young professor in Leicester in 1938, Ingold found them in foam that collected in “a little, alder-lined, babbling brook” close to his home. After months of research, he concluded that the spores were formed by a hitherto unknown group of aquatic fungi that were instrumental in leaf decomposition.Less
This chapter discusses the biology of a cross-section of aquatic fungi. In fast-flowing creeks, foams froth around half-submerged branches or at the bottom of waterfalls. Cakes of foam trap and concentrate the same kinds of marvelous spores all over the world: some are star-shaped with thin limbs connected to a central hub, others are crescent-shaped or sigmoid (an elongated S twisted into an extended helix), and a few combine these features and look like animals created by balloon sculptors. These are the conidia of Ingoldian hyphomycetes, named for their discoverer, Cecil Terence Ingold. As a young professor in Leicester in 1938, Ingold found them in foam that collected in “a little, alder-lined, babbling brook” close to his home. After months of research, he concluded that the spores were formed by a hitherto unknown group of aquatic fungi that were instrumental in leaf decomposition.
Nicholas P. Money
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195154573
- eISBN:
- 9780199790272
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154573.003.0007
- Subject:
- Biology, Microbiology
This chapter explores the mechanisms that enable fungi to communicate with one another during reproduction, and related signaling processes that allow hyphae to cooperate when they form fruiting ...
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This chapter explores the mechanisms that enable fungi to communicate with one another during reproduction, and related signaling processes that allow hyphae to cooperate when they form fruiting bodies. Topics discussed include reproduction by oomycete water molds, water molds that are self-fertile hermaphrodites, zygomycete sex, and sexual behavior in mushroom-forming fungi.Less
This chapter explores the mechanisms that enable fungi to communicate with one another during reproduction, and related signaling processes that allow hyphae to cooperate when they form fruiting bodies. Topics discussed include reproduction by oomycete water molds, water molds that are self-fertile hermaphrodites, zygomycete sex, and sexual behavior in mushroom-forming fungi.
Nicholas P. Money
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195154573
- eISBN:
- 9780199790272
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154573.003.0008
- Subject:
- Biology, Microbiology
This chapter discusses poisonous mushrooms. These include the Amanita virosa, which produces amatoxins, miniproteins or peptides that are absorbed from the intestine and lay waste to the liver; the ...
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This chapter discusses poisonous mushrooms. These include the Amanita virosa, which produces amatoxins, miniproteins or peptides that are absorbed from the intestine and lay waste to the liver; the death cap, Amanita phalloides, which is responsible for most fatal poisonings throughout Europe; and the autumn skullcap, Galerina autumnalis, a common woodrotting fungus that buries its mycelium in fallen logs.Less
This chapter discusses poisonous mushrooms. These include the Amanita virosa, which produces amatoxins, miniproteins or peptides that are absorbed from the intestine and lay waste to the liver; the death cap, Amanita phalloides, which is responsible for most fatal poisonings throughout Europe; and the autumn skullcap, Galerina autumnalis, a common woodrotting fungus that buries its mycelium in fallen logs.
Nicholas P. Money
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195154573
- eISBN:
- 9780199790272
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154573.003.0009
- Subject:
- Biology, Microbiology
This chapter discusses the plant diseases caused by fungi. Fungi cause more plant diseases than all other enemies combined. Since the beginning of agriculture, livelihoods and lives have been lost to ...
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This chapter discusses the plant diseases caused by fungi. Fungi cause more plant diseases than all other enemies combined. Since the beginning of agriculture, livelihoods and lives have been lost to rusts, smuts, bunts, mildews, potato blight, and rice blast. Of particular significance in this discussion is a pestilence called coffee rust that ravages an indispensable coffee crop in South America. Fungi also spoil food after it has been harvested, rotting fruits and vegetables during storage, transport, and in the recesses of refrigerators.Less
This chapter discusses the plant diseases caused by fungi. Fungi cause more plant diseases than all other enemies combined. Since the beginning of agriculture, livelihoods and lives have been lost to rusts, smuts, bunts, mildews, potato blight, and rice blast. Of particular significance in this discussion is a pestilence called coffee rust that ravages an indispensable coffee crop in South America. Fungi also spoil food after it has been harvested, rotting fruits and vegetables during storage, transport, and in the recesses of refrigerators.
Ernest H. Williams
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195179293
- eISBN:
- 9780199790470
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195179293.003.0009
- Subject:
- Biology, Natural History and Field Guides
Forests are more than just groups of trees, they are home to many organisms. In a forest one can see the scrape marks of deer and bear, the thick growth of mistletoes and shelf fungi, and the damage ...
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Forests are more than just groups of trees, they are home to many organisms. In a forest one can see the scrape marks of deer and bear, the thick growth of mistletoes and shelf fungi, and the damage of bark beetles and sapsuckers. The trees themselves are the focus of our interest, whether they are deciduous or evergreen, how large they are, and when they leaf out and senesce. This chapter begins with different kinds of forests and then considers signs left by other residents of the forest.Less
Forests are more than just groups of trees, they are home to many organisms. In a forest one can see the scrape marks of deer and bear, the thick growth of mistletoes and shelf fungi, and the damage of bark beetles and sapsuckers. The trees themselves are the focus of our interest, whether they are deciduous or evergreen, how large they are, and when they leaf out and senesce. This chapter begins with different kinds of forests and then considers signs left by other residents of the forest.
E. C. Pielou
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801477409
- eISBN:
- 9780801463037
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801477409.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Plant Sciences and Forestry
Global warming and human-driven impacts from logging, natural gas drilling, mining of oil sands, and the development of hydropower increasingly threaten North America's northern forests. These ...
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Global warming and human-driven impacts from logging, natural gas drilling, mining of oil sands, and the development of hydropower increasingly threaten North America's northern forests. These forests are far from being a uniform environment; close inspection reveals that the conifers that thrive there—pines, larches, spruces, hemlocks, firs, Douglas-firs, arborvitaes, false-cypresses, junipers, and yews—support a varied and complex ecosystem. This book introduces the biology of the northern forests and covers in detail this unique and threatened northern world and the species that make it their home. The book emphasizes how different these plants are both biologically and evolutionarily from the hardwoods we also call “trees.” Following an introduction to the essential conifers, the book expands to include the interactions of conifers with other plants, fungi, mammals, birds, and amphibians. The second edition, enriched by new illustrations of woodland features and creatures, updates the text with new topics including mycorrhizal fungi, soil, woodlice, bats, and invasive insects such as the hemlock woolly adelgid. Emphasis is given to the very real human-driven impacts that threaten the species that live in and depend on the vital and complex forest ecosystem. The book provides a rich understanding of the northern forests in th1is work praised for its nontechnical presentation, scientific objectivity, and original illustrations.Less
Global warming and human-driven impacts from logging, natural gas drilling, mining of oil sands, and the development of hydropower increasingly threaten North America's northern forests. These forests are far from being a uniform environment; close inspection reveals that the conifers that thrive there—pines, larches, spruces, hemlocks, firs, Douglas-firs, arborvitaes, false-cypresses, junipers, and yews—support a varied and complex ecosystem. This book introduces the biology of the northern forests and covers in detail this unique and threatened northern world and the species that make it their home. The book emphasizes how different these plants are both biologically and evolutionarily from the hardwoods we also call “trees.” Following an introduction to the essential conifers, the book expands to include the interactions of conifers with other plants, fungi, mammals, birds, and amphibians. The second edition, enriched by new illustrations of woodland features and creatures, updates the text with new topics including mycorrhizal fungi, soil, woodlice, bats, and invasive insects such as the hemlock woolly adelgid. Emphasis is given to the very real human-driven impacts that threaten the species that live in and depend on the vital and complex forest ecosystem. The book provides a rich understanding of the northern forests in th1is work praised for its nontechnical presentation, scientific objectivity, and original illustrations.
Wim H. van der Putten
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199228973
- eISBN:
- 9780191711169
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199228973.003.0008
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology
One of the greatest challenges facing applied ecologists is to elucidate causes of unwanted developments in natural and production ecosystems, and to translate this knowledge into management ...
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One of the greatest challenges facing applied ecologists is to elucidate causes of unwanted developments in natural and production ecosystems, and to translate this knowledge into management decisions without causing unintended side-effects. Such a strategy requires interventions based on solid understanding of the underlying mechanisms, as well as proper predictions of future direct and indirect effects of the interventions. Good applied ecological research quite often may reveal our shortage of knowledge, which in turn will fuel fundamental research initiatives. Community ecology plays a key role in many aspects of applied ecology because the abundance of species strongly depends on competitive and predatory interactions among species that are part of food webs. Food web interactions are major drivers of ecosystem processes, and they are key to the delivery of ecosystem goods and services.Less
One of the greatest challenges facing applied ecologists is to elucidate causes of unwanted developments in natural and production ecosystems, and to translate this knowledge into management decisions without causing unintended side-effects. Such a strategy requires interventions based on solid understanding of the underlying mechanisms, as well as proper predictions of future direct and indirect effects of the interventions. Good applied ecological research quite often may reveal our shortage of knowledge, which in turn will fuel fundamental research initiatives. Community ecology plays a key role in many aspects of applied ecology because the abundance of species strongly depends on competitive and predatory interactions among species that are part of food webs. Food web interactions are major drivers of ecosystem processes, and they are key to the delivery of ecosystem goods and services.
Peter A. Ensminger
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300088045
- eISBN:
- 9780300133523
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300088045.001.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Climate
Which fungus is as sensitive to light as the human eye? What are the myths and facts about the ozone hole, tanning, skin cancer, and sunscreens? What effect does light have on butterfly copulation? ...
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Which fungus is as sensitive to light as the human eye? What are the myths and facts about the ozone hole, tanning, skin cancer, and sunscreens? What effect does light have on butterfly copulation? This book explores how various organisms—including archaebacteria, slime molds, fungi, plants, insects, and humans—sense and respond to sunlight. The chapters cover vision, photosynthesis, and phototropism, as well as such unusual topics as the reason that light causes beer to develop a “skunky” odor. The book introduces us to the types of eyes that have evolved in different animals, including those in a species of shrimp that is ostensibly eyeless; the book gives us a better appreciation of color vision; explains how plowing fields at night may be used to control weeds; and tells us about variegate porphyria, a metabolic disease that makes people very sensitive to sunlight and that may have afflicted King George III of England.Less
Which fungus is as sensitive to light as the human eye? What are the myths and facts about the ozone hole, tanning, skin cancer, and sunscreens? What effect does light have on butterfly copulation? This book explores how various organisms—including archaebacteria, slime molds, fungi, plants, insects, and humans—sense and respond to sunlight. The chapters cover vision, photosynthesis, and phototropism, as well as such unusual topics as the reason that light causes beer to develop a “skunky” odor. The book introduces us to the types of eyes that have evolved in different animals, including those in a species of shrimp that is ostensibly eyeless; the book gives us a better appreciation of color vision; explains how plowing fields at night may be used to control weeds; and tells us about variegate porphyria, a metabolic disease that makes people very sensitive to sunlight and that may have afflicted King George III of England.
M. Anwar Maun
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- November 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780198570356
- eISBN:
- 9780191916731
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198570356.003.0014
- Subject:
- Earth Sciences and Geography, Oceanography and Hydrology
Mycorrhizal fungi (mycobionts) form a ubiquitous mutualistic symbiotic association with the roots of higher plants (phytobionts) in coastal sand dunes worldwide. These obligate biotrophs perform ...
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Mycorrhizal fungi (mycobionts) form a ubiquitous mutualistic symbiotic association with the roots of higher plants (phytobionts) in coastal sand dunes worldwide. These obligate biotrophs perform vital functions in the survival, establishment and growth of plants by playing an active role in nutrient cycling. As such they serve as a crucial link between plants, fungi and soil at the soil–root interface (Rillig and Allen 1999). Mycorrhizas occur in a wide variety of habitats and ecosystems including aquatic habitats, cold or hot deserts, temperate and tropical coastal dunes, tropical rainforests, saline soils, volcanic tephra soils, prairies and coral substrates (Klironomos and Kendrick 1993). Simon et al. (1993) sequenced ribosomal DNA genes from 12 species of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and confirmed that mycorrhizas (fungal roots) fall into three families. He estimated that they originated about 353–462 million years ago and were instrumental in facilitating the colonization of ancient plants on land. Further evidence was provided by Remy et al. (1994) who discovered arbuscules in an early Devonian land plant, Aglaophyton major, and concluded that mycorrhizal fungi were already established on land > 400 million years ago. Thus the nutrient transfer mechanism of AM fungi was already in existence before the origin of roots. Plant roots probably evolved from rhizomes and AM fungi served as an important evolutionary step in the acquisition of water and mineral nutrients (Brundrett 2002). Over evolutionary time the divergence among these fungi has accompanied the radiation of land plants, and about 200 species of AM fungi have been recognized (Klironomos and Kendrick 1993) that exist in association with about 300 000 plant species in 90% of families (Smith and Read 1997), indicating that AM fungi are capable of colonizing many host species. Approximately 150 of the described mycorrhizal species may occur in sand dunes (Koske et al. 2004). Most host–fungus associations are beneficial to both the plant and the fungus and are thus regarded as mutualistic (++); however, the widespread use of the term mutualism (mutual benefit) for mycorrhizal interactions has been questioned because all associations are not beneficial to both the plant and fungus (Brundrett 2004).
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Mycorrhizal fungi (mycobionts) form a ubiquitous mutualistic symbiotic association with the roots of higher plants (phytobionts) in coastal sand dunes worldwide. These obligate biotrophs perform vital functions in the survival, establishment and growth of plants by playing an active role in nutrient cycling. As such they serve as a crucial link between plants, fungi and soil at the soil–root interface (Rillig and Allen 1999). Mycorrhizas occur in a wide variety of habitats and ecosystems including aquatic habitats, cold or hot deserts, temperate and tropical coastal dunes, tropical rainforests, saline soils, volcanic tephra soils, prairies and coral substrates (Klironomos and Kendrick 1993). Simon et al. (1993) sequenced ribosomal DNA genes from 12 species of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and confirmed that mycorrhizas (fungal roots) fall into three families. He estimated that they originated about 353–462 million years ago and were instrumental in facilitating the colonization of ancient plants on land. Further evidence was provided by Remy et al. (1994) who discovered arbuscules in an early Devonian land plant, Aglaophyton major, and concluded that mycorrhizal fungi were already established on land > 400 million years ago. Thus the nutrient transfer mechanism of AM fungi was already in existence before the origin of roots. Plant roots probably evolved from rhizomes and AM fungi served as an important evolutionary step in the acquisition of water and mineral nutrients (Brundrett 2002). Over evolutionary time the divergence among these fungi has accompanied the radiation of land plants, and about 200 species of AM fungi have been recognized (Klironomos and Kendrick 1993) that exist in association with about 300 000 plant species in 90% of families (Smith and Read 1997), indicating that AM fungi are capable of colonizing many host species. Approximately 150 of the described mycorrhizal species may occur in sand dunes (Koske et al. 2004). Most host–fungus associations are beneficial to both the plant and the fungus and are thus regarded as mutualistic (++); however, the widespread use of the term mutualism (mutual benefit) for mycorrhizal interactions has been questioned because all associations are not beneficial to both the plant and fungus (Brundrett 2004).
