Author
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Rossman, Amy |
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Submitted to: Bioscience
Publication Type: Other Publication Acceptance Date: 7/29/1997 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: None required Technical Abstract: Fungi are an integral part of the natural world including the decomposition of organic matter. They are opportunists that can exploit both ephemeral energy resources such as the simple sugars released by a recently killed blade of grass as well as persistent substrates such as the pure lignin of a centuries-old, standing-dead tree trunk. Given their ubiquitous nature and their intimate interdependence with other organisms, this book addresses how fungi are affected by environmental change. Environmental change encompasses a range of external factors form climate change and global warming to increased ultraviolet radiation and pollution including ozone, sulphur dioxide, and radioactivity from the Chernobyl accident. Each chapter covers a broad topic summarizing the current state of knowledge, often including new data. Even to a specialist the overall conclusion is that fungi have complex interactions with substrates in many kinds of habitats. This book will be of interest to environmentalists and biologists of all kinds who are concerned about the enormous effect the environmental change is having on living organisms. After reading this book one can only be humbled by the complexity of the interactions between living organisms and the environment. Environmental change is occurring at an ever increasing pace and the need to know its effects on the inconspicuous but vital organisms such as fungi is urgent. |
