Algae, Fungi and Parasites

Methods for Studying Terrestrial Fungal Ecology and Diversity

Authors: R. G. Thorn, J. Scott, M. A. Lachance
• Source: Methods for General and Molecular Microbiology, Third Edition , pp 929-951
Publication Date : January 2007
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• Abstract:
  

  Fungi are of fundamental importance in terrestrial ecosystems, and their roles and importance are usually overlooked or underestimated by ecologists who study plants or animals. Filamentous fungi with a habit of exuding adhesive extracellular polysaccharides or mucopolysaccharides are important in soil stabilization through the formation of microaggregates and the binding of aggregates and particles. In the human environment, fungi are important in many food and industrial fermentations, but they also cause food spoilage and grow unwanted in our living and working spaces, creating problems of environmental health. This chapter highlights the fundamentals of discovering and identifying fungi in these diverse environments. The fundamentally different biologies of different groups of fungi mean that no single method will work to discover or isolate all fungi in any material or area. For this reason, some general methods are presented, which users may need to modify to study their fungi of particular interest. Biodiversity of Fungi presents an extensive review of this topic.