Since the Third Edition of Introductory Micology was published in 1979 the organisms commonly known as fungi have been recognized for their utility in developing and testing many kinds of hypotheses, as model systems in biology, and as creatures of pure beauty and delight despite misconceptions in a somtimes mycophobic world. Applications of modern research techniques, biomedical, agricultural and industrial concerns, and increased awareness of various ecological and phylogenetic issues all have helped to contribute to an explosion of knowledge relating to fungi and all have a base in traditional mycology. Both the amount and diversity of this knowledge presented a dilemma and made it inevitable that much interesting material would not be covered in this revision. In the end we decided to approach this revision by producing a book from which we ourselves could teach and from which our own students could learn. For us this meant the book would be phylogenetically based in the tradition since the First Edition (1952) written by our major professor C. J. Alexopoulos. We firmly believe that the taxonomic approach provides a framework with predictive value. Therefore the discussions of the many activities of fungi that directly or indirectly impact other living things including humans are discussed in the context of their close relatives. We hope that you will use the index to search out ecological topics such as "endophytes," "plant pathogens," "medically important fungi," and "dispersal" or genetics information such as "mating types" and "vegetative compatibility" that may appear in several chapters.
In a vigorous field there is never a good time either to write or to revise a textbook. The timing was particularly bad for us because of the rapid developments occurring in the area of fungal systematics. While it might have been wise for us to wait a few years for the air to clear we decided to proceed with the project and do the best job we could based on the data currently available. However because we did not want to clutter the literature with many new names we chose to use a less than formal taxonomic scheme especially at higher taxonomic levels. Instead the phylogenetic trees are indicative of these related groups as they are understood currently.
Based on the best phylogenetic information available the kingdom Fungi includes four phyla- Chytridiomycota, Zygomycota, As-comycota, and Basidiomycota. Other organisms traditionally known as fungi (Oomycota, Hy-phochytriornycota) and four groups sometimes called slime molds are not closely related to kingdom Fungi but we often will refer to all of these groups as fungi. Because these organisms all occur in the usual habitats of Fungi and have similar modes of nutrition a mycologist or plant pathologist would be incomplete without knowledge of them. We therefore have provided a rather complete coverage of all the organisms traditionally considered as fungi so that a mycologist now can be described as someone who studies fungi not only Fungi. As you might have noticed formal taxa at all levels are italicized. This will avoid confusion over what is a formal name, a device suggested by the most recent International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. You also may have noticed that we mentioned "phylum," and the Code now allows this substitution for the category "division."
Is the book too heavy? This is equivalent to saying it contains too much knowledge about fungi. Our experience in teaching mycology tells us that it is difficult to cram as much as we would like into a term. But we also know that many students want to learn a great deal more about fungi than v\e can cover in a single course whatever the length of the term. For this group of students we say, read on! However with practical considerations in mind we did our best to produce a book that could be used effectively in different ways. For example the first three chapters as well as those chapters and chapter sections that introduce the various phyla should be appropriate for shorter undergraduate and graduate courses alike. Other sections of the book relating to specific groups of fungi are considerably more detailed but should permit interested students to delve more deeply into some groups of fungi. The intent of so many cited references is to lead students into mycological literature. The numerous illustrations, life cycle drawings, and tables should be useful to students at all levels. A number of the drawings included in this edition were retained from the previous edition of the book while new drawings were skillfully prepared by Carol Gubbins Hahn. Although we prepared many new photographs specifically for this text, others were graciously supplied by workers from many parts of the world who are acknowledged in the figure legends. Many individuals also devoted much time and effort to reviewing chapters for us and answering many questions. Because of this input the book is truly a joint effort of the mycological community atlarge. Any mistakes or shortcomings you find are, however, ours alone.
During the three years of preparation of the Fourth Edition we increasingly relied on computerized data bases and on the Internet. It is possible to communicate almost instantly with any mycologist anywhere in the world as long as that mycologist has an electronic mail address. We recommend that every student become familiar with the mycological resources such as those listed on the Mycological Home Page of the World Wide Web, There you will find such listings as type specimens of fungi in certain herbaria, addresses, newsletters including that of the Mycological Society of America, and directions to get to other listings of mycological interest. Another valuable resource provides DMA sequences of organisms that have been submitted to the data bases that collect this type of information along with the reference and, often, an abstract if it has been published. Information on cultures in almost any culture collection in the world is readily available. Meeting abstracts also now are circulated this wav. Much of this information is available much sooner than or even in place of publication of hard copies. In fact we would appreciate hearing about any suggestions you might have for the revision of this edition by e-mail.
[EBOOK] INTRODUCTORY MYCOLOGY (Fourth Edition), C. J. Alexopoulos, C. W. Mims and M. Blackwell, JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC.
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