Fungi - Couverture souple

Watling, Roy

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0565091824 ISBN 13 : 9780565091828

Editeur : The Natural History Museum, 2003

Synopsis

Designed as a resource for botanists and all those interested in fungi, and suitable for the general reader or student looking for background reading, the focus of this text is the larger fungi; those which have an obvious fruiting body. Roy Watling MBE, a respected mycologist who has written widely on the subject of fungi, sheds light on these intriguing organisms in a clear, accessible text illustrated with colour photographs on every page. In a world without fungi, all the fallen trees, dead leaves, animal remains and other detritus would accumulate until the surface of the planet resembled a vast refuse tip, with little room for living things to exist. The job of breaking down organic materials and recycling the component molecules back into the environment is just one of the essential roles of fungi. Once regarded as simple plants, they are now thought of as a separate kingdom, having diverted from common ancestors up to 500 million years ago. Whether growing by the side of a forest path or served on toast, the classic "mushroom" fruiting bodies are only the most visible signs of some of the large fungi, which may exist for all or most of the time as long, hidden filaments known as hyphae, Trees, some of the world's largest plants, depend on fungi for help in obtaining mutrition from the soil. Fungi are present in almost every habitat on earth, and single specimens can occupy several hectares of land. They occupy a key place at the base of the food chain and are of great economic and biological importance, but it is only recently that scientists have begun to realize the ecological significance of fungi. The chapter on conservation gives an idea of just how vital it is to study and protect the habitats in which they thrive.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

Fungi are a distinct kingdom, separate from the plants and animals, bacteria and protists. They are everpresent—we inhale them with almost every breath—and without them the recycling of the Earth’s nutrients would be impossible. Yet despite their ubiquitous nature, they are poorly understood. Roy Watling sheds new light on these amazing creatures, explaining why they are so unique and how they live their lives.

Biographie de l'auteur

Roy Watling is an eminent British mycologist at the Royal Botanical Garden, Edinburgh.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: The Natural History Museum
• Date d'édition: 2003
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0565091824
• ISBN 13: 9780565091828
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 96
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
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