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the fifth kingdom 3/e | |||||
3rd edition 2000 • 1-58510-022-6 • Paper • 400 pages • 7 x 10 • $42.95 This is a delightfully written textbook covering all aspects of mycology. Designed for college level courses, it is also accessible to anyone interested in a survey of mushrooms and other fungi. | About the Author | Contents | Preface | | |||||
The Fifth Kingdom 3/e and its accompanying CD-ROM form a compact but comprehensive encyclopedia of all things mycological. Bryce Kendrick, a world-renowned mycologist, explores every aspect of the fungi, from aflatoxin to zoospores, with an accessible blend of verve and wit. The 24 chapters are filled with up-to-date information on classification, yeasts, lichens, spore dispersal, allergies, ecology, genetics, plant pathology, predatory fungi, biological control, mutualistic symbioses with animals and plants, fungi as food, food spoilage and mycotoxins, poisonous and hallucinogenic fungi, medical mycology, antibiotics and organ transplants. Personal anecdotes drawn from a lifetime of involvement with fungi, and a comprehensive glossary make this a perfect introduction to the kingdom of the fungi The author's website contains many color photographs of the fungi in the book, and the CD-rom is available from the author.
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Bryce Kendrick has studied fungi for 45 years, and has authored over 300 mycological publications, including several books. He was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1979, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1981. He received the 'Distinguished Mycologist' award of the Mycological Society of America in 1995, and was elected a Centenary Fellow of the British Mycological Society in 1996. In May 2001 he was the invited keynote speaker at the Mycological Society of Japan annual meeting in Tokyo, and in June 2001 received the Lawson Medal of the Canadian Botanical Association for lifetime contributions. |
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Preface
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Fungi probably rival flowering plants in their species diversity, and outweigh the animal kingdom. Whilst wielding great destructive power as agents of disease and decay, they drive the global carbon cycle, sustain our forests and grasslands via mycorrhizal associations, and clothe, as lichens, what would otherwise be bare parts of the planet. Their developmentally versatile body forms provide immense scope for industrial exploitation as well as experimentally accessible systems for studying fundamental biological issues. Yet most people’s appreciation of fungi stops at mushrooms, moldy food and fairy tales. "Challenged by such ignorance, mycologists need to overcome some deeply rooted prejudices. On the one hand, the variety, edibility and toxicity of fungal fruit bodies has always been a source of fascination which can be relied on to deliver new recruits to the cause of mycology, but if that fascination becomes an obsession, the cause is lost. "On the other hand, mycologists working on disease control, taxonomy or some industrial process often find it difficult to communicate the wider interest of what they are doing. Because of the vicious cycle of neglect, their task is made harder by the need to use ‘technical’ terms: plant scientists can assume that their audience knows what leaves, roots and stems are; mycologists always have to explain what hyphae and mycelium are. "So there are two images of the mycologist: one of the eccentric amateur, the other of the remote professional working on esoteric problems. Both are damaging." So writes Professor Alan Rayner, one of mycology’s most articulate spokespersons, and it is impossible to disagree with him. Perhaps this book can do something to produce a more balanced understanding and appreciation of fungi among university students and intelligent lay persons. Interest is the best stimulant to learning, and at least some of the stories in this book will surely tickle even the most jaded palate, since the fungal lifestyle is so bizarre, the facts so strange. Science fiction writers, look no further. Plots lie within. So far, we have described about 100,000 fungi, yet we estimate these to represent less than one-tenth of the Earth’s mycota. Part of this book, then, is a celebration of biodiversity: just think, there are over ten thousand species of mushrooms alone. Tragically, the world is gradually losing its biological richness. As a result of human activities, species of living organisms, fungi among them, are being driven irretrievably into extinction every day. We need you, the readers of this book, to help stop those losses. There are many kinds of environmental action: may I urge you to become personally involved in some of them. Our grandchildren will thank us, but only if we succeed. The CD-ROM (available directly from the author) which should be used in parallel with this book contains many images of fungi, but I would like you to look out for pictures of fungi that I have found in my own garden, or on the beach below my house. I have emphasized these to show you that if you keep your eyes open, you too should be able to find just as many fungi in your own surroundings. | |||||
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The Fifth Kingdom
