Fungi research and knowledge grew rapidly following recent advances in genetics and genomics. This book synthesizes new knowledge with existing information to stimulate new scientific questions and propel fungal scientists on to the next stages of research. This book is a comprehensive guide on fungi, environmental sensing, genetics, genomics, interactions with microbes, plants, insects, and humans, technological applications, and natural product development.

-- --Foreword -- Preface -- Editors -- Fungal Branches on the Eukaryotic Tree of Life -- Chapter 1 : The Fungal Tree of Life: From Molecular Systematics to Genome-Scale Phylogenies / Authors: Joseph W. Spatafora, M. Catherine Aime, Igor V. Grigoriev, Francis Martin, Jason E. Stajich, Meredith Blackwell -- Chapter 2 : Six Key Traits of Fungi: Their Evolutionary Origins and Genetic Bases / Authors: László G. Nagy, Renáta Tóth, Enikîo Kiss, Jason Slot, Attila Gácser, Gábor M. Kovács -- Chapter 3 : What Defines the "Kingdom" Fungi? / Authors: Thomas A. Richards, Guy Leonard, Jeremy G. Wideman -- Chapter 4 : Fungal Diversity Revisited: 2.2 to 3.8 Million Species / Authors: David L. Hawksworth, Robert Lücking -- Chapter 5 : Microsporidia: Obligate Intracellular Pathogens Within the Fungal Kingdom / Authors: Bing Han, Louis M. Weiss -- Life of Fungi -- Chapter 6 : Fungal Sex: The Ascomycota / Authors: Richard J. Bennett, B. Gillian Turgeon -- Chapter 7 : Fungal Sex: The Basidiomycota / Authors: Marco A. Coelho, Guus Bakkeren, Sheng Sun, Michael E. Hood, Tatiana Giraud -- Chapter 8 : Fungal Sex: The Mucoromycota / Authors: Soo Chan Lee, Alexander Idnurm -- Chapter 9 : Sex and the Imperfect Fungi / Authors: Paul S. Dyer, Ulrich Kück -- Chapter 10 : Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Cell Fusion and Heterokaryon Formation in Filamentous Fungi / Authors: Asen Daskalov, Jens Heller, Stephanie Herzog, André Fleissner, N. Louise Glass -- Chapter 11 : Cell Biology of Hyphal Growth / Authors: Gero Steinberg, Miguel A. Peñalva, Meritxell Riquelme, Han A. Wösten, Steven D. Harris -- Chapter 12 : The Fungal Cell Wall: Structure, Biosynthesis, and Function / Authors: Neil A.R. Gow, Jean-Paul Latge, Carol A. Munro -- Chapter 13 : Fungal Ecology: Principles and Mechanisms of Colonization and Competition by Saprotrophic Fungi / Authors: Lynne Boddy, Jennifer Hiscox -- Chapter 14 : Long-Distance Dispersal of Fungi / Authors: Jacob J. Golan, Anne Pringle -- Chapter 15 : The Mycelium as a Network / Authors: Mark D. Fricker, Luke L.M. Heaton, Nick S. Jones, Lynne Boddy -- Fungal Ecology -- Chapter 16 : The Geomycology of Elemental Cycling and Transformations in the Environment / Author: Geoffrey Michael Gadd -- Chapter 17 : Ecology of Fungal Plant Pathogens / Author: Aad J. Termorshuizen -- Chapter 18 : Key Ecological Roles for Zoosporic True Fungi in Aquatic Habitats / Authors: Frank H. Gleason, Bettina Scholz, Thomas G. Jephcott, Floris F. van Ogtrop, Linda Henderson, Osu Lilje, Sandra Kittelmann, Deborah J. Macarthur -- How Fungi Sense Their Environment -- Chapter 19 : Nutrient Sensing at the Plasma Membrane of Fungal Cells / Authors: Patrick van Dijck, Neil Andrew Brown, Gustavo H. Goldman, Julian Rutherford, Chaoyang Xue, Griet van Zeebroeck -- Chapter 20 : The Complexity of Fungal Vision / Authors: Reinhard Fischer, Jesus Aguirre, Alfredo Herrera-Estrella, Luis M. Corrochano -- Chapter 21 : Stress Adaptation / Authors: Alistair J.P. Brown, Leah E. Cowen, Antonio di Pietro, Janet Quinn -- Chapter 22 : Thigmo Responses: The Fungal Sense of Touch / Authors: Mariana Cruz Almeida, Alexandra C. Brand. Chapter 23 : Melanin, Radiation, and Energy Transduction in Fungi / Authors: Arturo Casadevall, Radames J.B. Cordero, Ruth Bryan, Joshua Nosanchuk, Ekaterina Dadachova -- Chapter 24 : Making Time: Conservation of Biological Clocks from Fungi to Animals / Authors: Jay C. Dunlap, Jennifer J. Loros -- Chapter 25 : Target of Rapamycin (TOR) Regulates Growth in Response to Nutritional Signals / Author: Ronit Weisman -- Fungal Genetics and Genomics as Models for Biology -- Chapter 26 : Fungal Cell Cycle: A Unicellular versus Multicellular Comparison / Authors: Ilkay Dörter, Michelle Momany -- Chapter 27 : A Matter of Scale and Dimensions: Chromatin of Chromosome Landmarks in the Fungi / Authors: Allyson A. Erlendson, Steven Friedman, Michael Freitag -- Chapter 28 : Ploidy Variation in Fungi: Polyploidy, Aneuploidy, and Genome Evolution / Authors: Robert T. Todd, Anja Forche, Anna Selmecki -- Chapter 29 : Fungal Genomes and Insights into the Evolution of the Kingdom / Author: Jason E. Stajich -- Chapter 30 : Sources of Fungal Genetic Variation and Associating It with Phenotypic Diversity / Authors: John W. Taylor, Sara Branco, Cheng Gao, Chris Hann-Soden, Liliam Montoya, Iman Sylvain, Pierre Gladieux -- Chapter 31 : RNA Interference in Fungi: Retention and Loss / Authors: Francisco E. Nicolás, Victoriano Garre -- Chapter 32 : Amyloid Prions in Fungi / Authors: Sven J. Saupe, Daniel F. Jarosz, Heather L. True -- Chapter 33 : Repeat-Induced Point Mutation and Other Genome Defense Mechanisms in Fungi / Author: Eugene Gladyshev -- Fungal Interactions with Plants: Impact on Agriculture and the Biosphere -- Chapter 34 : Plant Pathogenic Fungi / Authors: Gunther Doehlemann, Bilal Ökmen, Wenjun Zhu, Amir Sharon -- Chapter 35 : The Mutualistic Interaction between Plants and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi / Authors: Luisa Lanfranco, Paola Bonfante, Andrea Genre -- Chapter 36 : Lichenized Fungi and the Evolution of Symbiotic Organization / Authors: Martin Grube, Mats Wedin -- Chapter 37 : Fungal Plant Pathogenesis Mediated by Effectors / Authors: Pierre J.G.M. de Wit, Alison C. Testa, Richard P. Oliver -- Chapter 38 : Emerging Fungal Threats to Plants and Animals Challenge Agriculture and Ecosystem Resilience / Authors: Helen N. Fones, Matthew C. Fisher, Sarah J. Gurr -- Fungi and the Human Host -- Chapter 39 : Fungi that Infect Humans / Authors: Julia R. Köhler, Bernhard Hube, Rosana Puccia, Arturo Casadevall, John R. Perfect -- Chapter 40 : The Mycobiome: Impact on Health and Disease States / Authors: Najla El-Jurdi, Mahmoud A. Ghannoum -- Chapter 41 : Skin Fungi from Colonization to Infection / Authors: Sybren de Hoog, Michel Monod, Tom Dawson, Teun Boekhout, Peter Mayser, Yvonne Gräser -- Chapter 42 : Fungal Biofilms: Inside Out / Authors: Katherine Lagree, Aaron P. Mitchell. Chapter 43 : Fungal Recognition and Host Defense Mechanisms / Authors: I.M. Dambuza, S.M. Levitz, M.G. Netea, G.D. Brown -- Chapter 44 : Antifungal Drugs: The Current Armamentarium and Development of New Agents / Authors: Nicole Robbins, Gerard D. Wright, Leah E. Cowen -- Fungal Interactions with Animals (Fungi, Insects, and Nematodes) and Other Microbes -- Chapter 45 : The Insect Pathogens / Authors: Brian Lovett, Raymond J. St. Leger -- Chapter 46 : Made for Each Other: Ascomycete Yeasts and Insects / Author: Meredith Blackwell -- Chapter 47 : Nematode-Trapping Fungi / Authors: Xiangzhi Jiang, Meichun Xiang, Xingzhong Liu -- Chapter 48 : Host-Microsporidia Interactions in Caenorhabditis elegans, a Model Nematode Host / Author: Emily R. Troemel -- Chapter 49 : Bacterial Endosymbionts: Master Modulators of Fungal Phenotypes / Authors: Sarah J. Araldi-Brondolo, Joseph Spraker, Justin P. Shaffer, Emma H. Woytenko, David A. Baltrus, Rachel E. Gallery, A. Elizabeth Arnold -- Chapter 50 : Necrotrophic Mycoparasites and Their Genomes / Authors: Magnus Karlsson, Lea Atanasova, Dan Funck Jensen, Susanne Zeilinger -- Fungi: Technology and Natural Products -- Chapter 52 : Fungal Enzymes and Yeasts for Conversion of Plant Biomass to Bioenergy and High-Value Products / Author: Lene Lange -- Chapter 51 : Fungal Ligninolytic Enzymes and Their Applications / Authors: Miia R. Mäkelä, Erin L. Bredeweg, Jon K. Magnuson, Scott E. Baker, Ronald P. de Vries, Kristiina Hildén -- Chapter 53 : Fungi as a Source of Food / Authors: Joëlle Dupont, Sylvie Dequin, Tatiana Giraud, François Le Tacon, Souhir Marsit, Jeanne Ropars, Franck Richard, Marc-André Selosse -- Chapter 54 : Biologically Active Secondary Metabolites from the Fungi / Authors: Gerald F. Bills, James B. Gloer -- Index.