Fungi form an entire biological kingdom, and represent a great diversity of organisms. They are found in the soil, in the air, and on the surfaces of plants and animals. In this Very Short Introduction, Nicholas P. Money highlights the various effects of fungi on living organisms and considers their broader significance on our planet.

• 1: What is a fungus?


• 2: Fungal diversity


• 3: Fungal genetics and life cycles


• 4: Fungal mutualisms (supportive relationships)


• 5: Fungi as parasites of plants


• 6: Fungi and decomposition


• 7: Fungi in animal health and disease


• 8: Mushroom picking, mushroom cultivation, and fungal biotechnology


• References


• Index

Nicholas P. Money is Professor of Botany and Western Program Director at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He has studied fungal growth and reproduction for more than 30 years and has authored six books, including Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard: The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Mycologists (OUP, 2002), Mushroom (OUP, 2011) described by Nature magazine as a 'brilliant scientific and cultural exploration', and The Amoeba in the Room: Lives of the Microbes (OUP, 2014).