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Over the course of evolution, several plant lineages have found ways to obtain water, minerals, and carbohydrates from fungi. Some plants are able exploit fungi to such an extent that they lose the need for photosynthesis. The ability of a plant to live on fungal carbon is known as mycoheterotrophy. This intriguing process has fascinated botanists for centuries, yet many aspects of mycoheterotrophy have remained elusive for a long time.
Mycoheterotrophy: The Biology of Plants Living on Fungi explores the biology of mycoheterotrophs, offering general insights into their ecology, diversity, and evolution. Written by renowned experts in the field and bolstered with lavish illustrations and photographs, this volume provides a thematic overview of different aspects of mycoheterotrophy. Comprehensive and readily accessible, Mycoheterotrophy: The Biology of Plants Living on Fungi is a valuable resource for researchers and students who are interested in the process of mycoheterotrophy.
List of contents
Mycoheterotrophy: An introduction.- Taxonomy and classification.- Biogeography and conservation.- Subterranean morphology and mycorrhizal structures.- Evolution and diversification.- Progress and prospects for the ecological genetics of mycoheterotrophs.- Species interactions of mycoheterotrophic plants - specialization and its potential consequences.- The physiological ecology of mycoheterotrophy.
About the author
Vincent S.F.T. Merckx
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
Summary
Over the course of evolution, several plant lineages have found ways to obtain water, minerals, and carbohydrates from fungi. Some plants are able exploit fungi to such an extent that they lose the need for photosynthesis. The ability of a plant to live on fungal carbon is known as mycoheterotrophy. This intriguing process has fascinated botanists for centuries, yet many aspects of mycoheterotrophy have remained elusive for a long time.
Mycoheterotrophy: The Biology of Plants Living on Fungi explores the biology of mycoheterotrophs, offering general insights into their ecology, diversity, and evolution. Written by renowned experts in the field and bolstered with lavish illustrations and photographs, this volume provides a thematic overview of different aspects of mycoheterotrophy. Comprehensive and readily accessible, Mycoheterotrophy: The Biology of Plants Living on Fungi is a valuable resource for researchers and students who are interested in the process of mycoheterotrophy.
Additional text
From the reviews:
Selected by Choice magazine as an "Outstanding Academic Title" for 2013
“This exceptional book provides detailed background information on plants that obtain their organic carbon from fungi … . Each well-written chapter is an in-depth study with an extensive list of current references. This superb resource provides a wonderful overview and detailed examination of mycoheterotrophs. … Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers/faculty, and professional botanists and mycologists.” (K. M. Foos, Choice, Vol. 51 (2), October, 2013)
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From the reviews:
Selected by Choice magazine as an "Outstanding Academic Title" for 2013
"This exceptional book provides detailed background information on plants that obtain their organic carbon from fungi ... . Each well-written chapter is an in-depth study with an extensive list of current references. This superb resource provides a wonderful overview and detailed examination of mycoheterotrophs. ... Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers/faculty, and professional botanists and mycologists." (K. M. Foos, Choice, Vol. 51 (2), October, 2013)
