Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 2 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 3 Part 1: Getting Started with Fungi 5 Chapter 1: Finding the Fungus Among Us 7 Appreciating the Power of Fungi in Nature 8 Exploring How Fungi Form Partnerships with Other Organisms 9 Taking a Close Look at Fungal Structures 9 Unlocking the History of Fungi 10 Discovering the Many Groups of Fungi 11 Making Connections Between Fungi and People 12 Chapter 2: Exploring the Role of Fungi in Nature 13 Why Fungi Aren''t Plants (and Never Were) 14 Absorbing food from others 14 Creating a kingdom for fungi 15 Decomposing the Dead 18 Employing enzymes 19 Recycling carbon 21 Fighting global warming 24 Parasitizing the Living 25 Attacking insects and plants 26 Threatening the survival of amphibians and bats 27 Causing diseases in people 29 Making Connections in Communities 32 Chapter 3: Benefitting from Fungal Relationships 35 Exploring the Wood Wide Web 35 Extending the reach of plant roots 37 We speak for the trees: Ectomycorrhizae 39 Relying on arbuscular mycorrhizae for better plant growth 41 Helping heather grow: Ericoid endomycorrhizae 42 Getting orchids started: Orchidaceous endomycorrhizae 43 Living on the Edge: Lichens 44 Contributing to the partnership 46 Discovering the diversity of lichen shapes 49 Exploring the role of lichens in ecosystems 49 Chapter 4: Examining Fungal Structures 53 Focusing on Fungi from the Cells Up 53 Examining eukaryotic structures 54 Finding out about unique features 60 Starting with Spores 62 Spreading spores 65 Germinating when the time is right 66 Weaving Through the World 67 Growing from the tip 68 Forming mycelia 69 Recognizing Different Species 69 Mapping a mushroom 70 Paying attention to place 73 Chapter 5: Reproducing the Fungal Way 75 Exploring Fungal Reproduction 76 Mitosis 79 Meiosis 84 Identifying Sources of Variation 87 Nonsexual variation 87 Sexual variation 88 Part 2: Diving Deeper Into Fungal Groups 91 Chapter 6: Mapping the Genetics of Fungi 93 Exploring the Genomes of Fungi 93 Examining Fungal Chromosomes 97 Variation in fungal genomes 98 One gene, one enzyme 99 Mapping Chromosomes 101 Genetic mapping in fungi 101 Physical mapping in fungi 104 Chapter 7: Digging Into the Origins of Fungi 107 Writing the Fungal Origin Story 107 Considering aquatic origins 108 Moving to land 109 Discovering Fossil Fungi 110 Looking for Ancestral Groups 111 Making phylogenetic trees 113 Interpreting phylogenetic trees 115 Creating a system 116 Chapter 8: Swimming with Zoosporic Fungi 119 Reproducing with Zoospores 119 Living Off Others with the Opisthosporidia 121 Aphelidea 121 Rozellidea 122 Microsporidia 123 Digesting the Tough Stuff with the Chytridiomycota 124 Discovering the many roles of chytrids in nature 126 Taking a closer look at chytrid life cycles 129 Ruminating with Neocallimastigomycota 131 Attacking Crops with the Blastocladiomycota 132 Chapter 9: Adapting to Life on Land with the Zygomycetous Fungi 133 Uniting the Zygospore-forming Fungi 133 Forming Mycelia with Zoopagomycota 135 Forming Arbuscular Mycorrhizae with the Glomeromycota 136 Getting Familiar with Mucoromycota 137 Spoiling food with Rhizopus 138 Detecting light with Phycomyces 139 Popping your top with Pilobolus 141 Exploring the Life Cycle of the Zygomycetous Fungi 142 Chapter 10: Morels, Yeasts, Mildews, and More: The Ascomycota 145 Discovering the Characteristics of the Ascomycota 145 Examining the different shapes of ascocarps 147 Observing the colors of molds and mildews 148 Growing by Yeast and Hyphae with the Taphrinomycotina 150 Budding with the Saccharomycotina 151 Forming Ascocarps with the Pezizomycotina 152 Looking at the Life Cycle of the Ascomycota 155 Exploring the diversity of asexual reproduction 156 Reproducing sexually with ascospores 157 Chapter 11: Portobellos, Puffballs, Stinkhorns, and More: The Basidiomycota 159 What It Takes to Be a Member of the Club 159 Exploring the life cycle of the basidiomycetes 162 Catapulting spores 163 Recognizing Familiar Fungi in the Agaricomycotina 165 Delving into the diversity of Agaricomycetes 166 Interacting with insects 168 Generating Rusts on Plants with the Pucciniomycotina 171 Forming Smuts on Plants with the Ustilaginomycotina 173 Part 3: Putting Fungi to Use 175 Chapter 12: Fine Dining with Fungi 177 Feeding Ourselves with Fungi 177 Benefitting from diverse fibers 178 Tasting fabulous flavors 181 Foraging to find wild fungi 184 Fermenting with Fungi 186 Using yeast to make beer, wine, and bread 187 Producing sake and soy sauce with aspergillus 190 Using molds to preserve milk as cheese 191 Chapter 13: Spiritual Uses of Fungi 195 Exploring Human Perceptions 195 Sending and receiving signals with neurons 197 Moving across synapses with neurotransmitters 198 Expanding the Mind with Magic Mushrooms 199 Unlocking the power of psilocybin 200 Practicing traditional healing 203 Managing mental health 205 Avoiding dangerous impostors 205 Chapter 14: Using Fungi as Medicine 209 Producing Antibiotics from Fungi 209 Engaging in microbial warfare 211 Identifying useful compounds 211 Continuing the search 213 Exploring Traditional Uses of Fungi 216 Moving from Traditional Knowledge to Western Medicine 220 Fighting cancer 222 Promoting cardiovascular health 223 Controlling diabetes 225 Preventing Dementia 227 Chapter 15: Farming Fungi 229 Growing Mushrooms at Home 229 Choosing a mushroom 230 Deciding on your method 231 Looking at Commercial Production of Fungi 235 Starting life in the laboratory 235 Getting a boost as grain spawn 236 Preparing the substrate 236 Inoculating the substrate 236 Harvesting the crop 237 Part 4: the Part of Tens 239 Chapter 16: Ten Fantastical Fungi Tricks 241 Turning Ants into Zombies 241 Attracting Insects with Rotting Meat 242 Striking Fear in Mushroom Foragers 242 Absorbing Radiation 243 Living Underwater 244 Living Extra Large 245 Exploding into a Cloud of Smoke 245 Glowing in the Dark 246 Growing in an Ant''s Garden 247 Fighting Cancer 248 Chapter 17: Ten Ways We May Use Fungi in the Future 251 Breaking Down Plastics 251 Improving Biofuel Production 253 Using Mycorrhizae as Natural Fertilizer 253 Fighting Infections with New Fungal Compounds 254 Controlling Biofilms in Medical Settings 255 Improving Nerve Function 256 Eating More Fungal Foods 256 Cleaning Up Pollutants 257 Using Fungal Enzymes in Industry 258 Farming for the Future 259 Chapter 18: Ten Resources for Learning More About Fungi 261 The North American Mycological Association 262 Your Local Mushroom Club 262 The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 263 Fungiwoman 263 Websites 263 Podcasts 264 YouTube 264 Fungi-Friendly Books and Magazines 264 iNaturalist 266 Commercial Suppliers for Growing Fungi 266 Index 267.