Decomposer Basidiomycetes Their Biology and Ecology

About this book

This volume concerns the breakdown of dead organic materials by the basidiomycetes or toadstools, one of the three major groups of fungi. Although the decomposer members of this group are ecologically and commercially of immense importance, this is the first symposium to focus on them. Various aspects of the taxonomy, sporulation, growth, enzyme activity and genetics of the organisms are discussed first. The roles of basidiomycetes in the nutrient cycles and energy flow of terrestrial and aquatic habitats and their activities as aggressive rotters of trees, outdoor and indoor timber and plant litter and composts are described in the later chapters. First published in 1982.

Contents

Preface; 1. Taxonomic status and ecological identity in the basidiomycetes R. Watling; 2. Production, release and dispersal of basidiospores C. L. Kramer; 3. The role of polysaccharidase enzymes in the decay of wood by basidiomycetes R. A. P. Montgomery; 4. Formation and action of the ligninolytic system in basidiomycetes T. K. Kirk and P. Fenn; 5. The movement of Serpula lacrimans from substrate to substrate over nutritionally inert surfaces D. H. Jennings; 6. Population structure in wood-decomposing basidiomycetes A. D. M. Rayner and N. K. Todd; 7. Ecological genetics of basidiomycete populations in decaying wood A. D. M. Rayner and N. K. Todd; 8. Basidiomycete decay of standing tress P. C. Mercer; 9. The place of basidiomycetes in the decay of wood in contact with the ground J. F. Levy; 10. The decay of commercial timbers D. J. Dickinson; 11. Decomposition by basidiomycetes in aquatic environments E. B. Gareth Jones; 12. Decomposing activity of basidiomycetes in forest litter T. F. Hering; 13. The colonisation of litter and wood by basidiomycetes in Finnish forests V. Hintikka; 14. Biomass and nutrient cycling by decomposer basidiomycetes J. C. Frankland; 15. The role of basidiomycetes in composts: a model system for decomposition studies J. N. Hedger and T. Basuki; 16. Basidiomycetes as components of forest ecosystems M. J. Swift; Indexes.

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