Mycoheterotrophy: The Biology of Plants Living on Fungi

by Vincent Merckx (Editor)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493939909
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	08/23/2016
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2013
Pages:	356
Product dimensions:	7.01(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Vincent S.F.T. Merckx
Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

Table of Contents

1 Mycoheterotrophy: An introduction
Vincent S. F. T. Merckx

2. Taxonomy and classification
Vincent S. F. T. Merckx, John V. Freudenstein, Jonathan Kissling, Maarten J. M. Christenhusz, Raymond E. Stotler, Barbara Crandall-Stotler, Norman Wickett, Paula J. Rudall, Hiltje Maas-van de Kamer, and Paul J. M. Maas

3. Biogeography and conservation
Vincent S. F. T. Merckx, Erik F. Smets, and Chelsea D. Specht

4. Subterranean morphology and mycorrhizal structures
Stephan Imhof, Hugues B. Massicotte, Lewis H. Melville, and R. Larry Peterson

5. Evolution and diversification
Vincent S.F.T. Merckx, Constantijn B. Mennes, Kabir G. Peay, and József Geml

6. Progress and prospects for the ecological genetics of mycoheterotrophs
D. Lee Taylor, Craig F. Barrett, Gemma E. Beatty, Sarah E. Hopkins, Aaron H. Kennedy, and Matthew R. Klooster

7. Species interactions of mycoheterotrophic plants – specialization and its potential consequences
Richard J. Waterman, Heiko Hentrich, Matthew R. Klooster, and Martin I. Bidartondo

8. The physiological ecology of mycoheterotrophy
Nicole A. Hynson, Thomas Madsen, Marc-André Selosse, Iris K. U. Adam, Yuki Ogura-Tsujita, Melanie Roy, and Gerhard Gebauer

Editorial Reviews

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)

From the Publisher