Hello! I am looking for a book that can teach me about fungi / mushroom ecology and evolution.
Most books about mushrooms are either field guides or focus on mushroom edibility / pharmacological properties. However, I’d really prefer something that will teach me about the various ecological niches occupied by mushrooms as well as the evolutionary drivers behind mushroom morphology, seasonality, etc.
I am an amateur mycologist, but I’m ready to challenge myself if the writing is good!
not sure about books, but these videos might be interesting:
Best book I have read on this was easily the Collins New Naturalist on Fungi, but it is focused on the UK. You are right I think it can feel kind of swamped by alternative interests in fungi and identification.
I’m not sure there will be many books that cover both fungal evolution and ecology. Both are substantial subjects in their own right and both continue to change dramatically due to molecular techniques.
A readable and entertaining book covering many aspects of fungal lifestyles is Mervyn Sheldrake’s ‘Entangled Life’. It is a bit repetative in parts but liberally annotated with supporting references that provide jumping off points into the literature, although often paywalled research papers and not books.
Just found this lab so have not had a chance to review papers. Looks promising for evolution.
http://group.szbk.u-szeged.hu/sysbiol/nagy-laszlo-lab-publications.html
Here’s one of the papers from Lazlo’s lab that is open access, and relevant, and I’m one of very many co-authors ;-)
Megaphylogeny resolves global patterns of mushroom evolution (u-szeged.hu)
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