Mushrooms for trees and people

While the economic value of fungi in the GMS is immense, the ecological contributions of these organisms are incredibly important, yet almost impossible to quantify. With a diverse set of functions, ranging from decomposition, nutrient cycling, symbiotic relationships, pathogenic infections, and effects that stimulate growth in a wide range of organisms, fungi are an essential part of the fabric of terrestrial ecosystems. Many trees within GMS forests would not be able to survive without the aid of root fungi (mycorrhiza), which also happen to be responsible for the formation of many edible mushrooms. Fungi living in the soil often influence the types of trees growing in a forest and prevent the dominance of any single woody species, leading to more diverse forests. Through their role in decomposition, fungi contribute to the turnover of organic matter providing a living substrate for organisms from the smallest bacteria to the tallest trees. We are just beginning to learn about how fungi can contribute to agroforestry land-use systems that integrate trees and their fungal partners with commercial crops. And yet much of this essential ecological work goes on below ground hidden from our view.This wonderful book takes on the task of turning something that appears to be invisible into something that we can see, touch and taste. The authors of this book give us an insider’s view of a world still largely unexplored, capturing organisms and ecological processes that exist largely out of sight below the ground. Amazingly they have already discovered over 200 new species of mushrooms in the GMS, most of which still await scientific classification. This provides a hint of just how much we don’t know and what remains to be discovered.

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