Fungal populations and species /

Burnett (Oxford, UK) delivers a welcome and unique work that satisfies a void in fungal literature. Historically, the complex nature of fungal life cycles, morphology, and physiology made the study of fungal populations difficult. However, a variety of molecular techniques now enables individual identification and facilitates this research. The author brings these together in a detailed, concise, well-organized treatise. Burnett is a long-standing central figure in mycology and has published several works on introductory mycology (e.g., Mycogenetics: An Introduction to the General Genetics of Fungi, 1975; Fundamentals of Mycology, 2nd ed., 1976; and Fungal Walls and Hyphal Growth, 1979, ed. by Burnett and A.P.J. Trinci). This new work marries Burnett's breadth of knowledge on fungal morphology and physiology with current molecular methods in ecological and population studies. The book begins with a primer on fungal biology that prepares any undergraduate in biology or chemistry for the subsequent study of fungal population genetics. Overall, this book is easy to read for undergraduates, well organized, highly informative, and a very useful complement for collections on fungal biology. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. L. Swatzell Southeast Missouri State University