Freshwater Fungi

In-depth knowledge about aquatic plant species, from their sub-cellular organization to their interactions within ecosystems, is of utmost importance as the world faces the challenges of the 21st century. From losses in biodiversity and changes in aquatic ecosystems to the potential of algal biofuel and artificial photosynthesis, some of the hottest topics of our time rely on basic research in aquatic botany. This new book series covers topics from all of the disciplines of marine and freshwater botany at all levels of biological organization. Primary subject areas are: systematics, floristics, biogeography, ecology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, chemistry, industrial processes and utilization, and biotechnology of algae and angiosperms. Mycology and microbiology topics are also part of the scope of the series.

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The available literature on freshwater fungi is limited. Over the subsequent years a considerable volume of scientific papers have appeared scattered throughout numerous journals. There is therefore no recent synthesis of the subject and this is the objective of the proposed book. Freshwater habitats are rich in fungi with some 3,000 described species, most of papers focussing on their identification, substrata they grow on and world distribution. However, these fungi play an important role in the freshwater ecosystem, and are primarily involved in the breakdown of leaf litter contributing food for detritus feeders. Our book will bring together a wide range of acclaimed mycologists to review recent developments on the biology and ecology of freshwater fungi, particularly their molecular phylogeny, biodiversity, causative diseases of freshwater amphibians, fishes and invertebrate animals, decomposition of leaf litter, stream pollution and their potential role in bioremediation.