Numerous publications, books, and textbooks are available that treat the subject of developmental biology. Far less is available detailing the fungi, an important group of organisms that have implications in a broad variety of contexts from medical to agricultural to food, and of course as model systems for “higher” eukaryotes. This nicely edited book by Osiewacz is an attempt to fill that gap. He has compiled an impressive list of authors, who represent leaders in their respective fields. This gives readers a detailed and current view of a broad array of fungal processes and lifestyles, ranging from saprophytes to pathogens of both plants and animals to symbionts. This volume contains 20 articles that review research from a broad base of fields relating to fungal developmental biology. They are grouped in two major sections: Basic Developmental Processes (11 chapters) and Interactions of Fungi with Different Hosts (nine chapters)

Dickman, Marty

English

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Papers in Plant Pathology Plant Pathology Department 
3-2003 
Review of Molecular Biology of Fungal Development, Mycology 
Series, Volume 15 
Marty Dickman 
University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/plantpathpapers 
 Part of the Plant Pathology Commons 
Dickman, Marty, "Review of Molecular Biology of Fungal Development, Mycology Series, Volume 15" 
(2003). Papers in Plant Pathology. 132. 
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/plantpathpapers/132 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Plant Pathology Department at 
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Papers in Plant Pathology by 
an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 
100 Volume 78THE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY
prising considering that Leyser’s laboratory focuses
on the mechanism of auxin action).
Not only is Mechanisms in Plant Development an
excellent learning tool for students, but it will also
serve as a valuable resource for practitioners in the
field for years to come.
Thomas Jack, Biological Sciences, Dartmouth Col-
lege, Hanover, New Hampshire
Wildflowers and Other Plants of Texas
Beaches and Islands. Treasures of Nature Series.
By Alfred Richardson. Austin (Texas): University of
Texas Press. $65.00 (hardcover); $29.95 (paper).
xxiii  247 p; ill.; index. ISBN: 0–292–77115–0
(hc); 0–292–77116–9 (pb). 2002.
Plant Strategies, Vegetation Processes, and
Ecosystem Properties. Second Edition.
By J Philip Grime. Chichester (United Kingdom) and
New York: John Wiley & Sons. $55.00 (paper).
xxxvii  417 p; ill.; species list and index. ISBN:
0–471–49601–4. 2001.
More than 20 years after the publication of the first
edition, Grime has meticulously reexamined and
expanded the scope of his original CSR theory on
plant functional types. The framework of his argu-
ment is based on the idea that there are two fun-
damental divisions of a plant’s habitat: stress
(inversely related to productivity) and disturbance.
He uses these divisions to categorize habitats into
four groupings, three of which favor a particular
functional type of plant: competitors (C) are
favored in low-stress/low-disturbance environ-
ments; stress-tolerators (S) in high-stress/low-
disturbance environments; and ruderals (R) in
low-stress/high-disturbance environments. The
fourth category, high-stress/high-disturbance, is
argued to be an unsatisfactory environment for
plant growth.
The book’s ten chapters are separated into three
parts. The first three chapters focus on plant strat-
egies and detail the theoretical framework of the
CSR model. The following six chapters examine
vegetation processes (e.g., dominance, succession,
and coexistence) and their relationship to the CSR
model. The final chapter looks at how C-, S-, and
R-strategists potentially influence ecosystem prop-
erties. The concluding chapter, one of the most
intriguing, presents evidence of the effects of
plants on the trophic structure, productivity, and
stability of ecosystems. One interesting example
given is a case study involving the effect of the 1986
Chernobyl accident on contaminated sheep pas-
tures in Great Britain. The evidence presented sug-
gests that in productive pastures dominated by fast
growing C-strategists, contamination declined
more rapidly than in less productive pastures of
slower growing S-strategists. Other support within
this chapter is drawn from an extensive literature
review of field observations and manipulative
experiments. Generally, Grime’s evidence is con-
vincing. Further, he does a good job of examining
competing theories and explaining how they fit
into the framework of his model. Overall, this is a
commendable book. Grime has convincingly laid
out evidence of his CSR theory from a wide array
of sources and has presented an excellent synthesis
of work done in this area over the last 20 years. This
clearly written volume should be of great interest
to researchers involved in plant ecology generally,
and plant functional types in particular.
Brent C Blair, Natural Resources & Environment,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Seventh Catalog of the Vascular Plants of
Ohio.
Edited by Tom S Cooperrider, Allison W Cusick, and
John T Kartesz. Columbus (Ohio): Ohio State Univer-
sity Press. $65.00 (hardcover); $30.00 (paper). x
 195 p; ill.; indexes to scientific names and
common names. ISBN: 0–8142–0858–4 (hc); 0–
8142–5061–0 (pb). 2001.
Molecular Biology of Fungal Development.
Mycology Series, Volume 15.
Edited by Heinz D Osiewacz. New York: Marcel Dekker.
$195.00. xvi  607 p; ill.; index. ISBN: 0–8247–
0744–3. 2002.
Numerous publications, books, and textbooks are
available that treat the subject of developmental
biology. Far less is available detailing the fungi, an
important group of organisms that have implica-
tions in a broad variety of contexts from medical
to agricultural to food, and of course as model sys-
tems for “higher” eukaryotes. This nicely edited
book by Osiewacz is an attempt to fill that gap. He
has compiled an impressive list of authors, who rep-
resent leaders in their respective fields. This gives
readers a detailed and current view of a broad array
of fungal processes and lifestyles, ranging from sap-
rophytes to pathogens of both plants and animals
to symbionts. This volume contains 20 articles that
review research from a broad base of fields relating
to fungal developmental biology. They are
grouped in two major sections: Basic Developmen-
tal Processes (11 chapters) and Interactions of
Fungi with Different Hosts (nine chapters).
The first part of the book deals with model fun-
gal organisms, beginning with yeast. These articles
are particularly strong, with topics ranging from tip
The Quarterly Review of Biology. Volume 78, Issue 1, Page 100–101, March 2003.
Published by University of Chicago Press for the American Society of Naturalists.
March 2003 101NEW BIOLOGICAL BOOKS
growth (Bartnicki-Garcı́a) through conidiation.
Two very informative and interesting systems
describe senescence in Podospora anserina and veg-
etative incompatibility (VCG) in Neurospora crassa.
With respect to vegetative compatibility, when two
hyphal propagules contact each other, there are
two possible outcomes: successful fusion can occur
(termed vegetative compatibility), which results in
two genetically distinct nuclei/cell; or failure to
fuse, resulting in an incompatible or nonviable
response. The genetic determinants that mediate
the process are being identified in large part in the
Glass laboratory and raise issues pertaining to the
recognition of self versus nonself, which is not only
fascinating, but has ramifications for higher
eukaryotes (as do many of these chapters).
The chapters that review light perception (Lin-
den) and circadian rhythms (Bell-Pederson) are
given fairly comprehensive treatments and again
are not only relevant to fungal biology, but also
plants and animals. The second section involves
the dynamics associates (pathogen/symbiotic)
between fungi and their hosts (plants/humans).
Again, the range of systems is impressive, from
mycorrhizae through plant pathogens to human
pathogens. The chapters are generally well done
and comprehensive.
On balance, this book will be an excellent
resource for graduate students and others who
work with fungi, but also for researchers interested
in the broader aspects of eukaryotic development.
It is my hope that researchers will look at this book
as a great introduction to world of fungal devel-
opment.
Marty Dickman, Plant Pathology, University of
Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska
Field Guide to Liverwort Genera of Pacific
North America.
By W B Schofield; illustrated by Patricia Drukker-
Brammall and Muriel Pacheco. Alberta (Canada):
Global Forest Society; Seattle (Washington): University
of Washington Press. $25.00 (paper). viii  228 p;
ill.; index. ISBN: 0–295–98194–6. 2002.
Introduction to Plant Population Biology.
Fourth Edition.
By Jonathan Silvertown and Deborah Charlesworth.
Oxford and Malden (Massachusetts): Blackwell Sci-
ence. $49.95 (paper). viii  347 p; ill.; index.
ISBN: 0–632–04991-X. 2001.
The fourth edition of this volume is a collaboration
of Silvertown with a new coauthor, Deborah
Charlesworth. Their knowledge of this expansive
and complex subject imbue the current edition
with an integrated perspective that intertwines the
ecological and evolutionary perspectives on topics
in plant population biology. The book has a
relaxed, conversational tone and reads as if many
of the chapters were truly coauthored.
Although this edition retains the ten chapter
headings used in the previous edition, much has
changed here. Most chapters have been signifi-
cantly reorganized and expanded, including many
new topics that were not previously covered. Nota-
ble additions are new large sections on molecular
genetic markers and their uses in population biol-
ogy (Chapter 2); density dependent population
growth (Chapter 5); regional dynamics and meta-
populations, including extinction, invasion, phy-
logeography, and the genetic consequences of
metapopulation dynamics (Chapter 7); and a
greatly expanded chapter covering breeding sys-
tems (Chapter 9). Throughout the book there are
new or reworked figures, tables, and text, with
updated examples and references. The authors
have retained the Summary section from previous
editions, with key terms from the chapter high-
lighted in bold text. In this edition, two new sec-
tions follow each chapter Summary. The Further
Reading section provides two to five suggestions for
gaining more in-depth knowledge, while the Ques-
tions section challenges readers on their under-
standing. The questions on structured populations
(Chapter 6) even provide matrix population prob-
lems to work on using spreadsheets. These practi-
cal additions and the expansion of the scope of
subject areas make it an excellent, current text-
book for use in upper-division undergraduate
classes or for beginning graduate students.
Susan Kalisz, Biological Sciences, University of Pitts-
burgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
ANIMAL SCIENCES
Parasites and the Behavior of Animals. Oxford
Series in Ecology and Evolution.
By Janice Moore. Oxford and New York: Oxford Uni-
versity Press. $85.00 (hardcover); $45.00 (paper).
xi  315 p  1 pl; ill.; species and subject
indexes. ISBN: 0–19–508441–1 (hc); 0–19–
514653–0 (pb). 2002.
Nowhere are marvelous stories about intricate
adaptations more prevalent than in discussions of
parasites and their effects on host behavior. The


Review of \u3ci\u3eMolecular Biology of Fungal Development, Mycology Series\u3c/i\u3e, Volume 15

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Papers in Plant Pathology Plant Pathology Department 3-2003 Review of Molecular Biology of Fungal Development, Mycology Series, Volume 15 Marty Dickman University of Nebraska-Lincoln Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/plantpathpapers  Part of the Plant Pathology Commons Dickman, Marty, "Review of Molecular Biology of Fungal Development, Mycology Series, Volume 15" (2003). Papers in Plant Pathology. 132. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/plantpathpapers/132 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Plant Pathology Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Papers in Plant Pathology by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 100 Volume 78THE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGYprising considering that Leyser’s laboratory focuseson the mechanism of auxin action).Not only is Mechanisms in Plant Development anexcellent learning tool for students, but it will alsoserve as a valuable resource for practitioners in thefield for years to come.Thomas Jack, Biological Sciences, Dartmouth Col-lege, Hanover, New HampshireWildflowers and Other Plants of TexasBeaches and Islands. Treasures of Nature Series.By Alfred Richardson. Austin (Texas): University ofTexas Press. $65.00 (hardcover); $29.95 (paper).xxiii  247 p; ill.; index. ISBN: 0–292–77115–0(hc); 0–292–77116–9 (pb). 2002.Plant Strategies, Vegetation Processes, andEcosystem Properties. Second Edition.By J Philip Grime. Chichester (United Kingdom) andNew York: John Wiley & Sons. $55.00 (paper).xxxvii  417 p; ill.; species list and index. ISBN:0–471–49601–4. 2001.More than 20 years after the publication of the firstedition, Grime has meticulously reexamined andexpanded the scope of his original CSR theory onplant functional types. The framework of his argu-ment is based on the idea that there are two fun-damental divisions of a plant’s habitat: stress(inversely related to productivity) and disturbance.He uses these divisions to categorize habitats intofour groupings, three of which favor a particularfunctional type of plant: competitors (C) arefavored in low-stress/low-disturbance environ-ments; stress-tolerators (S) in high-stress/low-disturbance environments; and ruderals (R) inlow-stress/high-disturbance environments. Thefourth category, high-stress/high-disturbance, isargued to be an unsatisfactory environment forplant growth.The book’s ten chapters are separated into threeparts. The first three chapters focus on plant strat-egies and detail the theoretical framework of theCSR model. The following six chapters examinevegetation processes (e.g., dominance, succession,and coexistence) and their relationship to the CSRmodel. The final chapter looks at how C-, S-, andR-strategists potentially influence ecosystem prop-erties. The concluding chapter, one of the mostintriguing, presents evidence of the effects ofplants on the trophic structure, productivity, andstability of ecosystems. One interesting examplegiven is a case study involving the effect of the 1986Chernobyl accident on contaminated sheep pas-tures in Great Britain. The evidence presented sug-gests that in productive pastures dominated by fastgrowing C-strategists, contamination declinedmore rapidly than in less productive pastures ofslower growing S-strategists. Other support withinthis chapter is drawn from an extensive literaturereview of field observations and manipulativeexperiments. Generally, Grime’s evidence is con-vincing. Further, he does a good job of examiningcompeting theories and explaining how they fitinto the framework of his model. Overall, this is acommendable book. Grime has convincingly laidout evidence of his CSR theory from a wide arrayof sources and has presented an excellent synthesisof work done in this area over the last 20 years. Thisclearly written volume should be of great interestto researchers involved in plant ecology generally,and plant functional types in particular.Brent C Blair, Natural Resources & Environment,University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MichiganSeventh Catalog of the Vascular Plants ofOhio.Edited by Tom S Cooperrider, Allison W Cusick, andJohn T Kartesz. Columbus (Ohio): Ohio State Univer-sity Press. $65.00 (hardcover); $30.00 (paper). x 195 p; ill.; indexes to scientific names andcommon names. ISBN: 0–8142–0858–4 (hc); 0–8142–5061–0 (pb). 2001.Molecular Biology of Fungal Development.Mycology Series, Volume 15.Edited by Heinz D Osiewacz. New York: Marcel Dekker.$195.00. xvi  607 p; ill.; index. ISBN: 0–8247–0744–3. 2002.Numerous publications, books, and textbooks areavailable that treat the subject of developmentalbiology. Far less is available detailing the fungi, animportant group of organisms that have implica-tions in a broad variety of contexts from medicalto agricultural to food, and of course as model sys-tems for “higher” eukaryotes. This nicely editedbook by Osiewacz is an attempt to fill that gap. Hehas compiled an impressive list of authors, who rep-resent leaders in their respective fields. This givesreaders a detailed and current view of a broad arrayof fungal processes and lifestyles, ranging from sap-rophytes to pathogens of both plants and animalsto symbionts. This volume contains 20 articles thatreview research from a broad base of fields relatingto fungal developmental biology. They aregrouped in two major sections: Basic Developmen-tal Processes (11 chapters) and Interactions ofFungi with Different Hosts (nine chapters).The first part of the book deals with model fun-gal organisms, beginning with yeast. These articlesare particularly strong, with topics ranging from tipThe Quarterly Review of Biology. Volume 78, Issue 1, Page 100–101, March 2003.Published by University of Chicago Press for the American Society of Naturalists.March 2003 101NEW BIOLOGICAL BOOKSgrowth (Bartnicki-Garcı́a) through conidiation.Two very informative and interesting systemsdescribe senescence in Podospora anserina and veg-etative incompatibility (VCG) in Neurospora crassa.With respect to vegetative compatibility, when twohyphal propagules contact each other, there aretwo possible outcomes: successful fusion can occur(termed vegetative compatibility), which results intwo genetically distinct nuclei/cell; or failure tofuse, resulting in an incompatible or nonviableresponse. The genetic determinants that mediatethe process are being identified in large part in theGlass laboratory and raise issues pertaining to therecognition of self versus nonself, which is not onlyfascinating, but has ramifications for highereukaryotes (as do many of these chapters).The chapters that review light perception (Lin-den) and circadian rhythms (Bell-Pederson) aregiven fairly comprehensive treatments and againare not only relevant to fungal biology, but alsoplants and animals. The second section involvesthe dynamics associates (pathogen/symbiotic)between fungi and their hosts (plants/humans).Again, the range of systems is impressive, frommycorrhizae through plant pathogens to humanpathogens. The chapters are generally well doneand comprehensive.On balance, this book will be an excellentresource for graduate students and others whowork with fungi, but also for researchers interestedin the broader aspects of eukaryotic development.It is my hope that researchers will look at this bookas a great introduction to world of fungal devel-opment.Marty Dickman, Plant Pathology, University ofNebraska, Lincoln, NebraskaField Guide to Liverwort Genera of PacificNorth America.By W B Schofield; illustrated by Patricia Drukker-Brammall and Muriel Pacheco. Alberta (Canada):Global Forest Society; Seattle (Washington): Universityof Washington Press. $25.00 (paper). viii  228 p;ill.; index. ISBN: 0–295–98194–6. 2002.Introduction to Plant Population Biology.Fourth Edition.By Jonathan Silvertown and Deborah Charlesworth.Oxford and Malden (Massachusetts): Blackwell Sci-ence. $49.95 (paper). viii  347 p; ill.; index.ISBN: 0–632–04991-X. 2001.The fourth edition of this volume is a collaborationof Silvertown with a new coauthor, DeborahCharlesworth. Their knowledge of this expansiveand complex subject imbue the current editionwith an integrated perspective that intertwines theecological and evolutionary perspectives on topicsin plant population biology. The book has arelaxed, conversational tone and reads as if manyof the chapters were truly coauthored.Although this edition retains the ten chapterheadings used in the previous edition, much haschanged here. Most chapters have been signifi-cantly reorganized and expanded, including manynew topics that were not previously covered. Nota-ble additions are new large sections on moleculargenetic markers and their uses in population biol-ogy (Chapter 2); density dependent populationgrowth (Chapter 5); regional dynamics and meta-populations, including extinction, invasion, phy-logeography, and the genetic consequences ofmetapopulation dynamics (Chapter 7); and agreatly expanded chapter covering breeding sys-tems (Chapter 9). Throughout the book there arenew or reworked figures, tables, and text, withupdated examples and references. The authorshave retained the Summary section from previouseditions, with key terms from the chapter high-lighted in bold text. In this edition, two new sec-tions follow each chapter Summary. The FurtherReading section provides two to five suggestions forgaining more in-depth knowledge, while the Ques-tions section challenges readers on their under-standing. The questions on structured populations(Chapter 6) even provide matrix population prob-lems to work on using spreadsheets. These practi-cal additions and the expansion of the scope ofsubject areas make it an excellent, current text-book for use in upper-division undergraduateclasses or for beginning graduate students.Susan Kalisz, Biological Sciences, University of Pitts-burgh, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaANIMAL SCIENCESParasites and the Behavior of Animals. OxfordSeries in Ecology and Evolution.By Janice Moore. Oxford and New York: Oxford Uni-versity Press. $85.00 (hardcover); $45.00 (paper).xi  315 p  1 pl; ill.; species and subjectindexes. ISBN: 0–19–508441–1 (hc); 0–19–514653–0 (pb). 2002.Nowhere are marvelous stories about intricateadaptations more prevalent than in discussions ofparasites and their effects on host behavior. The

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