CHAPTER 1 

 INTRODUCTION 



The primary role of the fungi in nature has been fittingly described in 

 the prophetic statement of B. O. Dodge (1939) : 



. . . the fungi are not degenerate organisms which are on their way out in a 

 scheme of evolution, and so of little economic importance and scientific interest. 

 The fungi, on the contrary, are progressive, ever changing and evolving rapidly 

 in their own way so that they are capable of becoming readily adapted to every 

 condition of life. We may rest assured that as green plants and animals disappear 

 one by one from the face of the globe, some of the fungi will always be present 

 to dispose of the last remains. 



The most important role of the fungi in the economy of nature is to 

 act as scavengers in disposing of dead and fallen vegetation. In this way 

 the biologically essential elements are released for reuse, and the balance 

 of nature is maintained. However, these are not the only functions of the 

 fungi which are of interest and importance to man. Since the beginning 

 of agriculture fungi have been used to prepare bread and other foods, 

 as well as fermented beverages. Some fungi cause diseases of plants 

 and animals. Knowledge of their role as the causal agents of plant dis- 

 eases long antedated the recognition of bacterial diseases. While yeasts 

 have long been used to produce alcohol, the vast potentialities of other 

 species for the industrial production of organic acids and antibiotics have 

 been recognized more recently. An understanding of life processes of 

 the fungi is essential whether one wishes to control the fungi which cause 

 disease, to employ them in industry, or to use them in the laboratory to 

 unlock the secrets of nature. 



The domain of physiology is the study of functions or life processes. 

 Fungus physiology is the study of living fungi, their functions and ac- 

 tivities, how they affect their environment and how the environment 

 affects them. Like other branches of science, fungus physiology has 

 four phases of development: (1) the discovery and verification of facts, 

 which are the foundation of any science, (2) the organization of these 

 facts into a systematic and coherent body of knowledge, (3) the dissemina- 

 tion of newly discovered facts, and (4) use of the newly discovered facts 

 and others already known to formulate principles. Facts are the basis of 

 science, but facts alone are sterile unless they are seen in relation to 



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