![]() ![]() ![]() An able guide, Whiteley takes us on a brief tour of taxonomy (the science of naming and categorizing species) and a more detailed study of osmotrophy (the process by which fungi digest animal and plant material). The largest single organism on Earth, notes the author, is a continuous specimen of fungus in Oregon’s Malheur National Forest measuring 9,650,000 square meters. Neither plant nor animal, but a life-form all its own, fungi can thrive anywhere on the planet, even in outer space. ![]() No less scientific for its whimsicality, Whiteley’s charming, informative survey of fungus reveals many little-known facts about a vast array of species, stressing that life as we know it would not be possible without the roles played by these unique organisms. A seasoned British mycophile presents a feast of fungi, benign and malign. ![]()
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