This book provides an up-to-date overview of the various wood and tree fungi that damage trees, lumber, and timber. Special focus is given to identification, prevention, and remediation techniques, and the book bridges the gap between research and application. It covers the fundamentals of cytology and morphology. There is a more practical section describing damage by viruses and bacteria on trees. The habitats of wood fungi are described as well as tree care. Important tree pathogens and wood decay fungi are characterized for prevention and identification. The final section focuses on the positive effects of wood-inhabiting microorganisms.

This volume addresses the similarities and also the differences in the genomes of soil saprophytes, symbionts, and plant pathogens by using examples of fungal species to illustrate particular principles. It analyzes how the specific interactions with the hosts and the influence of the environment may have shaped genome evolution. The relevance of fungal genetic research and biotechnological applications is shown for areas such as plant pathogenesis, biomass degradation, litter decomposition, nitrogen assimilation, antibiotic production, mycoparasitism, energy, ecology, and also for soil fungi turning to human pathogens. In addition to the model organisms Neurospora and Aspergillus, the following species are covered providing a view of pathogens and mutualists: Trichoderma, Fusarium oxysporum, Cochliobolus heterostrophus, Penicillium chrysogenum, Rhizopus oryzae, Podospora anserina, and species belonging to Agaricomycetes, Archaeorhizomycetes and Magnaporthaceae. Ecology and potential applications have guided the choice of fungal genes to be studied and it will be fascinating to follow the trends of future sequencing projects.

Since prehistoric times and throughout the course of human evolution, wood has been an integral part of all civilizations. Wooden Cultural Heritage can be found worldwide, providing valuable information on the social and economic context of human history. Nonetheless, as a natural cellulosic material, wood shows low resistance to biodeterioration and thus wooden Cultural Heritage often fails to escape decomposition in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. This book provides a comprehensive overview on the biodeterioration of wooden Cultural Heritage and describes the decay mechanisms of key organisms and microorganisms encountered in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Cultural Heritage professionals, researchers and academics may explore within this book the associations between deteriogens, habitats and decay, which will assist them to understand wood biodeterioration and design effective prevention, mitigation and remediation strategies. The book presents case studies around the world to demonstrate the impact of biogenic deterioration on wooden Cultural Heritage and illustrates mechanisms and patterns in order to be a useful handbook of decay diagnosis. Lastly, by adopting a holistic approach to wood decay, basic concepts of wood technology, ecology, and deteriogens' biology are introduced, permitting readers of different scientific backgrounds to easily comprehend wood biodeterioration.

Plants interact with a large number of microoganisms which have a major impact on their growth either by establishing mutually beneficial symbiotic relationships or by developing as pathogens at the expense of the plant with deleterious effects. These microorganisms differ greatly not only in their nature (viruses, phytoplasmas, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, ... ) but also in the way they contact, penetrate and invade their host. Histology and cytology have brought an essential contribution to our knowledge of these phenomena. They have told us for instance, how specialized structures of the pathogen are often involved in the adhesion and penetration into the plant, how the interface between both organisms is finely arranged at the cellular level, or what structural alterations affect the infected tissues. They have thus set the stage for the investigations of the underlying molecular mechanisms could be undertaken. Such investigations have been remarkably successful in the recent years, expanding considerably our understanding of plant-microorganism interactions in terms of biochemical changes, rapid modifications of enzymatic activities, coordinated gene activation, signal reception and transduction. Biochemistry, molecular biology and cellular physiology have taken precedence in the phytopathologist's set of methods.

This volume, unlike the three preceding it, represents the collected papers from an experiment with an "electronic symposium". Co-participators in this symposium included The George Washington University, The Smithsonian Institution, Clark Atlanta University, the Agriculture Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, The University of Georgia, Morris Brown College, Spellman College, Morehouse College, North Carolina State University at Raleigh, The United States Food and Drug Administration, and the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture among others. This unusual "electronic symposium" concept was developed by members of the Program, Planning and Organizing Committee as an alternative to the more costly convention-type symposium. As before, leading scientists in specific topic areas were invited to participate. Topic Session chairpersons were encouraged to arrange their own method of communication by telephone, electronic mail, or conference call, and report their findings back to the symposium center at The George Washington University. Additional papers were accepted from individuals and laboratories who are actively involved in relevant areas of research and study. Participation was also arranged for internationally established scientists. International authors are represented herein from Nigeria, Italy, Spain, Brazil and Argentina. Our goal was to present a research composite volume that reflected current developments, informed reviews, new and recently developing areas of the present state of knowledge as it relates to these proceeding topics. All of the reports included in this volume have undergone scientific, technical and editorial peer review.

This fully revised third edition includes up-to-date topics and developments in the field, which has made tremendous strides since the publication of the second edition in 2004. Many novel techniques based on Next Generation Sequencing have sped up the analysis of fungi and major advances have been made in genome editing, leading to a deeper understanding of the genetics underlying cellular processes as well as their applicability. At the same time, the relevance of fungi is unbroken, both due to the serious threats to human health and welfare posed by fungal pests and pathogens, and to the many benefits that fungal biotechnology can offer for diverse emerging markets and processes that form the basis of the modern bioeconomy. With regard to these advances, the first section of this volume, Genetics, illustrates the basic genetic processes underlying inheritance, cell biology, metabolism and “lifestyles” of fungi. The second section, Biotechnology, addresses the applied side of fungal genetics, ranging from new tools for synthetic biology to the biotechnological potential of fungi from diverse environments. Gathering chapters written by reputed scientists, the book represents an invaluable reference guide for fungal biologists, geneticists and biotechnologists alike.

Wood and other structural lignocellulose biomaterials are renewable resources that provide sustainable products that require considerably less energy to manufacture into useable products than other alternatives produced from nonrenewable resources. However, these materials are readily biodegradable and as such must be protected if they are to be used in adverse environments. Consequently, their protection through chemical and nonchemical means plays a vital role in the satisfactory utilization of many products. This publication represents the third ACS book by the three co-editors in a series addressing scientific and practical aspects of biodeterioration and protection of lignocellulose materials. The objective of this third book diverges to some extent from the prior texts, in that it provides an overall view of our current understanding of the microbial and thermal degradation of plant biomass along with new developments in the rapidly changing field of wood protection. The latter is particularly important in light of dramatic changes in copper-based wood preservative systems that are used extensively to treat wood for residential construction, and in the commercial development of lignocellulose modification processes that protect bio-based materials without the addition of biocides. These changes, along with an update on new organic wood preservative systems, factors influencing wood biodeterioration above ground and in soil contact, wood treatment processes, registration and approval processes, applications of molecular biology in wood protection research, and the conversion of biomass into high value carbon products and worldwide trends in wood protection, are covered in this latest ACS book. The individual chapters were authored by a world-class group of academic and industrial scientists in order to provide a state-of-the-art review and global perspective of this rapidly changing field and reviewed by internationally recognized scientist

This book is an in-depth analysis of three of the most crucial years in twentieth-century Italian history, the years 1943-46. After more than two decades of a Fascist regime and a disastrous war experience during which Italy changed sides, these years saw the laying of the political and cultural foundations for what has since become known as Italy's First Republic. Drawing on texts from the literature, film, journalism, and political debate of the period, Antifascisms offers a thorough survey of the personalities and positions that informed the decisions taken in this crucial phase of modern Italian history.