Book Review

Mycorrhizas: Anatomy and Cell Biology

R. Larry Peterson, Hugues B. Massicotte, & Lewis H. Melville
National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 2004
173 pages
ISBN 0-660-19087-7

It seems as if just about everywhere in the plant world that researchers look, symbiotic associations are found involving a partner fungus. In fact, the current thinking is that the vast majority of plants-if not all of them-are involved with mycorrhizal fungi.

If you're pretty much a novice (like me) when it comes to an understanding of the mycorrhizal fungi, and if you're looking for a book that's not too long, is easy to read, is well organized, and has incredible color and black-and-white photos, then look no further. I can't say enough about how informative and downright beautiful this book is.

The text is divided into chapters discussing the different groups of mycorrhizal fungi, with each chapter divided into descriptive sections. The first section is always the Introduction which is further divided into three subsections: Definition, Plant Species Involved, and Fungal Species Involved. Other sections within each chapter can vary but usually feature descriptions of structures and physiology. "Functions" of structures-Hartig net, different types of spores, "hairy roots," arbuscules, how orchid mycorrhizae play a role in seed germination, etc.-are described with great clarity and plenty of illustrations and fantastic electron micrographs. Chapters are titled "Ectomycorrhizas," "Ectendomycorrhizas," "Arbuscular mycorrhizas," "Ericoid mycorrhizas," "Arbutoid mycorrhizas," "Monotropoid mycorrhizas," "Orchid mycorrhizas," and "Dark septate fungal endophytes." There is a complete list of references at the end, which I find very helpful when learning about a new topic. Furthermore, the Appendices provides step-by-step details on how to stain plant root tissues to observe mycorrhizae under the microscope.

Although this book would make a superior text for college-level students, it's written with the clarity to be suitable for all mycophiles; but keep a copy of Ainsworth and Bisby's Dictionary of Fungi handy, just in case, as there are quite a few technical descriptions.

— Review by Britt Bunyard
— The Mycophile 46:4, Jul/Aug 2005

Diagrams of Ectomycorrhiza (Larger Image)