ARS | Publication request: INSECT- AND OTHER ARTHROPOD-ASSOCIATED FUNGI

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: October 30, 2004
Publication Date: December 5, 2004
Citation: Benjamin, R.K., Blackwell, M., Chapela, I.H., Humber, R.A., Jones, K.G., Klepzig, K.D., Lichtwardt, R.W., Malloch, D., Spatafora, J.W., Weir, A. 2004. Insect- and other arthropod-associated fungi. In: Mueller, G.M., Bills, G.F., Foster, M. S., editors. Biodiversity of Fungi: Inventory and Monitoring Methods. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Academic Press. Chapter 18, pp. 395-434.

Technical Abstract: This chapter presents approaches and methods for finding, collecting, handling, culturing, and preserving the vast range of fungi associated with insects and other arthropods as pathogens, parasites, symbionts, commensals, and even as specifically cultured foodstuffs. The information is organized into a presentation of common sampling techniques and of separate treatments of more specialized techniques for fungi that are necrotrophic parasites living on insect cadavers, biotrophic parasites that grow on (and in) living arthropod hosts, fungi providing either food or digestive enzymes for their insect associates (including the fungal gardens maintained by many social insects), and fungi having specialized relationships with arthropods that assure the dispersal of fungal spores. Special emphasis is given in all sections of the chapter to provide methodologies (especially those dealing with specimen preparation and preservation) that are necessary to complete credible studies on biodiversity since comparatively few formal studies to characterize the biodiversity of fungi associated with insects and other arthropods have been conducted, and because virtually nothing is known of the local biodiversity of these fungi for most countries and regions of the world.