Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:List the characteristics of fungiDescribe the composition of the myceliumDescribe the mode of nutrition of fungiExplain sexual and asexual reproduction in fungi

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Classify fungi into the five major phylaDescribe each phylum in terms of major representative species and patterns of reproduction

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the role of fungi in the ecosystemDescribe mutualistic relationships of fungi with plant roots and photosynthetic organismsDescribe the beneficial relationship between some fungi and insects

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe fungal parasites and pathogens of plantsDescribe the different types of fungal infections in humansExplain why antifungal therapy is hampered by the similarity between fungal and animal cells

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the importance of fungi to the balance of the environmentSummarize the role of fungi in food and beverage preparationDescribe the importance of fungi in the chemical and pharmaceutical industriesDiscuss the role of fungi as model organisms

Students investigate decomposers and the role of decomposers in maintaining the flow of nutrients in an environment. Students also learn how engineers use decomposers to help clean up wastes in a process known as bioremediation. This lesson concludes a series of six lessons in which students use their growing understanding of various environments and the engineering design process, to design and create their own model biodome ecosystems.