1 - Introduction

Abstract

Fungi are fundamental to the health and success of almost every ecosystem in the world today, and they certainly played equally important roles in ancient ecosystems. We now know that there is an extraordinary abundance of fungal remains in the fossil record; however, systematic studies of fungal lineages based on fossils are lacking to date, owing primarily to the inherent problems and limitations connected to the fossil record of the fungi. Moreover, when fungi were reported in the past they were rarely placed within a broader context. Today, however, there is an increasing interest in fossil fungi and their importance in ancient ecosystems, which has been stimulated by a generally growing scientific awareness of the microbial world and the interrelatedness of all organisms. This book chronicles the fossil record of fungi through geologic time, places them within a systematic context where possible, and describes various types of fungal associations that existed in ancient ecosystems. Paleomycology is defined and discussed within the historical context of both extant and fossil fungi, and linked to other closely interrelated disciplines dealing with fungi and fungus-like microorganisms.