This manual was prepared by the Teaching Committee of the Mycological Society of America chaired by John C. Clausz. The purpose of the manual is to provide a collection of laboratory exercises which utilize fungi as the experimental tool in order to increase interest in the fungi. The exercies are intended for persons who have little or no experience with using fungi.

The manual is divided into the following subject areas:

• Ecology
  1. Micheli's Melons
  2. The Dilution Plate Technique for Isolation of Soil Microfungi
  3. Litter Decomposition
  4. Observation of Mycorrhizae
  5. The Soil Microfungal Community: Species Diversity, Community Structure and Habitat Specificity
• Development
  1. Growth and Development of the Mushroom Pleurotus sajor-caju
  2. Host-Mediated Extrusion of Sporangiospores from Trichospores of Smittium culisetae
  3. Developmental Stages in Basidiobolus ranarum
  4. Slug Grafting in Dictyostelium discoideum
• Physiology
  1. Determinion of Dicarboximide Fungicide Resistance in Botrytis
  2. Observations of the Plasmodial Slime Mold, Physarum polycephalum
  3. Demonstrating ballistospore discharge in Itersonilia perplexans , Auricularia auricula judae and other basidiomycetes.
  4. Pilobolus umbonatus and the Bull's-eye
  5. Fruiting Body Formation and Glebal Mass "Shooting" in Sphaerobolus stellatus
  6. Zoosporogenesis in Saproplegnia diclina

Here are references to several books with methods for studying various aspects of fungal biology.

Booth, C., Ed. 1971. Methods in Microbiology, Volume 4. Academic Press Inc. (London) Ltd. London, England. 795 pp.

Fuller, Melvin S. and Alan Jaworski, Eds. 1987. Zoosporic Fungi in Teaching and Research. Southeastern Publishing Corporation. Athens, GA. 303 pp.

Stevens, Russel B, Ed.. 1981. Mycology Guidebook. University of Washington Press. Seattle, WA. 712 pp.