What is Mycology?
[[File:Mycena leaiana var. australis.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Mushrooms]] are a kind of fungal reproductive organ]] '''Mycology''' is the study of [[fungi]].<ref>Ainsworth, Geoffrey Clough 1976. Introduction to the history of mycology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-21013-3</ref> This includes their genetics, their biochemical properties (the chemical processes in them), their classification, their use to humans and their dangers (poisonous or infectious). Fungi are a source of tinder (easily combustible material to light fires), medicines, food, and [[psychoactive]] substances. A biologist who studies mycology is called a '''mycologist'''. Mycology is closely related to [[phytopathology]] (the study of plant diseases), because most plant diseases are caused by fungi. Historically, mycology was a branch of botany (plant biology). Now fungi are thought to be more closely related to animals than to plants. Fungi are fundamental (perhaps essential) for life on Earth. They are [[Symbiosis|symbionts]]. They can break down complex organic biomolecules, and so they are a link in the global [[carbon cycle]].<ref>Kibby, Geoffrey 2017.'' Mushrooms and toadstools of Britain & Europe. Great Britain'' ' pp. xiv–xv. ISBN 9780957209428</ref> ==Related pages== * [[Palynology]], the study of tiny natural particles, including fungus [[spores]]. == References == {{reflist}} {{-}} {{Fungus}} {{biology-stub}} [[Category:Fungi]] [[Category:Branches of biology]] [[Category:Branches of botany]]