Host-Fungus Relationships

Abstract

The intimate relationships that have developed between trichomycetes and their arthropod hosts appear to be long-standing ones in terms of evolutionary time. Evidence for such a statement lies in the diversity to be found within the fungal class, the wide range of arthropod types infested, the worldwide distribution of this kind of symbiotic association, and the number of morphological and physiological specializations that these fungi have had to evolve to insure successful adaptation to their respective host types. In the present chapter we will examine these relationships primarily on the basis of studies of uncultured specimens, whereas in the next chapter (Chapter 9) experimental evidence obtained with axenically cultured fungal species will be emphasized.