Ten years after the previous edition of THE MYCOTA, Volume 1, we have generated a new edition! The fourth edition provides an updated overview of fungal growth, differentiation, and reproduction, emphasizing current breakthroughs in molecular, genetic, and cellular mechanisms. As in previous editions, the chapters are authored by leading scientists and are organized to reflect the dynamic continuum of fungal development from vegetative to reproductive processes.

The first section explores core vegetative processes, including hyphal tip growth, septation, hyphal fusion, senescence, and the actin cytoskeleton, and broadens its scope with new insights into yeast colony differentiation. Decisions on fungal development are covered in a variety of chapters covering the STRIPAK complex, regulation by light or secondary metabolites and the intriguing behavior of predator yeasts. The subsequent section explores signaling pathways governing fungal development, featuring oxylipin-mediated communication and pheromone action across early-diverging fungal groups. Volume 1 further includes several chapters on sexual and asexual development in ascomycetes and basidiomycetes with dedicated chapters on Aspergillus, Trichoderma and Verticillium.

This fourth edition once again captures the breadth and diversity of fungal life and provides reference for understanding fungal morphogenesis, differentiation and sexual development. We hope that students, researchers, and professionals alike will find this book both an inspiring introduction and a valuable reference to the fascinating world of fungal biology.

Prof. Jürgen Wendland is the head of Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry at the Hochschule Geisenheim University (HGU) in Germany. He studied Biology at the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen and earned his PhD in Genetics at the Philipps-University in Marburg, Germany in 1996. Following a postdoc at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel in Switzerland he worked as assistant at the Friedrich-Schiller University and, in addition, the Leibniz Institute for Natural Products Research and Infection Biology in Jena, Germany. It is here that he completed his habilitation in Microbiology and Genetics (2004). He then became professor of yeast biology and fermentation at the Carlsberg Laboratory in Copenhagen where he studied fungal genetics and biology and lager yeast genomics. After a three year affiliation with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium he moved to Geisenheim at the beginning of 2019.