Zusammenfassung
Fungi preceded man in evolution by millions of years. Nevertheless, they later became companions of man in many respects, negative and positive alike. They accompanied him with negative effects as poisonous or toxic organisms, causing diseases in man, animals, and plants. Their negative aspects also included degradation of food and of natural and man-made materials. Their positive effects, ...
Zusammenfassung
Fungi preceded man in evolution by millions of years. Nevertheless, they later became companions of man in many respects, negative and positive alike. They accompanied him with negative effects as poisonous or toxic organisms, causing diseases in man, animals, and plants. Their negative aspects also included degradation of food and of natural and man-made materials. Their positive effects, however, outweigh their deleterious effects, considering their role in science, biotechnology, environmental and biological control, medicine, and food and food production. In addition, they became important in other human affairs, such as mythology, folklore, and religion. After a short definition of mushrooms, the form of fungi perceivable with the naked eye, this article follows the joint way of fungi and man, describing the negative and positive aspects of fungi for early man, through the historic past, to the present and beyond to the future.
Altmetric