This book is aimed at all biologists. Certainly, I started out with the intention to write a biological text rather than a mycological one because I believe the fungi are too important to remain in an intellectual ghetto in some faintly plant-like place which most people visit rarely, and then with unease.

Throughout, I have attempted to blend together physiological, biochemical, structural and molecular descriptions within an evolutionary framework, combining the older literature with the most recent. Without attempting a comprehensive description of fungi, I hope that I have provided sufficient information about fungal biology to give the general reader a rounded view of the mycological context within which fungal morphogenesis is played out without obscuring the broader biological significance. If I have got the balance right, the reader with knowledge of basic biology should not need to bring any other knowledge with him or her, nor need to refer elsewhere, in order to appreciate fungal morphogenesis.

The first chapter aims to give an overview of the evolutionary origins of fungi and the central role they played (and still play) in the evolution of life on Earth. The second chapter introduces hyphal growth, the essence of the fungal lifestyle, and identifies features which are crucial aspects of morphogenesis. Chapter 3 summarises fungal primary and secondary metabolism, necessary here because adaptation of primary metabolism and exploitation of secondary metabolism are both critical to fungal morphogenesis.