ABSTRACT
Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute of CIAT, Nairobi, Kenya, and Institut de Rechereche pour le Developpement, Montpellier, France
31.1 INTRODUCTION
Humans change the composition, structure, and functions of fungal communities in a great variety of ways, as documented in the subsequent chapters of this book. The fungi are only one component of the totality of biological diversity, and one that is far from central to most people’s concerns. The purpose of this chapter is to place the specific issues of fungal community change in a broader context of scientific and social concerns about loss of biological diversity and disruption of ecosystem functions, and to identify some of the key research issues that emerge. In so doing, a number of fairly fundamental questions arise. Why should the loss of fungal diversity and disruption of fungal community structure be of concern to society at large? Given that diversity loss will occur, where should we try to draw the line — what level of diversity loss is unacceptable? What are the practical management options for minimizing these impacts and losses?
