Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- The Scope of This Book, from the Microlevel to Infinity -- Forests Are a Study in Complexity -- Soil Is Every Forest's Foundation -- People and Forests Are Inseparable -- Chapter 1: The Forest We See -- Composition, Structure, and Function -- Pacific Northwestern United States versus Southeastern Mainland Australia -- Chapter 2: The Unseen Forest -- The Genesis of Soil -- Physical Weathering -- Chemical Weathering -- The Addition of Organic Material to Mineral Soil -- The Living Community within the Soil -- The Nitrogen Fixers -- Scavengers, the Recyclers in the Soil -- The Environment Is a Seamless Whole -- Chapter 3: Trees, Truffles, and Beasts: Coevolution in Action -- In the Beginning -- Mycorrhizae Enter the Scene -- Fungal Nourishment: Decomposition and Symbiosis -- Global Diversification of Organisms, Unification of Functions -- Host Specificity and Forest Succession -- Trees, Truffles, and Beasts: Spore Dispersal through Mycophagy -- Chapter 4: Of Animals and Fungi -- Obligate Mycophagists -- Preferential Mycophagists -- Casual or Opportunistic Mycophagists -- Accidental Mycophagists -- Preferences in Fungal Diets -- Invertebrate Mycophagists -- Chapter 5: The Importance of Mycophagy -- The Fungal Feast: Nutritional Rewards of Mycophagy -- Macroelements -- Microelements -- Proteins and Amino Acids -- Carbohydrates -- Fats and Fatty Acids -- Vitamins -- Nutrient Availability, Symbiosis, and Digestive Strategy -- Truffle Diversity, the Key to Mycophagist Nutrition -- Ecosystem Services of Mycophagy -- Mycophagy Interactions with Soil Moisture -- Mycophagy Initiates and Maintains Truffle Diversity -- Chapter 6: Landscape Patterns and Fire -- Landscape Patterns -- The Role of Fire in Forests -- Fire in the Western United States -- Fire in Southeastern Mainland Australia.

Lessons from Byadbo, Mount St. Helens, Omeo, and Beyond -- The Mycorrhizal Response to Disturbance -- The Role of Spore Dispersal by Mycophagy -- Emulating Fire Patterns -- Chapter 7: Forest Succession and Habitat Dynamics -- Developmental Stages of the Forest -- Autogenic Succession above Ground -- Autogenic Succession below Ground -- The Dynamics of Habitat -- Food -- Water -- Shelter -- Privacy -- Space -- Landscape Patterns -- United States -- Australia -- Humankind's Fragmentation -- Equality among Species -- Chapter 8: Of Lifestyles and Shared Habitats -- A Glimpse of Two U.S. Forests -- A Glimpse of Two Australian Forests -- Ecological Services of Mycophagous Mammals -- The Fungal Connection -- The Fruit-Body Connection -- The Squirrel Connection -- The Pellet Connection -- Mycophagy as a Basis of Infrastructural Relationships -- Putting It All Together -- Partitioning Habitat in the United States -- Partitioning Habitat in Australia -- Partitioning Food in the United States -- Partitioning Food in Australia -- Temporal Segregation in the United States -- Temporal Segregation in Australia -- The Importance of Ecological "Backups" -- Chapter 9: Lessons from the Trees, the Truffles, and the Beasts -- Shifting Our Focus -- Products and Biological Capital -- Appendix A: North American Common and Scientific Names -- Appendix B: Australian Common and Scientific Names -- Notes -- Glossary -- Index -- About the Authors.