MBR: The Science Shelf

The Science Shelf

Mushrooms and Other Fungi of the Midcontinental United States
D.M. Huffman, L.H. Tiffany, G. Knaphus, and R.A. Healy
University of Iowa Press
100 Kuhl House, 119 West Park Road, Iowa City, IA 52242-1000
9781587296277, $39.95 www (dot) uiowapress (dot) org 1-800-621-2736

Now in a fully revised second edition, Mushrooms and Other Fungi of
the Midcontinental United States is a full-color field guide to wild
mushrooms and fungi found in the midcontinental region of Iowa,
Illinois, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Each of 248 species is illustrated with an excellent color photograph
(which almost always shows both the tops and the undersides of sample
fungi), and its cap, gills, stalk, and annulus are all described in
meticulous detail, along with information with regard to where each
species is most likely to be seen, and its edible or toxic
characteristics. An additional section devoted to commonly encountered
slime molds rounds out this superb reference, written by emeritus
professor of biology Donald Huffman. Useful to professional biologists
and amateur nature lovers alike, Mushrooms and Other Fungi of the
Midcontinental United States is a first-rate, enthusiastically
recommended resource.

Moth Catcher
Michael M. Collins
University of Nevada Press
Mail Stop 0166, Reno, NV, 89557-0166
9780874177350, $18.95 www (dot) unpress.nevada (dot) edu
1-877-682-6657

Told with the narrative fluidity of a memoir, Moth Catcher: An
Evolutionist's Journey Through Canyon and Pass is an amazing look into
the scientific research of author Michael M. Collins. Moth Catcher
introduces the reader to a fascinating canyon and pass environment in
Sierra Nevada that is what geneticists call a "hybrid zone" for silk
moths. In the hybrid zone, two species of silk moths interbreed to
produce fertile offspring - unlike lab-bred hybrids between the same
two species. These naturally occurring hybrid populations serve as
unique, non-reproducible laboratories in nature, offering an
exceptional opportunity to gain greater insight into how evolution
itself operates. A handful of color photographic plates illustrate
this exceptional account of the hidden wonders of one of nature's
smaller species. Accessible to readers of all backgrounds, Moth
Catcher is as highly recommended to the lay person with a budding
interest in natural science as it is to professionals curious to hear
a firsthand account of fieldwork and its astonishing results.

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