Part 1/2 of Engler's Syllabus of Plant Families ? Ascomycota provides a thorough treatise of the world-wide morphological and molecular diversity of the fungal phylum Ascomycota. The Ascomycota (including lichenized forms) are the most diverse group of fungi, with a fascinating range of morphological and biological variation, distributed from the arctic tundra and subantarctic vegetation formations, to tropical rainforests and semi-deserts, to freshwater and marine ecosystems. The present volume is an updated synthesis of classical anatomical-morphological characters with modern molecular data, incorporating numerous new discoveries made during the last ten years, providing a comprehensive modern survey covering all families and genera of the Ascomycota including detailed family descriptions. While the Fungi are not part of the Plant Kingdom, they are formally included within the classic Engler's title ?Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien / Syllabus of Plant Families?, which comprised families of blue-green algae, algae, fungi, lichens, ferns, gymnosperms and flowering plants. Engler's Syllabus of Plant Families has since its first publication in 1887 aimed to provide both the researcher, and particularly the student with a concise survey of the plant kingdom as a whole, presenting all higher systematic units right down to families and genera of plants and fungi. In 1954, more than 60 years ago, the 12th edition of the well-known ?Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien? (?Syllabus of Plant Families?), set a standard. Now, the completely restructured and revised 13th edition of Engler's Syllabus published in 5 parts and in English language for the first time also considers molecular data, which have only recently become available in order to provide an up-to-date evolutionary and systematic overview of the plant and fungal groups treated. In our ?molecular times? there is a vitally important and growing need to preserve the knowledge of the entire range of diversity and biology of organisms for coming generations, as there is a decline in ?classical? morphological and taxonomical expertise, especially for less popular (showy) groups of organisms. Accordingly, the 13th edition of Syllabus of Plant Families synthesizes both modern data and classical expertise, serving to educate future experts who will maintain our knowledge of the full range of Earth's biodiversity. Syllabus of Plant Families is a mandatory reference for students, experts and researchers from all fields of biological sciences, particularly botany.
