Nicholas P. Money

Professor; Director, Western Program

344 Pearson Hall  (513) 529-2140
 moneynp@miamioh.edu

Biographical Information

Fungal Biology. By any measure, fungi are among the commonest eukaryotes on the planet. They grow on the surface of every plant and animal, they populate grassland soils, support forest trees and shrubs, decompose wood and mist the air with microscopic spores. Filamentous fungi and yeasts multiply in lakes and rivers, grow in the mud of estuaries and colonize sunken galleons in the sea. As pathogens, fungi are unmatched as killers of plants, and epidemic fungal diseases of animals are viewed as indicators of impending planetary doom. Fungi remain, however, the least studied and most misunderstood kingdom of organisms. Mycological research in the Money lab at Miami has explored the biomechanics of hyphal growth, fungal penetration of plant and animal tissues, indoor mold growth, and spore discharge mechanisms. Current experiments concern the effects of fungal spores on atmospheric chemistry.

Areas of Expertise

Fungal Biology, Communicating Science


Recent Publications

  1. Hassett, M. O., Sugawara, Z. T., Stolze-Rybczynski, J., Fischer, M. W. F., Money, N. P. 2013. Splash and grab: Biomechanics of peridiole ejection and function of the funicular cord in bird’s nest fungi. Fungal Biology 117: 708-714.
  2. Money, N. P. 2013. Against the naming of fungi. Fungal Biology 117: 463-465.
  3. Suryanarayanan T. S., Govindarajulu, M. B., Thirumalai, E., Reddy, S. M., and Money, N. P. 2011. Agni’s fungi: Heat-resistant spores from the Western Ghats, southern India. Fungal Biology 115: 833-838.
  4. Money, N. P. 2011. The 200th anniversary of the hypha. Fungal Biology 115: 443-445.

Books

  1. Money, N. P. 2014. The Amoeba in the Room: Lives of the Microbes. Oxford University Press, New York, in press.
  2. Money, N. P. 2011. Mushroom. Oxford University Press, New York.
  3. Money, N. P. 2007. The Triumph of the Fungi: A Rotten History. Oxford University Press, New York.
  4. Money, N. P. 2004. Carpet Monsters and Killer Spores: A Natural History of Toxic Mold. Oxford University Press, New York.
  5. Money, N. P. 2002. Mr. Bloomfield’s Orchard. The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Mycologists. Oxford University Press, New York.