Dr Sarah Watkinson reveals the role of fungi in breaking down dead leaves.

Focusing on fungi

Oak woodland is a characteristic feature of the English landscape and home to a huge variety of plants and animals. On this album, Professor David Streeter of the University of Sussex explores some characteristic features of an English oak wood, and reveals some of the processes that maintain the web of life within the wood. In three further tracks, Dr Sarah Watkinson and Dr George McGavin of the University of Oxford take a closer look at some of the fungi, mosses and galls that can be found within an oak wood. The album draws on material originally created to support The Open University course Exploring science.