Plant Evolution

The phanerozoic (the past 500 million years of geologic history) roughly translates to 'the age of animals.' Silly us. Plants made the atmosphere 'breathable, ' provide food to eat, and dominate the planet's biomass. Yet, instead of the phaneroPHYTic, the time is called the phaneroZOic. Here is the realignment. Not quite a textbook and certainly not an impersonal account, this quirky book draws together the traces of history found in the biochemistry, structure, and habits of all life (humans included) to retell life's story from a botanist's perspective. . . . With a 129-entry glossary and a detailed 2,138-entry index, readers can map their way through thickets of evolutionary conundrums perhaps not previously considered. . . . Niklas's fluency and perspective makes it worth reading. Recommended. --G. C. Stevens, University of New Mexico Choice This is a work of scholarship and of imagination, offering great insight onto patterns of plant evolution and the underlying processes that drive those patterns. It will attract a wide range of biologists as researchers and as teachers, some coming to it as evolutionary biologists, some as botanists and paleobotanists, some as physiologists and geneticists. All will be attracted by the general review of the evolutionary forces affecting plants, by the cutting edge research it summarizes, and by the interesting ideas and totally new insights interleaved throughout--several of which are cutting edge in their own right. --Bruce H. Tiffney, University of California, Santa Barbara In a true tour de force, Niklas assays the mechanisms and patterns of evolution, from molecules to ecosystems, using plants as examples. Must-reading for plant scientists, Plant Evolution will both delight and challenge everyone who peers into the heart of biology. --Andrew Knoll, Harvard University Plant Evolution sets out on a remarkable journey through the evolutionary innovations that have led to the modern green world. In each essay, Niklas gives legs to fundamental evolutionary themes by weaving seamlessly from general theory to peculiarities within the plant kingdom. Through this, readers can make explicit links to foundational knowledge typical of introductory biology courses and gain specific insights into plant evolution at both micro and macro scales. . . . Beautifully written. . . . It is also a reminder of the book's general theme that the green world is vast and complex and is a ripe breeding ground for testing unexplored evolutionary questions. In this way, Plant Evolution provides a fascinating text for teachers, researchers, and students interested in both established and revolutionary notions about why and how plants are so diverse. --Jill Preston, University of Vermont BioScience