Synopses & Reviews
There has always been interest in how animals live their lives — it is easy for us to identify with them. But there are many remarkable stories about plants that deserve to be told. The Nature of Plants tells how plants adapt to the challenges of their habitats. Plants may live in places that provide too little rainfall, yet they thrive, either by evading drought, like the animals that live in deserts, or by tolerating the scarcity. There are plants that use other plants, climbing on them, strangling some, living in their leafy canopies, or parasitizing them. And The Nature of Plants explores the love-hate relationships that plants have with animals, some feeding on plants but others drawn into serving plants by pollinating them, scattering their fruits and seeds, or being eaten themselves. The mostly hidden associations that plants have with bacteria and fungi are also revealed. Illustrated throughout with superb color photographs, it is written in a way that is clear to anyone who wishes to understand the life of plants.
Review
"A plant lover's dream. ... Recommended for anyone with an interest in plants and their ability to survive in even the harshest of climates. All topics are explained with diverse examples and fantastic color photographs." Lee Luckeydoo, Sida, Contributions to Botany, Summer/Fall 2006 Contributions to Botany
Review
"Tells dramatic stories of how plants struggle throughout their lives, how they adapt to their often-inhospitable surroundings, and how they change when their surroundings change."
—Science News, May 21, 2005 Science News
Review
"The book, studded with stunning photographs, is divided into nine botanically based but very readable chapters."
—Lynne Terry, Oregonian, May 5, 2005 Oregonian
Synopsis
Takes the reader on a tour of plant habitats from the seashore up into the mountains, and from the tropics to the poles. Superb photos and clear text tell how plants adapt to the challenges of their habitats.
About the Author
Although officially retired from Victoria University in Wellington, John Dawson continues to study plants in New Zealand and abroad. He received his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, and has written Forest Vines to Snow Tussocks: The Story of New Zealand Plants in addition to many other botanical contributions.