Synopses & Reviews
Although they are among the most abundant of all living things and provide essential oxygen, food, and shelter to the animal kingdom, few books pay any attention to how and why plants evolved the wondrous diversity we see today. In this richly illustrated and clearly written book, Karl J. Niklas provides the first comprehensive synthesis of modern evolutionary biology as it relates to plants.
After presenting key evolutionary principles, Niklas recounts the saga of plant life from its origins to the radiation of the flowering plants. To investigate how living plants might have evolved, Niklas conducts a series of computer-generated "walks" on fitness "landscapes," arriving at hypothetical forms of plant life strikingly similar to those of today and the distant past. He concludes with an extended consideration of molecular biology and paleontology. An excellent overview for undergraduates, this book will also challenge graduate students and researchers.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 399-423) and indexes.
About the Author
Karl J. Niklas is the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Plant Biology in the Department of Plant Biology at Cornell University. He is the author of Plant Biomechanics, Plant Allometry, and The Evolutionary Biology of Plants, all published by the University of Chicago Press.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Ch. 1: Adaptive Evolution
Ch. 2: Species and Speciation
Ch. 3: Origins and Early Events
Ch. 4: The Invasion of Land and Air
Ch. 5: The Aquatic Landscape
Ch. 6: The Terrestrial Landscape
Ch. 7: Divergence and Convergence
Ch. 8: Tempos and Patterns
Literature Cited
Author Index
Subject Index