Synopses & Reviews
Compared to the obvious complexity of animals, plants at a glance seem relatively simple in form. But that simplicity is deceptive: the plants around us are the result of millennia of incredible evolutionary adaptations that have allowed them to survive, and thrive, under wildly changing conditions and in remarkably specific ecological niches. Much of this innovation, however, is invisible to the naked eye.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; With Wonders of the Plant Kingdom, the naked eye gets an unforgettable boost. A stunning collaboration between science and art, this gorgeous book presents hundreds of images of plants taken with a scanning electron microscope and hand-colored by artist Rob Kesseler to reveal the awe-inspiring adaptations all around us. The surface of a peachand#151;with its hairs, or trichomes, and sunken stomata, or breathing poresand#151;emerges from these pages in microscopic detail. The dust-like seeds of the smallest cactus species in the world, the Blossfeldia liliputanaand#151;which measures just twelve millimeters fully grownand#151;explode here with form, color, and character, while the flower bud of a kaffir lime, cross-sectioned, reveals the complex of a flower bud with the all-important pistil in the center.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Accompanying these extraordinary images are up-to-date explanations of the myriad ways that these plants have ensured their own survivaland#151;and, by proxy, our own. Gardeners and science buffs alike will marvel at this wholly new perspective on the world of plant diversity.
Review
andquot;The pseudocolored electron micrographs that grace the pages of this striking book reveal the dazzling array of adaptations in the plant kingdom. Featuring a wide range of seeds, spores, fruits, and pollen, the accompanying text offers a straightforward primer on plant reproduction as well as a discussion of the Royal Botanic Gardensand#39; efforts to protect plant biodiversity.andquot;
Review
A andquot;Recent Publication of Interestandquot;: andquot;Spectacular color photographs and hand-colored scanning electron micrographs are accompanied by short blocks of text explaining botanical phenomena. The text focuses on flowers and their structures and on ecological interactions (pollination and seed dispersal).andquot;
Synopsis
This mini version of the best-selling book is an awe-inspiring voyage of discovery through the world of science.
Synopsis
Through the lens of a microscope or the shaft of a telescope exists a universe of boundless life and beauty, that is entirely invisible to the naked eye. Atoms, ice crystals, grains of pollen, snowflakes, butterfly wings, cloud formations, searing comets, and showers of stars are born, live and die. The unprecedented scope of Heaven & Earth offers an awe-inspiring voyage of discovery through this infinite world that is science - from the smallest particles on the earth's surface to tiny dots in galaxies that are billions of light years away.
Revealing the extensive range of matter contained in the cosmos, this book navigates a fascinating trajectory through an unexplored world, to celebrate the immeasurable beauty and countless mysteries of planet earth and the universe. It charts - chapter by chapter - intricate landscapes of increasing scale and distance, captured by microscope, x-ray, satellite and telescope. Each magnificent photograph is accompanied by an extended caption that explains it in detail, offering a dose of scientific information that enables us to associate with it on a human scale.
This volume presents a unique and richly illustrated insight into the momentous relation between aesthetics and nature, in the light of nature's magnitude and its complexity of life. The result is the ultimate fusion of art and science, through a sequence of images that are as subtle as they are stupendous.
Synopsis
Many of the most remarkable features of plants cannot be seen by the human eye.and#160; The amazing geometric structures of pollen grains, or the dust-like seeds of orchids, to the layered innards ofand#160; a fruit ripe for pollination.and#160; Evolutionary adaptations over thousands of years have resulted in forms of exceptional function and beauty, which alight in the pages of this work.and#160; A wonderful marriage of art and science, the pages of this book dissect and reveal the stunning structures and forms of plants, taking readers on a journey through the unseen world of the plant kingdom.and#160; The unusual and extraordinary images, taken by scanning electron microscope, are accompanied by a text that illuminates for a wide readership the structure and form of pollen, seeds and fruit, their role in preserving the biodiversity of our planet, and the means, often devious, by which they ensure their survival, and ultimately, that of our natural world.
About the Author
WolfgangStuppy is a seed morphologist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.Rob Kesseler is professor of ceramic art and design at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, London. Together, they are coauthors of Seeds: Time Capsules of Life and Fruit: Edible, Inedible, Incredible.Madeline Harley was, until her retirement in 2005, head of the Pollen Research Unit at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. She is coauthor, with Rob Kesseler, of Pollen: The Hidden Sexuality of Flowers.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Incredible Life of Plants
Precious dust
The difference between pollen, spores and seed
Those who copulate in secret and#8226; No match for a seed
An invisible microcosm and#8226; Apertures and#8226; Finding the other half
Pollination by wind and water and#8226; Pollination by animals
Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder and#8226; The insect
pollination syndrome and#8226; Bee flowers and#8226; Butterfly and moth flowers
Flies and beetles as pollinators and#8226; The bird pollination syndrome
The bat pollination syndrome and#8226; Typical bat flowers
Exotic pollinators and#8226; The advantages of animal pollination
Fruits and Seeds
What is a fruit and what is a vegetable? and#8226; The true nature of fruits
The various ways to get around and#8226; Wind dispersal and#8226; Seeds like dust
Masterpieces of Nature and#8226; Indirect wind dispersal
Water dispersal and#8226; Rafters and sailors and#8226; Sea beans
The biggest seed in the world and#8226; Explosive strategies
Animal couriers and#8226; Tenacious hitchhikers and#8226; Caltrops, deviland#8217;s claws
and other sadistic fruits and#8226; Reward rather than punishment
Small rewards for little helpers and#8226; Juicy temptations
Colourful appendages and#8226; Fraudsters of the plant kingdom
The everlasting beauty of plants
Phytopia
The and#8216;Making Of and#8217; Wonders of the Plant Kingdom:
How Science Becomes Art
The Millennium Seed Bank:
The Worldand#8217;s Largest Plant Conservation Initiative
Appendices
Glossary and#8226; Bibliography and#8226; Index
Acknowledgments and#8226; Picture Credits