BIOLOGY OF PLANTS - P. H. RAVEN - 1990

Preface

As the 1980s draw to a close, botany remains an extraordinarily compelling field of study, holding greater promise than ever before for contributing to human well-being. A rapidly expanding human population places immense demands on the productivity of our planet's ecosystems. Meeting these demands requires The Development of sustainable, high-yield agricultural and forestry systems that allow humanity to thrive. Consequently, botanical knowledge becomes increasingly critical with each passing year.

In this fourth edition, the book remains true to its original purpose: to present fundamental plant science in a concise, richly illustrated, and engaging format. As in previous editions, special emphasis is placed on several core themes that unify the text: (1) the plant body as a dynamic outcome of growth and developmental processes, which are in turn governed by chemical interactions; (2) evolutionary relationships as the key to understanding form and function in organisms; and (3) ecology as a vital framework highlighting our reliance on plants for our own survival and that of all other living creatures.

The Scope of the book extends somewhat beyond its title, as it encompasses all groups of organisms traditionally studied in university departments of botany: Viruses, Bacteria, selected protist lineages, Fungi, and plants proper. We continue to restrict the term "plants" to bryophytes and vascular plants—that is, a single evolutionary Lineage originating from ancestors that, were we able to examine them today, would likely be classified among the green Algae. We exclude red and brown algae from the plant kingdom because these groups arose independently from unicellular ancestors. Green algae are likewise retained among the protists; while this remains a matter of debate, it greatly simplifies the characterization of the plant kingdom. Fungi are, of course, treated as a distinct and independent group.

While retaining many of the features that made previous editions successful, we have introduced several significant changes. In particular, the coverage of multicellular algae, especially green algae, has been substantially expanded and is now the focus of a dedicated chapter. We have also added a new chapter on plants and human society (Chapter 30), which traces the origins of major crops, explores the potential for developing new plant-based sources of food, energy, and chemicals, and examines the Prospects for crop improvement through Introduction/32.html">Genetic Engineering. This chapter is integrated with discussions on general evolution and the EVOLUTION OF FLOWERING plants, allowing us to analyze not only Evolutionary Processes in the Abstract, but also the profound role humans play in shaping them. Throughout the book, physiological ecology is treated in greater depth and updated with the latest research findings.

Furthermore, we have endeavored to make this edition of Biology of Plants more concise, dynamic, and precise than its predecessor. The book has grown somewhat in length, but not through an expansion of scope or excessive detail; rather, the increase is due to The addition of new diagrams, illustrations, and photographs (predominantly in color), supplementary insights into human uses of plants (such as the new section on wood in Chapter 23, "Secondary Growth"), and helpful summary tables and chapter summaries designed to facilitate comprehension. We particularly wish to draw attention to the new life-cycle diagrams (pp. 241–242, 304–305, 324–325, 342–343, etc.), which are far more informative and intuitive than before, with all artwork executed in a consistent, unified style.

This edition is structured so that topics can be studied in virtually any sequence. We made a concerted effort to make the book adaptable to A wide variety of courses—including those that do not require exhaustive detail and focus only on specific sections. Our goal is to provide students with a clear and compelling introduction to botany, anchored in pressing scientific questions that capture their imagination and inspire them to explore further.

By introducing young minds not only to established botanical knowledge but also to many unresolved questions, we hope to attract fresh talent to the field—individuals who will bring new enthusiasm to finding solutions upon which our collective future depends.

Class="right">Peter H. Raven, Ray F. Evert, Susan E. Eichhorn

March 1986

Acknowledgments

We deeply appreciate the valuable suggestions and feedback provided by instructors who used the previous edition and generously offered their advice for this revision. Without their assistance, as well as that of numerous other specialists across various fields of botany and education, this book could not have been completed. We are especially grateful to the following individuals: J. Johnson of the University of Washington, who reviewed the chapters on genetics and evolution; K. Keegstra and M. Sussman of the University of Wisconsin, who evaluated the material on membranes; P. Ludden of the University of Wisconsin, who reviewed the chapters on METABOLISM/26.html">Energy Metabolism; J. Einset of Harvard University, who offered guidance on growth regulation and responses; P. Quail of the University of Wisconsin, who examined the photobiology section; J. Gerloff of the same institution, for assistance with the chapter on PLANT Nutrition AND soils; and J. Park, also of the University of Wisconsin, for comments on mycorrhizae. G. Floyd of Ohio State University, C. Mattox of the University of Miami, L. Graham of the University of Wisconsin, K. Niklas of Cornell University, and M. Hommersand of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provided invaluable help with the algal coverage. We also wish to thank S. Tolin and J. Lacy (both of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) and P. Ahlquist of the University of Wisconsin for their contributions to the virology section. Grateful acknowledgment is due to P. Crane of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and C. Beck of the University of Michigan for their expert guidance on seed-plant ancestors; C. Heiser Jr. of Indiana University, W. Brown of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., J. Harlan of the University of Illinois, and E. Jaworski of the Monsanto Company for assistance with the chapter on plants and human affairs; and D. Billings of Duke University, P. Vitousek of Stanford University, and L. Bliss of the University of Washington for consultations on ecology.

We also express our sincere gratitude to the following individuals who reviewed specific portions of the manuscript or provided source Materials for this fourth edition:

V. Ahmadjian, Clark University; L. Berg, University of Maryland; J. Bonner, Princeton University; C. Bornman, Hilleshög AB, Landskrona, Sweden; R. Bowman, University of Colorado; W. Briggs, Carnegie Institution of Washington; R. Baku, Montgomery College; J. Burke, California State University, Fullerton; J. Barris, Pennsylvania State University; A. Campbell, Stanford University; L. Carluccio, Central Connecticut State University; T. Cochrane, University of Wisconsin; G. Cottam, University of Wisconsin; M. Crosby, Missouri Botanical Garden; B. Camby, University of Missouri,

W. Darden, University of Alabama; M. Darley, University of Georgia; J. Davis, University of Wisconsin; T. Diner, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

D. Dilcher, Indiana University; J. Dwyer, Saint Louis University; B. Eschrich, University of Göttingen, FRG; S. Eversman, Montana State University,

R. Eyde, U.S. Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution; T. Givnish, University of Wisconsin; U. Goodenough, Washington University; W. Hackbart, Louisiana Technical University; J. Heslop-Harrison, University College of Wales; Y. Heslop-Harrison, University College of Wales,

A. Kelman, University of Wisconsin; D. Kirk, Washington University; A. Knoll, Harvard University; R. Koning, Rutgers University; M. Littler, U.S. Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution; R. Magill, Missouri Botanical Garden; M. Messer, Humboldt State University,

I. Newcomb, University of Wisconsin; R. Ornduff, University of California, Berkeley; S. Pelcova, University of Wisconsin; J. Phillips, University of Wisconsin; T. Phillips, University of Illinois; K. Pirozynski, National Museum of Canada, Ottawa; J. Pomerville, Texas A&M University; D. Porter, University of Georgia; Don Prasso, University of Nevada, Reno; C. Raper, University of Wisconsin; D. Savile, Agriculture Canada; W. Schofield, University of British Columbia; W. Schopf, University of California, Los Angeles; C. Stewart, University of Miami; R. Stockey, University of Alberta; J. Thomas, Stanford University; J. Thomson, University of Wisconsin; J. Trappe, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Corvallis, Oregon; D. Vans, University of North Texas; J. Varner, Washington University; T. Volk, University of Wisconsin,

J. Weis, Kansas State University; M. Wetger, University of Wisconsin; G. Woodwell, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts; M. Winn, University of Michigan; C. Yentsch, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, West Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

In addition, we wish to reiterate our thanks to L. Johnson of the Royal Botanic Gardens (Sydney, Australia) for his multifaceted assistance during the preparation of the previous edition, which substantially improved the present volume as well.

As before, we are deeply indebted to R. Nuss for her exquisite botanical illustrations and to D. Neuberger for his exceptional photography. Several wonderful drawings for this edition were also contributed by E. Dudley.

We gratefully acknowledge several individuals from the University of Wisconsin: C. Lipke for the color photographs, J. Arnold for manuscript typing, and D. Hoan, J. Varner, D. Wentland, L. Wang, G. Williams, O. Zizic-French, M. Boshelt, and von Mansfield for their general support.

The first author wishes to express his heartfelt gratitude to his wife, T. Raven, for her constant help and encouragement. The second author likewise thanks his wife, Mary, for her patience and support, and the third author extends special thanks to her husband, Henry, for his unwavering support and, above all, for never complaining throughout the entire process of producing this fourth edition.

We would like to express our special gratitude to H. Curtis for her immense contribution to previous editions of this book, which greatly contributed to its success.

Finally, we express our sincere appreciation to S. Anderson, H. Hefte, J. Touloumes, P. Lawson, J. McGovern, and the many other staff members at Worth Publishers who made a significant effort to ensure the high quality of this book and make it as useful as possible.

Peter Raven, Ray Evert, Susan Eichhorn

March 1986