Diversity and Evolutionary Biology of Tropical Flowers
Diversity and Evolutionary Biology of Tropical Flowers
£67.99
GBPThe study of flowers provides a unique insight into the biology and evolution of flowering plants as a whole. The comparative study of flowers began in temperate regions and as a consequence most books on flowers are concerned with temperate plants. In contrast, this volume concentrates on tropical flowers which, whilst sharing many of the features seen in temperate flowers, exhibit phenomena which are purely tropical. The first part of the volume deals with general structural and biological features of flowers and shows facets of their diversity. The second part focuses on the flowers of selected tropical plants and emphasizes their structural and biological idiosyncrasies and evolutionary features. New trends in the study of floral evolution and the role of flowers in the study of flowering plant phylogeny are also outlined.
- The first book to provide comprehensive information on the structure, biology and evolution of tropical flowers
- Generously illustrated with diagrams of flowers and floral parts, plus numerous electron micrographs of developmental and floral parts
- Includes references to a broad range of up-to-date literature
Reviews & endorsements
'This is an ambitious book, and an excellent one. It does a superb job of integrating floral morphology, development, evolution and ecology, and will be essential reading for anyone interested in these subjects for a long time to come.' Trends in Ecology and Evolution
'This book provides a wealth of information that will be of great value to all persons interested in plant systematics, phylogeny, structure-function relationships and ecology.' Taxon
Product details
July 1996Paperback
9780521565103
528 pages
229 × 153 × 28 mm
0.88kg
140 b/w illus. 5 tables
Available
Table of Contents
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Floral organisation (bauplan, groundplan)
- 3. Floral construction (architecture, gestalt)
- 4. Floral adaptations to different pollinators (floral styles)
- 5. Special differentiations associated with pollinator attraction
- 6. Special differentiations associated with the breeding system
- 7. The process of anthesis
- 8. Floral structure: biology of selected systematic groups in the tropics
- 9. Aspects of flower evolution
- 10. Prospects
- Index.
