Introductory Plant Biology

This introductory text assumes little prior scientific knowledge on the part of the student. It includes sufficient information for some shorter introductory botany courses open to both majors and nonmajors, and is arranged so that certain sections can be omitted without disrupting the overall continuity of the course. Stern emphasizes current interests while presenting basic botanical principles.

This introductory text assumes little prior scientific knowledge on the part of the student. It includes sufficient information for some shorter introductory botany courses open to both majors and nonmajors, and is arranged so that certain sections can be omitted without disrupting the overall continuity of the course. Stern emphasizes current interests while presenting basic botanical principles.

"Plants and algae are essential for life on earth as it exists today. They provide our world with oxygen and food, make an essential contribution to water and nutrient cycling in ecosystems, provide clothing and shelter, and add beauty to our environment. Some scientists believe that if photosynthetic organisms exist on planets beyond our solar system, it would be possible to sustain other forms of life that depend upon them to survive. Botany today plays a special role in many interests of both major and nonmajor students. For example, in this text, topics such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, acid rain, genetic engineering, organic gardening, Native American and pioneer uses of plants, pollution and recycling, houseplants, backyard vegetable gardening, natural dye plants, poisonous and hallucinogenic plants, nutritional values of edible plants, and many other topics are discussed. To intelligently pursue such topics, one needs to understand how plants grow and function. To this end, the text assumes little prior knowledge of the sciences on the part of the student, but covers basic botany, without excessively resorting to technical terms. The coverage, however, includes sufficient depth to prepare students to go further in the field, should they choose to do so. The text is arranged so that certain sections can be omitted in shorter courses. Such sections may include topics such as soils, molecular genetics, and phylum Bryophyta. Because botany instructors vary greatly in their opinions about the depth of coverage needed for photosynthesis and respiration in an introductory botany course open to both majors and nonmajors, these topics are presented at three different levels. Some instructors will find one or two levels sufficient, whereas others will want to include all three. Both majors in botany and nonmajors who may initially be disinterested in the subject matter of a required course frequently become engrossed if the material is related repeatedly to their popular interests. This is reflected, as intimated above, in the considerable amount of ecology and ethnobotany included with traditional botany throughout the book. Organization of the Text A relatively conventional sequence of botanical subjects is followed. Chapters 1 and 2 cover introductory and background information; Chapters 3 through 11 deal with structure and function; Chapters 12 and 13 introduce meiosis, genetics, and molecular biology. Chapter 14 discusses plant propagation and biotechnology; Chapter 15 introduces evolution; Chapter 16 deals with classification; Chapters 17 through 23 stress, in phylogenetic sequence, the diversity of organisms traditionally regarded as plants; and Chapter 24 deals with ethnobotanical aspects and other information of general interest pertaining to 16 major plant families or groups of families. Chapters 25 and 26 present an overview of the vast topic of ecology, although ecological topics and applied botany are included in the preceding chapters as well. Some of these topics are broached in anecdotes that introduce the chapters, while others are mentioned in text boxes as well as the appendices. Learning Aids A chapter outline is provided at the beginning of each chapter and learning outcomes are shown for major sections within the text. The end of each chapter includes a summary, review questions, and discussion questions to help with the learning experience. New terms are defined as they are introduced, and those that are boldfaced are included, with their pronunciation, in a glossary. A list of the scientific names of all organisms mentioned throughout the text is given in Appendix 1. Appendix 2 deals with biological controls and companion planting. Appendix 3 includes wild edible plants, poisonous plants, medicinal plants, hallucinogenic plants, spices, tropical fruits, and natural dye plants. Appendix 4 gives horticultural information on houseplants, along with brief discussions on how to cultivate vegetables. Nutritional values of the vegetables are included. Appendix 5 covers metric equivalents and conversion tables and Appendix 6 includes a periodic table of the elements"--

As new information is introduced and environmental changes occur, Plant Biology continues to develop and evolve as a science. Updated and revised to keep pace with these developments, the Fifth Edition of Botany: An Introduction to Plant Biology provides a modern and comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of botany while retaining the important focus of natural selection, analysis of botanical phenomena, and diversity. Students are first introduced to topics that should be most familiar (plant structure), proceed to those less familiar (plant physiology and development), and conclude with topics that are likely least familiar to the introductory student (genetics, evolution, and ecology). Mauseth is sure to provide the latest material on molecular biology and plant biotechnology in an effort to keep pace with these advancing areas of study. All sections are written to be self-contained allowing for a flexible presentation of course material.Key Features:- Includes new content on molecular biology, plant biotechnology, and the most recent coverage of taxonomy and phylogeny of plants.- Now available with a new electronic laboratory manual.- Plants Do Things Differently boxes help students understand and compare plant biology with human biology.- End-of-chapter study guide includes nearly 50 or more questions in each chapter, urging students to test themselves on the most important points in the chapter.- Alternatives boxes encourage students to think expansively about alternative aspects of plant biology that are more advantageous in certain conditions.

The Sixth Edition of Botany: An Introduction to Plant Biology provides a modern and comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of botany while retaining the important focus of natural selection, analysis of botanical phenomena, and diversity.

The goals of INTRODUCTORY BOTANY: PLANTS, PEOPLE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT are to share with beginning botany students an appreciation of the diverse organisms we call plants and to help students understand how scientists think, how they approach and solve problems, and how they obtain scientific knowledge about our world. The overall theme of this text is the role of plants in the biosphere - and in keeping with that theme, related environmental issues are integrated into each chapter. The environmental emphasis, which is unique among introductory botany texts, provides students with relevancy and kindles their interest in plants. A second theme, botany as a scientific process, is also stressed throughout.