This is the fourth volume of a series devoted to providing a comprehensive review of the study of plant-eating insects, covering topics ranging from biochemistry to ecology and evolution. Volume IV examines the status of mutualism, using the fig-insect interaction; phytosterols as important components of adaptive syndromes in herbivorous insects; methods utilized by plant-eating insects to detect compounds that deter feeding, including the various codes and how and why they vary; and the nature and significance of extrafloral nectaries in plants. The book also covers the varied roles of quinolizidines in plants, in addition to reviewing the controversial arena of plant stress and insect performance. Insect-Plant Interactions, Volume IV, is an important reference work for entomologists, zoologists, ecologists, and other scientists involved in studies with insect-plant interactions.

Phytochemicals are the mainstay of therapeutics of herbal or botanical medicine. Research on phytomolecules is conducted worldwide and several have been screened for clinical trials. This includes several promising anticancer phytomolectules, such as withaferin-a and camphothecin. This book provides a scientific understanding of the mode of action of these molecules. It targets only those phytohemicals and herbal extracts that are subjects of recent pharmacological investigations. Chapters such as industrial crops for steroid manufacturing and anticancer and cytotoxic potential of sesquiterpenoids add special flavour to the book, making readers eager to learn more about the commercial viability of phytochemical and herbal extracts.

This new 3-volume set Innovative Approaches in Diagnosis and Management of Crop Diseases provides an abundance of new research and information on major diseases of various crops along with new techniques and technology for the detection of plant pathogens along with appropriate management strategies. Divided into three volumes and with chapters written by renowned and expert scientists working in different areas of plant pathology, the volumes cover important diseases of crops, incited by bacteria, fungi, viruses, viroids, phytoplasma, and nematodes. They address these disease challenges to commercial field and horticultural crops and their management. Volume 1 focuses on the Mollicute class of bacteria. It looks at the detection, diagnosis, and management of phytoplasma diseases and viroids, CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in plants for virus resistance, next-generation sequencing technologies, and more. Volume 2 focuses on recent advances in diagnosis, detection, and management of diseases of specific crops, such as cotton, sesame, rice, wheat, millet, maize, field pea and pigeonpea, ginger and turmeric, guava, aonla, and vegetable cruciferous crops. Volume 3: Nanomolecules and Biocontrol Agents explores the use of novel new ways to prevent and mitigate plant diseases. These include novel green nanotechnologies; biosensors; biological management using phyllosphere-, rhizosphere-, and endosphere-derived biocontrol agents; employing biofumigation techniques; and plant immunization approaches. The book also considers the special challenge of plant disease management under the present climate change scenario. Key features: Presents diverse research of leading plant pathologists on detection, diagnosis, and management of crop diseases Shares innovative and emerging techniques for diagnosis and management of major plant diseases Covers a vast array of important crops and their diseases Diagnosis and management of biotic stresses play a pivotal role in efficient agriculture production, and together, these volumes of Innovative Approaches in Diagnosis and Management of Crop Diseases provide reviews of crucial research to effectively advance the detection, diagnosis, and management of crop diseases.

Plant Ecology & Conservation is an introduction to the world of plant ecology. It includes the main areas of current research including ideas about plant populations, nutrition and plant community ecology and has a particular emphasis on the interactions of plants with animals, fungi and microorganisms whose important is being increasingly demonstrated. With the world's environmental problems having such a high profile, the book focusses on the human impact on the world's plant species. Conservation of the terrestrial world starts with plants as they form the basis of all ecosystems on land. We can only understand how best to conserve the world's biodiversity with an understanding of the central role of plant ecology. This theme runs throughout with numerous examples of the disruption of ecosystems by human activity emphasising the connection between plant ecology and conservation. Key Features: Boxes present case studies, important statistics and interesting asides Full-colour photos depict key species and habitats and superb line drawings illustrate many concepts Important data are presented in Tables and Figures throughout Each chapter has Key Concepts and review questions to test a reader's grasp of the content Key References and Further Reading are given for each chapter to point the reader towards the most important and influential literature Jargon is kept to a minimum and a full Glossary of all technical terms is presented The book is aimed primarily at undergraduate and graduate students in any aspect of ecology or plant science. It should also appeal to anyone interested in how plants function and are concerned about what is needed for the conservation of the world's ecosystems.

Plant Ecology & Conservation is an introduction to the world of plant ecology. It includes the main areas of current research including ideas about plant populations, nutrition and plant community ecology and has a particular emphasis on the interactions of plants with animals, fungi and microorganisms whose important is being increasingly demonstrated. With the world's environmental problems having such a high profile, the book focusses on the human impact on the world's plant species. Conservation of the terrestrial world starts with plants as they form the basis of all ecosystems on land. We can only understand how best to conserve the world's biodiversity with an understanding of the central role of plant ecology. This theme runs throughout with numerous examples of the disruption of ecosystems by human activity emphasising the connection between plant ecology and conservation. Key Features: Boxes present case studies, important statistics and interesting asides Full-colour photos depict key species and habitats and superb line drawings illustrate many concepts Important data are presented in Tables and Figures throughout Each chapter has Key Concepts and review questions to test a reader's grasp of the content Key References and Further Reading are given for each chapter to point the reader towards the most important and influential literature Jargon is kept to a minimum and a full Glossary of all technical terms is presented The book is aimed primarily at undergraduate and graduate students in any aspect of ecology or plant science. It should also appeal to anyone interested in how plants function and are concerned about what is needed for the conservation of the world's ecosystems.

Originally published in 1899, The History of Creation was the first book of its kind to apply a doctrine to the whole range of organic morphology and make use of the effect Darwin had on biological sciences during the 19th century. Haeckel looks at Darwin's reform of Descent Theory and its establishment through the doctrine of selection. He introduces Descent Theory into the systematic classification of animals and plants and finds a "natural system" on the basis of genealogy - that is, to construct hypothetical pedigrees for the various species of organisms. The book will be of interest to those studying natural history and the origins of modern scientific thought, it will appeal to researchers both in the natural sciences and in history.

A biography of a staple grain we often take for granted, exploring how wheat went from wild grass to a world-shaping crop. At breakfast tables and bakeries, we take for granted a grain that has made human civilization possible, a cereal whose humble origins belie its world-shaping power: wheat. Amber Waves tells the story of a group of grass species that first grew in scattered stands in the foothills of the Middle East until our ancestors discovered their value as a source of food. Over thousands of years, we moved their seeds to all but the polar regions of Earth, slowly cultivating what we now know as wheat, and in the process creating a world of cuisines that uses wheat seeds as a staple food. Wheat spread across the globe, but as ecologist Catherine Zabinski shows us, a biography of wheat is not only the story of how plants ensure their own success: from the earliest bread to the most mouthwatering pasta, it is also a story of human ingenuity in producing enough food for ourselves and our communities. Since the first harvest of the ancient grain, we have perfected our farming systems to grow massive quantities of food, producing one of our species' global mega crops-but at a great cost to ecological systems. And despite our vast capacity to grow food, we face problems with undernourishment both close to home and around the world. Weaving together history, evolution, and ecology, Zabinski's tale explores much more than the wild roots and rise of a now-ubiquitous grain: it illuminates our complex relationship with our crops, both how we have transformed the plant species we use as food, and how our society-our culture-has changed in response to the need to secure food sources. From the origins of agriculture to gluten sensitivities, from our first selection of the largest seeds from wheat's wild progenitors to the sequencing of the wheat genome and genetic engineering, Amber Waves sheds new light on how we grow the food that sustains so much human life.

Illuminating opportunities to develop a more integrated approach to municipal water system design, Natural and Engineered Solutions for Drinking Water Supplies: Lessons from the Northeastern United States and Directions for Global Watershed Management explores critical factors in the decision-making processes for municipal water system delivery. The book offers vital insights to help inform management decisions on drinking water supply issues in other global regions in our increasingly energy- and carbon-constrained world. The study evaluates how six cities in the northeastern United States have made environmental, economic, and social decisions and adopted programs to protect and manage upland forests to produce clean drinking water throughout their long histories. New York, New York; Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts; New Haven and Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Portland, Maine have each managed city watersheds under different state regulations, planning and development incentives, biophysical constraints, social histories, and ownerships. Some of the overarching questions the book addresses relate to how managers should optimize the investments in their drinking water systems. What is the balance between the use of concrete/steel treatment plants (gray infrastructure) and forested/grassland/wetland areas (green infrastructure) to protect surface water quality? The case studies compare how engineered and/or natural systems are employed to protect water quality. The conclusions drawn establish that it makes environmental, economic, and social sense to protect and manage upland forests to produce water as a downstream service. Such stewardship is far more preferable than developing land and using engineering, technology, and artificial filtration as a solution to maintaining clean drinking water. Lessons learned from this insightful study provide effective recommendations for managers and policymakers that reflect the scientific realities of how forests and engineering can be best integrated into effective watershed management programs and under what circumstances.

Originally published in 1899, The History of Creation was the first book of its kind to apply a doctrine to the whole range of organic morphology and make use of the effect Darwin had on biological sciences during the 19th century. Haeckel looks at Darwin's reform of Descent Theory and its establishment through the doctrine of selection. He introduces Descent Theory into the systematic classification of animals and plants and finds a "natural system" on the basis of genealogy - that is, to construct hypothetical pedigrees for the various species of organisms. The book will be of interest to those studying natural history and the origins of modern scientific thought, it will appeal to researchers both in the natural sciences and in history.

Anemones and fish, ants and acacia trees, fungus and trees, buffaloes and oxpeckers--each of these unlikely duos is an inimitable partnership in which the species' coexistence is mutually beneficial. More specifically, they represent examples of defensive mutualism, when one species receives protection against predators or parasites in exchange for offering shelter or food to its partner species. Explores the Diverse Range of Defensive Mutualisms Involving Microbial Symbionts The past 20 years, since this phenomenon first began receiving attention, have been marked by a deluge of research in a variety of organism kingdoms and much has been discovered about this intriguing behavior. Defensive Mutualism in Microbial Symbiosis includes basic ecological and biological information on defensive mutualisms, explores how they function, and evaluates how they have evolved. It also looks at the implications of symbiosis defensive compounds as a new frontier in bioexploration for drug and natural product discovery--the first book to explore this possibility. Chapters Written by Field Authorities The book expands the concept of defensive mutualisms to evaluate defense against environmental abiotic and biotic stresses. Addressing the topic of defensive mutualisms in microbial symbiosis across this wide spectrum, it includes chapters on defensive mutualistic associations involving multiple kingdoms of organisms in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems--plant, animal, fungi, bacteria, and protozoans. Defensive Mutualism in Microbial Symbiosis unifies scattered findings into a single compendium, providing a valuable reference for field researchers and those in academia to assimilate and acquire a knowledgeable perspective on defensive mutualism, particularly those involving microbial partners.

Tree by Tree is a warning and a toolkit for the future of forest recovery. Scott J. Meiners investigates the critical biological threats endangering tree species native to the forests of eastern North America, providing a needed focus on this plight. Meiners suggests that if we are to save our forests, the first step is to recognize the threats in front of us. Meiners focuses on five familiar trees—the American elm, the American chestnut, the eastern hemlock, the white ash, and the sugar maple—and shares why they matter economically, ecologically, and culturally. From outbreaks of Dutch elm disease to infestations of emerald ash borers, Meiners highlights the challenges that have led or will lead to the disappearance of these trees from forests. In doing so, he shows us how diversity loss often disrupts intricately balanced ecosystems and how vital it is that we pay more attention to massive changes in forest composition. With practical steps for the conservation of native tree species, Tree by Tree offers the inspiration and insights we need to begin saving our forests.

This book focuses on the pros and cons of amendment materials to restore the functioning of soil resources. It presents a holistic overview on affected land revitalization, clean up and revegetation using these amendments that could be implemented in the long term management of the soil-plant-atmosphereanimal continuum.

The Nature of the Future plumbs the innovative, far-ranging, and sometimes downright strange agricultural schemes of nineteenth-century farms in the northern US. The nostalgic mist surrounding farms can make it hard to write their history, encrusting them with stereotypical rural virtues and unrealistically separating them from markets, capitalism, and urban influences. The Nature of the Future dispels this mist, focusing on a place and period of enormous agricultural vitality-antebellum New York State-to examine the largest, most diverse, and most active scientific community in nineteenth-century America. Emily Pawley shows how "improving" farmers practiced a science where conflicting visions of the future landscape appeared and evaporated in quick succession. Drawing from US history, environmental history, and the history of science, and extensively mining a wealth of antebellum agricultural publications, The Nature of the Future reveals how improvers transformed American landscapes and American ideas of expertise, success, and exploitation from the ground up.

Plant Biochemistry, Fifth Edition, enables students to gain basic knowledge of the entire field, from photosynthesis to genetic engineering and its many commercial applications. Topics include cell structure and function of isoprenoids, phenylpropanoids and other secondary metabolites, and plant growth regulation and development. The text covers recent research findings and identifies areas of future research. This book is suitable for graduate students and advanced undergraduates in plant physiology, plant pathology, plant cell biology, and other plant sciences, researchers in industries actively involved in agribusiness, other biotechnology enterprises, and researchers in agronomy, agriculture, plant development and related areas.

"Delightful...Next time you are lucky enough to be someone's houseguest, consider arriving with a bouquet of either one of the Little Book of Flowers."-The New York Times Dahlias are the showboats of the flower world-colorful, flamboyant, and spectacular. They're also one of the most satisfying flowers to grow, with a long season, plentiful blooms, and adaptable to most climates with proper care. They're very easy to propagate, and can be hybridized. There are numerous dahlia flower forms and more than 50,000 recognized cultivars! This charming little hardcover book includes 60+ full-color botanical illustrations, basic botany and history, everything you need to know to grow gorgeous blooms in the garden, as well as dividing tubers to propagate more flowers, tips for creating beautiful arrangements and preserving flowers, quotes, lore, and notable gardens and growers. Like a bouquet of dahlias, this book is an affordable little luxury for gardeners and flower lovers --the perfect hostess gift or mother's day present. Perfect for flower fans, this little love letter to the dahlia is bursting with tips, tricks and facts.

A gorgeous guide to foraging, pressing and using seaweeds for a wealth of home creative projects. Both aspirational and inspirational, this guide to bringing the outdoors inside is quite unlike anything on the market and will inspire all readers to begin their beach foraging journey. A beautifully packaged, comprehensive visual guide to seaweed by design company Molesworth & Bird. Seaweed will inspire readers to look beyond the tangled piles of seaweed washed up at high tide, to discover its exceptional beauty and appreciate its many uses. The book celebrates the unique appeal of the plants and showcases the myriad ways to bring their beauty indoors, with the authors providing step-by-step activities so you can create your own prints at home. Whether pressing a deep khaki green Peacock’s Tail seaweed or creating a stunning cyanotype with Eelgrass, the possibilities are endless with this seashore bounty. The book is packed with glorious photography of the UK coastlines where the seaweeds can be foraged, alongside stylish interiors, and scenes of beach cook-outs and wild swimming spots. It also includes a library of pressed seaweeds presented in colour categories, with notes for identification and use. There is expert guidance on collecting seaweeds, and it will show how foraged seaweeds can be used at home for cooking, dyeing and printing fabrics, and as part of your skincare routine. It explores the fascinating history of seaweed collecting and investigates its potential as a healthy food source and sustainable material, whether foraged or farmed.

This book disseminates various long-term data and research results from university forests in Asia towards realizing adaptive forest management and conservation based on a comprehensive understanding of environmental changes and ecological responses. University forests - which refer to large, forested areas owned or controlled by universities and devoted primarily to research and teaching programs in forest-related sciences - have collected, managed and analyzed long-term meteorological, hydrological, biological and geographic data under an organizationally stable observation system. With the influence of global warming becoming apparent and extreme weather events occurring more frequently in the region, it is an important and urgent challenge to understand long-term environmental and ecosystem changes in forests and provide robust scientific knowledge on how ecosystems respond to those changes. This book is a step towards addressing the challenge. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Forest Research.

"Irresistible" - Literary Review Fig trees have affected humanity in profound but little-known ways: they are wish-fulfillers, rainforest royalty, more precious than gold. Ladders to Heaven tells their incredible story. They fed our pre-human ancestors, influenced diverse cultures and played a key role in the birth of civilisation. More recently, they helped restore life after Krakatoa's catastrophic eruption and proved instrumental in Kenya's struggle for independence. Figs now sustain more species of bird and mammal than any other fruit - in a time of falling trees and rising temperatures, they offer hope. Theirs is a story about humanity's relationship with nature, as relevant to our past as it is to our future.

Of jy nou 'n grondeienaar of bestuurder van 'n stuk natuurlike veld in die Kaap, of 'n besoeker aan hierdie unieke deel van Afrika is, neem dit jou nie lank om die merkwaardige rykdom van die streek te waardeer nie. Bergreekse, valleie, kusgebiede en vleilande dra by tot 'n ongeewenaarde biodiversiteit van wereldwye belang - in so 'n mate dat groot dele daarvan Werelderfenis-status verwerf het. Hierdie boek is 'n gids om besoekers, inwoners, bestuurders of eienaars van grond in die Fynbosbioom te help om die uitsonderlike rykdom te waardeer en te bestuur. Deur te put uit die omvattende kennis van navorsers en bestuurders in die Fynbos Forum-gemeenskap, het ons gepoog om `n praktiese, toeganglike stuk gereedskap vir die verbetering van grondbestuur in die Fynbosbioom daar te stel, en om die jongste wetenskaplike kennis oor die bestuur van hierdie globaal belangrike, ryk ekostelsel te deel.

These volumes are an exhaustive source of information on the control and regulation of flowering. They present data on the factors controlling flower induction and how they may be affected by climate and chemical treatments. For each plant, specific information is provided on all aspects of flower development, including sex expression, requirements for flowering initiation and development, photoperiod, light density, vernalization, and other temperature effects and interactions. Individual species are described from the standpoint of juvenility and maturation, morphology, induction and morphogenesis to anthesis. All information is presented alphabetically for easy reference

The dependence of present farming on artificial input of "chemical fertilizers" has caused numerous ecological tribulations associated with global warming and soil contamination. Moreover, there is an essential requirement for realistic agricultural practices on a comprehensive level. Accordingly, biofertilizers including microbes have been recommended as feasible environmentally sound solutions for agricultural practices which not only are natural, and cost-effective but also preserve soil environs and important biota of agricultural land. In addition, it enhances the nutrient quantity of soils organically. Microbial biofertilizers promote plant growth by escalating proficient absorption of nutrients for the plants and by providing an excellent disease-fighting mechanism.Agriculture, the backbone of human sustenance, has been put under tremendous pressure by the ever-increasing human population. Although various modern agro-techniques boosted agricultural production, the excessive use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides have proven extremely detrimental to agriculture as well as to the environment in which it is carried out. Besides this some faulty agricultural practices like monoculture and defective irrigation, further complicate the scenario by eliminating biodiversity, increasing the efflux of nutrients into the water bodies, the formation of algal blooms, eutrophication, damaging the water quality and lowering fish stocks. Biofertilizers are the organic compounds applied to crops for their sustainable growth and the sustainability of the environment as the microbiota associated with biofertilizers interact with the soil, roots and seeds to enhance soil fertility. Application of biofertilizers results in the increased mineral and water uptake, root development, vegetative growth and nitrogen fixation besides liberating growth-promoting substances and minerals that help the maintenance of soil fertility. They further act as antagonists and play a pivotal role in neutralising soil-borne plant pathogens and thus, help in the bio-control of diseases. Application of biofertilizers instead of synthetic fertilizers could be a promising technique to raise agricultural productivity without degrading environmental quality. The present book focuses on the latest research approaches and updates from the microbiota and their applications in the agriculture industry. We believe this book addresses various challenges and shed lights on the possible future of the sustainable agricultural system.

Lignans are aromatic compounds isolated from plants. This handbook presents an authoritative and comprehensive review of lignan chemistry, biochemistry, nomenclature, uses, and occurrence. Lignans are used in a wide variety of industries and this book will appeal to those working in the pulp and paper industries, renewable energy, specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals, flavors and fragrances, agriculture and forestry, evolution and ecology. Additionally, the book features a comprehensive lignans dictionary section, drawn from the prestigious Dictionary of Natural Products. Other features include: Presents a comprehensive and up-to-date account of this important group of natural products Addresses and resolves problems in current lignan nomenclature Edited by the leaders in the field of lignan chemistry and biochemistry

Following in the tradition of its predecessor, Crop Responses to Environment, this fully updated and more comprehensive second edition describes aspects of crop responses to environment that are particularly relevant to the development of improved crop cultivars and management methods on a global scale. It includes an extensive discussion of the difficulties in developing agricultural systems that accommodate increasing human needs for agricultural products during the twenty-first century in a sustainable manner. The book features new sections on adaptation to global climate change including adapting to global warming, elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, and increased flooding and salinity through plant breeding and changes in crop management. Warming effects include stressful effects of heat on pollen development and reduced winter chilling effects on fruit and nut trees. The book examines principles, theories, mathematical models, and experimental observations concerning plant responses to environment that are relevant to the development of improved crop cultivars and management methods. It illustrates the importance of considering emergent plant properties as well as reductionist approaches to understanding plant function and adaptation. Plant physiological and developmental responses to light and temperature, and plant water relations are considered in detail. Dr. Hall also describes climatic zone definitions based on temperature, rainfall, and evaporative demand in relation to plant adaptation and the prediction of crop water use. Irrigation management and crop responses to salinity, flooding and toxic levels of boron and aluminum are considered. Crop responses to pests and diseases as they interact with crop responses to physical and chemical aspects of the environment are examined. The book concludes with analyses illustrating the relevance of crop responses to environment to plant breeding.

The past decade has seen a huge increase in the interest and attention directed toward sea ducks, the Mergini tribe. This has been inspired, in large part, by the conservation concerns associated with numerical declines in several sea duck species and populations, as well as a growing appreciation for their interesting ecological attributes. Reflecting the considerable research recently conducted on this tribe, Ecology and Conservation of North American Sea Ducks examines the 15 extant species of sea ducks from North America. Chapters are organized conceptually to focus on, compare, and contrast the ecological attributes of the tribe. Experts provide in-depth treatments of a range of topics, including: Population dynamics and genetics Infectious diseases and parasites Breeding costs and cross-seasonal affects Contaminant burdens Foraging behavior and energetics Migration strategies, molt ecology, and habitat affinities and dynamics Breeding systems and reproductive behavior Harvest history Published in collaboration with and on behalf of the American Ornithological Society, this volume in the highly-regarded Studies in Avian Biology series presents a comprehensive synthesis of sea duck ecology, documents factors that have caused population declines of some species, and provides managers with measures to enhance recovery of depressed populations of sea ducks in North America. Capturing the current state of knowledge of this unique tribe, it provides a benchmark for where we are in conservation efforts and suggests future directions for researchers, managers, students, conservationists, and avian enthusiasts. Key Selling Features: Provides the first comprehensive assessment of the status, population dynamics, and demography of sea ducks across North America Characterizes phylogeography, phylogenetics, and population genetics Examines the diseases, parasites, biological toxins, and contaminants affecting sea ducks Provides an up-to-date assessment of migration and molt strategies Documents reproductive energetics, strategies, and behavior

Building on the success of the first edition and featuring contributions from leading experts in the field, this expanded and thoroughly revised second edition provides an indispensable guide to the freshwater and terrestrial algae of the British Isles. It is an up-to-date account of and identification tool for more than 2400 algal species (excluding diatoms), highlighting their wider distribution around the world. Detailed descriptions are fully illustrated with clear line drawings and photographs including 190 full-page plates, eight of which are full colour. In addition, user-friendly keys enable the accurate identification of specimens to the level of genus and species. This edition includes expanded information on ecology and the implications of recent molecular research, along with coverage of 200 extra species. The accompanying online material provides a colour photo catalogue, highly illustrated articles and video clips, making this the comprehensive reference tool for both researchers and professionals in the field.