Although more than 12 years have passed since publication of the first WHO histological classification of central nervous system (CNS) tumours, the changes in this revised edition are not radical. Only one formerly recognized entity has been deleted: the monstrocellular sarcoma, because there is immuno- cytochemical evidence of its astrocytic nature. Several new tumour types have been added: the pleomorphic xanthoastro- cytoma has been generally acknowledged for almost a decade; the neurocytoma has gradually evolved as a clinical-pathological entity; and two new entries, the dysembryoplastic neuroepi- thelial tumour and the desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma, have only been characterized morphologically during the past few years. We regard the classification as an international standard to facilitate communication and have tried to avoid current con- ceptual controversies. The majority of partiCipants supported inclusion of the term "primitive neuroectodermal tumour" (pNET). However, because of our limited knowledge of the biol- ogy of embryonal CNS tumours, preference was given to use PNET selectively, rather than applying it to all small cell embryo- nal childhood tumours, irrespective of their histological pheno- type. Ependymomas and meningiomas now have new histological SUbtypes. Most of these are not associated with biological behaviour different from the parent tumour type, but their description will aid the practising pathologist to identify and classify these lesions. 2 Introduction Histological Typing Following the philosophy of this WHO series, classification is based primarily on histological assessment of cell types and tis- sue patterns recognized by conventional light microscopy.

How herbaria illuminate the past and future of plant science   Collections of preserved plant specimens, known as herbaria, have existed for nearly five centuries. These pressed and labeled plants have been essential resources for scientists, allowing them to describe and differentiate species and to document and research plant changes and biodiversity over time—including changes related to climate.   Maura C. Flannery tells the history of herbaria, from the earliest collections belonging to such advocates of the technique as sixteenth-century botanist Luca Ghini, to the collections of poets, politicians, and painters, and to the digitization of these precious specimens today. She charts the growth of herbaria during the Age of Exploration, the development of classification systems to organize the collections, and herbaria’s indispensable role in the tracking of climate change and molecular evolution. Herbaria also have historical, aesthetic, cultural, and ethnobotanical value—these preserved plants can be linked to the Indigenous peoples who used them, the collectors who sought them out, and the scientists who studied them.   This book testifies to the central role of herbaria in the history of plant study and to their continued value, not only to biologists but to entirely new users as well: gardeners, artists, students, and citizen-scientists.

Pollen and spores are ubiquitous, and preserve exceptionally well. This, and their enormous structural diversity, offers exceptional opportunities for integrating findings from studies of both recent and fossil material, and for developing new insights into the pathways and processes of diversification. This volume brings together both international authorities and younger researchers who have developed novel approaches from such diverse fields as paleobotany, ontogeny, molecular biology, and systematics. Three main issues are discussed: the evidence provided by the fossil record, the contribution of ontogenetic data, and the methods of systematic analysis. Of special interest are the sections detailing the most recent findings regarding fossil angiosperms and ontogeny in primitive angiosperms. The information provided will be of great interest and relevance to such disparate disciplines as vegetational history, geology, plant taxonomy and plant evolution.

The field of plant taxonomy has transformed rapidly over the past fifteen years, especially with regard to improvements in cladistic analysis and the use of new molecular data. The second edition of this popular resource reflects these far-reaching and dramatic changes by adding more than 3,000 new references and figures. Synthesizing current research and trends, this book now provides the most up-to-date overview of plant taxonomy in relation to monographic, biodiversity, and evolutionary studies, and continues to be an essential resource for students and scholars.

This volume introduces students to the philosophical and theoretical aspects of plant taxonomy. The text is divided into two parts: Part 1 explains the principles of taxonomy, including the importance of systematics, characters, concepts of categories, and different approaches to biological classification. Part 2 outlines the different types of data used in plant taxonomic studies with suggestions on their efficacy and modes of presentation and evaluation. This section also lists the equipment and financial resources required for gathering each type of data. References throughout the book illuminate the historical development of taxonomic terminology and philosophy while citations offer further study. More than just a reference, "Plant Taxonomy" is also a personal story of what it means to be a practicing taxonomist and to view these activities within a meaningful conceptual framework. Tod F. Stuessy recalls the progression of his own work and thoughts and shares his belief that the most creative taxonomy is done by those who have a strong conceptual grasp of their own research.

The dynamic aspect of biological systems--the birth, growth, and death of individual organisms, the evolution of one form into another over time--has formed the basis for metaphors used in many fields for both artistic and heuristic purposes. Cladistic classification uses a tree whose branch points are based on the possession of derived or relatively recent characteristics, rather than primitive ones.

This balanced, comprehensive account traces the alterations in body form that insects undergo as they adapt to seasonal change, exploring both theoretical aspects and practical issues, such as the impact of seasonality on insect pest management.

Band XIa enthAlt allgemeine Kapitel zur Systematik, Klassifikation, Ethnobotanik, Phytochemie und Chemotaxonomie der Leguminosen. Die allgemeinen chemischen Kapitel sind familiencharakteristischen PrimAr- und SekundArstoffen und einigen aus der Familie bisher eher sporadisch bekannt gewordenen Stoffklassen gewidmet. Insgesamt enthAlt dieser Band A1/4ber 2000 Literaturhinweise. Hegnauers Chemotaxonomie ist ein unentbehrliches Handbuch fA1/4r alle naturwissenschaftlichen Disziplinen, die sich mit dem Chemismus der Pflanze - auch ausserhalb botanisch-systematischer Fragen - befassen. Text und Literaturhinweise geben gemeinsam ein Bild unseres gegenwArtigen Wissensstandes von den Stoffwechseleigenarten der behandelten Pflanzensippen. Die Ergebnisse der Naturstoffchemie, der vergleichenden Phytochemie und der Biogeneseforschung werden zum Aufbau einer systematischen Chemie der Pflanzen, also einer mit Stoffwechselmerkmalen arbeitenden Hilfs-wissenschaft der systematischen Botanik, verwendet. Der auf zwei TeilbAnde angelegte Band XI dieses Standardwerkes beleuchtet die Relevanz der Inhaltsstoffe der Leguminosen fA1/4r die Fachgebiete der Systematik, Physiologie, Agrarwissenschaften, Pharmazie, Toxikologie, Medizin, A-kologie und Ethnobotanik. Mit Band XIa der Chemotaxonomie der Pflanzen liegt ein unverzichtbares Arbeitsmittel und Nachschlagewerk vor fA1/4r alle, deren Interesse den Leguminosen gilt. Es richtet sich A1/4ber den Kreis der Pflanzentaxonomen, Pflanzenphysiologen und Naturstoffchemiker hinaus an PflanzenAkologen, Agrar- und ErnAhrungswissenschaftler sowie Arzneimittelforscher. Die kosmopolitische Familie der Leguminosen, zu der neben zahlreichen Nahrungs- und Futterpflanzen vieleweitere wirtschaftlich bedeutende Kultur- und Zierpflanzen gehAren, umfasst etwa 600 Gattungen beziehungsweise 13'000 Arten.

"One of the most substantial and scholarly counterattacks against creationism to date....The myths which creationists present to the public as historical fact are systematically debunked....This carefully chosen collection should appeal to informed general readers"--Library Journal. "One of the strongest, most enlightened sources for understanding the present dispute and its dangerous portents"--Kirkus Reviews. In this volume, Stephen Jay Gould, Isaac Asimov, and others provide a powerful rebuttal to "Creation Science," and offer insights into the teaching of science.

As an introduction to the present book I would like to explain how it was, that I, a commercial nurseryman, became so keenly interested in Conifers and their nomen clature. In August 1924 the Dutch Dendrological Society was founded and at the same time a Committee for Nomenclature of woody plants was set up and I served on this committee as one of the members. Our first activity was to bring the catalogues of the various leading nurserymen in the Netherlands into line with the International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature and also to check their nursery stock. Formerly these catalogues had shown a rather confused nomenclature, nurserymen having usually made use of a variety of inconsistent books as guides in compiling their catalogues. In the course of the work a close co-operation between scientific and practical workers developed. Although I had also fully contributed to the correct naming of hardy shrubs and perennials, 1 was most interested in Conifers. I had tried out several species, had grown a wide choice of garden forms and selected types of particular merit for propagation. My special love for Conifers lead to the publication of my Name-list of Conifers (1937), which was adopted as a standard for varietal names at the International Horticultural Congress in Berlin (1938). Later I prepared my book 'Coniferen, Ephedra en Ginkgo' in the Dutch language (1949); compiling the Conifers cultivated or known to be grown in the Netherlands and Belgium at that time."

Understanding plant anatomy is not only fundamental to the study of plant systematics and palaeobotany, but is also an essential part of evolutionary biology, physiology, ecology and the rapidly expanding science of developmental genetics. This modernised new edition covers all aspects of comparative plant structure and development, arranged in a series of chapters on the stem, root, leaf, flower, pollen, seed and fruit. Internal structures are described using magnification aids from the simple hand-lens to the electron microscope. Numerous references to recent topical literature are included, and new illustrations reflect a wide range of flowering plant species. The phylogenetic context of plant names has been updated as a result of improved understanding of the relationships among flowering plants. This clearly written text is ideal for students studying a wide range of courses in botany and plant science, and is also an excellent resource for professional and amateur horticulturists.

DNA Barcoding has been promoted since 2003 as a new, fast, digital genomics-based means of identifying natural species based on the idea that a small standard fragment of any organism s genome (a so-called micro-genome ) can faithfully identify and help to classify every species on the planet. The fear that species are becoming extinct before they have ever been known fuels barcoders, and the speed, scope, economy and user-friendliness claimed for DNA barcoding, as part of the larger ferment around the genomics revolution, has also encouraged promises that it could inspire humanity to reverse its biodiversity-destructive habits.

This book is based on six years of ethnographic research on changing practices in the identification and classification of natural species. Informed both by Science and Technology Studies (STS) and the anthropology of science, the authors analyse DNA barcoding in the context of a sense of crisis concerning global biodiversity loss, but also the felt inadequacy of taxonomic science to address such loss. The authors chart the specific changes that this innovation is propelling in the collecting, organizing, analyzing, and archiving of biological specimens and biodiversity data. As they do so they highlight the many questions, ambiguities and contradictions that accompany the quest to create a genomics-based environmental technoscience dedicated to biodiversity protection. They ask what it might mean to recognise ambiguity, contradiction, and excess more publicly as a constitutive part of this and other genomic technosciences.

"Barcoding Nature" will be of interest to students and scholars of sociology of science, science and technology studies, politics of the environment, genomics and post-genomics, philosophy and history of biology, and the anthropology of science.

In an age when biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate, it is vital that floristic and faunistic information is up to date, reliable and easily accessible for the formulation of effective conservation strategies. Electronic data management and communication are transforming descriptive taxonomy radically, enhancing both the collection and dissemination of crucial data on biodiversity. This volume is written by scientists at the forefront of current developments of floras and faunas, along with specialists from applied user groups. The chapters review novel methods of research, development and dissemination, which aim to maximise the relevance and impact of data. Regional case studies are used to illustrate the outputs and impacts of taxonomic research. Integrated approaches are presented which have the capacity to accelerate the production of floras and faunas and to better serve the needs of a widening audience.

This book is an extended argument for abandoning the species rank. Instead, the author proposes that the rank of "species" be replaced by a pluralistic and multi-level view. In such a view, all clades including the smallest identifiable one would be named and studied within a phylogenetic context. What are currently called "species" represent different sorts of things depending on the sort of organisms and processes being considered. This is already the case, but is not formally recognized by those scientists using the species rank in their work. Adopting a rankless taxonomy at all levels would enhance academic studies of evolution and ecology and yield practical benefits in areas of public concern such as conservation. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781498714549, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial license. KEY FEATURES * Proposes the replacement of restrictive species concepts with a pluralistic view * Suggests abandoning the formal taxonomic rank of "species" * Considers zoological, botanical, and microbiological aspects of the species level * Deals with practical issues such as conservation, inventories, and field guides

In On the Origin of Species (1859), Charles Darwin presented his evidence for evolution and natural selection as its mechanism. He drew upon his earliest data gathered during his voyage on the HMS Beagle, which included collecting mammalian fossils in South America clearly related to living forms, tracing the geographical distributions of living species across South America, and sampling the peculiar fauna of the geologically young Galapagos Archipelago that showed evident affinities to South American forms. By the end of the voyage, he came to the realization that instead of various centers of creation, species evolved in different regions throughout the world. However, except for some personal ponderings, he did not express this revelation explicitly in his notebooks until shortly after his return. Over the years, he collected more evidence supporting evolution, but his early work remained paramount: it became the first paragraph of On the Origin of Species and encompassed three separate chapters, as well as later appearing in his autobiography. Many discussions of Darwin's landmark book give scant attention to this wealth of evidence and today we still do not fully appreciate its significance in Darwin's thinking. In Origins of Darwin's Evolution, J. David Archibald explores this lapse. He also shows that Darwin's other early passion, geology, proved a more elusive corroboration of evolution. On the Origin of Species dedicated only one chapter to the rock and fossil record, as it appeared too incomplete for Darwin's evidentiary standards. Carefully retracing Darwin's gathering of evidence and the evolution of his thinking, Origins of Darwin's Evolution achieves a new understanding of how Darwin crafted his transformative theory.

This beautifully illustrated glossary constitutes an extraordinary collection of the specialist terms used in many botanical works. The book is arranged in two sections: the glossary, which provides clear definitions for over 2400 of the most commonly used botanical and horticultural terms, and illustrations, which can be cross-referenced to the glossary. The illustrations section comprises over 120 large format pages packed with accurate, well labelled line drawings that complement the definitions. The illustrations are grouped according to specific features, allowing quick comparisons of different forms. This outstanding reference will be welcomed by all readers grappling with botanical terms, whether student, professional, or hobbyist.

How do radically new kinds of organisms evolve? The Origin of Higher Taxa addresses this essential question, specifically whether the emergence of higher taxa such as orders, classes, and phyla are the result of normal Darwinian evolution acting over a sufficiently long period of time, or whether unusual genetic events and particular environmental and ecological circumstances are also involved. Until very recently, the combination of an incomplete fossil record and a limited understanding about how raw mutations lead via modified ontogenic processes to significant phenotypic changes, effectively stymied scientific debate. However, it is now timely to revisit the question in the light of the discovery of considerable new fossil material (and new techniques for studying it), together with significant advances in our understanding of phenotypic development at the molecular level. This novel text incorporates evidence from morphology, palaeobiology, developmental biology, and ecology, to review those parts of the fossil record that illustrate something of the pattern of acquisition of derived characters in lineages leading to actual higher taxa as well as the environmental conditions under which they occurred. The author's original ideas are set within the context of a broad and balanced review of the latest research in the field. The result is a book which provides a concise, authoritative, and accessible overview of this fascinating subject for both students and researchers in evolutionary biology and palaeontology.

Have humans always waged war? Is warring an ancient evolutionary adaptation or a relatively recent behavior-and what does that tell us about human nature? In War, Peace, and Human Nature, editor Douglas P. Fry brings together leading experts in such fields as evolutionary biology, archaeology, anthropology, and primatology to answer fundamental questions about peace, conflict, and human nature in an evolutionary context. The chapters in this book demonstrate that humans clearly have the capacity to make war, but since war is absent in some cultures, it cannot be viewed as a human universal. And counter to frequent presumption the actual archaeological record reveals the recent emergence of war. It does not typify the ancestral type of human society, the nomadic forager band, and contrary to widespread assumptions, there is little support for the idea that war is ancient or an evolved adaptation. Views of human nature as inherently warlike stem not from the facts but from cultural views embedded in Western thinking. Drawing upon evolutionary and ecological models; the archaeological record of the origins of war; nomadic forager societies past and present; the value and limitations of primate analogies; and the evolution of agonism, including restraint; the chapters in this interdisciplinary volume refute many popular generalizations and effectively bring scientific objectivity to the culturally and historically controversial subjects of war, peace, and human nature.

Positive psychologists focus on ways that we can advance the lives of individuals and communities by studying the factors that increase positive outcomes such as life satisfaction and happiness. Evolutionary psychologists use the principles of evolution, based on Darwin's understanding of life, to help shed light on any and all kinds of psychological phenomena. This book brings together both fields to explore positive evolutionary psychology: the use of evolutionary psychology principles to help people and communities experience more positive and fulfilling lives. Across eleven chapters, this book describes the basic ideas of both evolutionary and positive psychology, elaborates on the integration of these two fields as a way to help advance the human condition, discusses several domains of human functioning from the perspective of positive evolutionary psychology, and finally, looks with an eye toward the future of work in this emerging and dynamic field. Over the past few decades, evolutionary psychologists have begun to crack the code on such phenomena as happiness, gratitude, resilience, community, and love. This book describes these facets of the human experience in terms of their evolutionary origins and proposes how we might guide people to optimally experience such positive phenomena in their everyday lives.

Animal Evolution provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolutionary interrelationships and myriad diversity of the Animal Kingdom. It reviews the classical, morphological information from structure and embryology, as well as the new data gained from studies using immune stainings of nerves and muscles and blastomere markings which makes it possible to follow the fate of single blastomeres all the way to early organogenesis. Until recently, the information from analyses of gene sequences has tended to produce myriads of quite diverging trees. However, the latest generation of molecular methods, using many genes, expressed sequence tags, and even whole genomes, has brought a new stability to the field. For the first time this book brings together the information from these varied fields, and demonstrates that it is indeed now possible to build a phylogenetic tree from a combination of both morphology and gene sequences. This thoroughly revised third edition of Animal Evolution brings the subject fully up to date, especially in light of the latest advances in molecular techniques. The book is generously illustrated throughout with finely detailed line drawings and clear diagrams, many of them new.

For centuries orchids have been among the most popular of plant families, with thousands of species and hybrids cultivated worldwide for the diversity, beauty, and intricacy of their flowers.
The Genera Orchidacearum series represents a robust and natural classification of the orchids, something that has eluded plant scientists and orchid enthusiasts for years. The editors, who are all distinguished orchid specialists, incorporate a wealth of new DNA data into a truly phylogenetic classification, identifying the areas and taxa that merit additional work. To this end, they have invited several international specialists to contribute in their particular areas of expertise. Each volume provides comprehensive coverage of one or two orchid subfamilies and the series as a whole will be an indispensable reference tool for scientists, orchid breeders and growers.
Orchidaceae is the largest monocotyledon family and perhaps the largest plant family in terms of number of species, approximately 25,000. However, for a variety of reasons it remains one of the least understood. The fossil record is poor, and active research has been relatively scarce until recent years, in part because of the sheer size and cosmopolitan distribution of the family.
The fifth volume treats 186 genera in tribe Cymbidieae of the largest subfamily, Epidendroideae, including some of the showiest orchids often used in hybridizing. Comprehensive treatments are provided for each genus, which include complete nomenclature, description, distribution (with map), anatomy, palynology, cytogenetics, phytochemistry, phylogenetics, pollination, ecology, and economic uses. Cultivation notes are included for those genera known to be in hobbyist collections. Genera are beautifully illustrated with line drawings and colour photographs.

Animal life, now and over the past half billion years, is incredibly diverse. Describing and understanding the evolution of this diversity of body plans - from vertebrates such as humans and fish to the numerous invertebrate groups including sponges, insects, molluscs, and the many groups of worms - is a major goal of evolutionary biology. In this book, a group of leading researchers adopt a modern, integrated approach to describe how current molecular genetic techniques and disciplines as diverse as palaeontology, embryology, and genomics have been combined, resulting in a dramatic renaissance in the study of animal evolution.
The last decade has seen growing interest in evolutionary biology fuelled by a wealth of data from molecular biology. Modern phylogenies integrating evidence from molecules, embryological data, and morphology of living and fossil taxa provide a wide consensus of the major branching patterns of the tree of life; moreover, the links between phenotype and genotype are increasingly well understood. This has resulted in a reliable tree of relationships that has been widely accepted and has spawned numerous new and exciting questions that require a reassessment of the origins and radiation of animal life. The focus of this volume is at the level of major animal groups, the morphological innovations that define them, and the mechanisms of change to their embryology that have resulted in their evolution. Current research themes and future prospects are highlighted including phylogeny reconstruction, comparative developmental biology, the value of different sources of data and the importance of fossils, homology assessment, character evolution, phylogeny of major groups of animals, and genome evolution. These topics are integrated in the light of a 'new animal phylogeny', to provide fresh insights into the patterns and processes of animal evolution.
Animal Evolution provides a timely and comprehensive statement of progress in the field for academic researchers requiring an authoritative, balanced and up-to-date overview of the topic. It is also intended for both upper level undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in animal evolution, molecular phylogenetics, evo-devo, comparative genomics and associated disciplines.

Animal phylogeny is undergoing a major revolution due to the availability of an exponentially increasing amount of molecular data and the application of novel methods of phylogentic reconstruction, as well as the many spectacular advances in palaeontology and molecular developmental biology. Traditional views of the relationships among major phyla have been shaken and new, often unexpected, relationships are now being considered. At the same tiem, the emerging discipline of evolutionary developmental biology, or 'evo-devo', has offered new insights into the origin and evolvability of major traits of animal architecture and life cycle. All these developments call for a revised interpretation of the pathways along which animal structure and development has evolved since the origin of the Metazoa.
Perspectives in Animal Phylogeny and Evolution takes on this challenge, successfully integrating morphological, fossil and molecular evidence to produce a novel reinterpretation of animal evolution. Central to the book's approach is an 'evo-devo' perspective on animal evolution (with all the fresh insights this has given into the origin of animal organization and life cycles), complementary to the more traditional perspectives of pattern (cladistics, comparative anatomy and embryology), mechanisms (developmental biology) and adaptation (evolutionary biology). The author advocates the need to approach the study of animal evolution with a critical attitude towards many key concepts of comparative morphology and developmental biology. Particular attention in the book is paid to the evolution of life cycles and larval forms.
This accessible text is suitable for graduate students taking advanced courses in evolutionary developmental biology, invertebrate zoology, molecular phylogenetics and palaeontology, as well as professional researchers in these fields requiring an authoritative and up-to-date overview of this dynamic topic.

For centuries orchids have been among the most popular of plant families, with thousands of species and hybrids cultivated worldwide for the diversity, beauty, and intricacy of their flowers.
The Genera Orchidacearum series represents a robust and natural classification of the orchids, something that has eluded plant scientists and orchid enthusiasts for years. The editors, who are all distinguished orchid specialists, incorporate a wealth of new DNA data into a truly phylogenetic classification, identifying the areas and taxa that merit additional work. To this end, they have invited several international specialists to contribute in their particular areas of expertise. Each volume provides comprehensive coverage of one or two orchid subfamilies and the series as a whole will be an indispensable reference tool for scientists, orchid breeders and growers.
Orchidaceae is the largest monocotyledon family and perhaps the largest plant family in terms of number of species, approximately 25,000. However, for a variety of reasons it remains one of the least understood. The fossil record is poor, and active research has been relatively scarce until recent years, in part because of the sheer size and cosmopolitan distribution of the family.
This fourth volume treats the first 210 genera of the largest subfamily, Epidendroideae, including some of the showiest orchids often used in hybridizing. Comprehensive treatments are provided for each genus, which include complete nomenclature, description, distribution (with map), anatomy, palynology, cytogenetics, phytochemistry, phylogenetics, pollination, ecology, and economic uses. Cultivation notes are included for those genera known tobe in hobbyist collections. Genera are beautifully illustrated with line drawings and color photographs.

This book is the most up to date work on honeycreepers, covering the life history, relationships, and biology of the birds. The honeycreepers, with their bright colouration, and canary-like songs, are famed for their unique evolutionary history as a geographically isolated group that has undergone a spectacular burst of adaptions to the islands of the Hawaiian archipelago.

Evolution is unlike any other theory in science in the generality of its interest and the excellence of the authors who write about it. This anthology contains extracts from over 60 scientific papers, by authors such as Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Dawkins, Francis Crick and Jacques Monod. It starts with Charles Darwin, but concentrates on modern research, including genomics - evolution's latest gusher of scientic insights. The extracts are organized in sections, enabling the reader to sample a range of views on each topic, such as how new species arise, or the significance of adaptive design in living things. The extracts have been chosen for their readability as well as their scientific importance, making this book an enjoyable way to meet some of the greatest minds of our time, writing on the greatest idea of all time.