Green Plants : Their Origin and Diversity

Rating:
Summary: Great book on plants and their evolution
Review: Great book on plants and their evolution

This is a very good introduction to the evolutionary biology of the plants. The book discusses both extant and fossil species. The level is reasonably advanced, but most of the technical terms used are explained in the text and/or in the alphabetically arranged Glossary at the end of the book.

Exceptions to the very good level of the evolutionary treatment are the three chapters on the Algae that, while good biology, are terrible from the point-of-view of phylogeny and evolution. Since the authors disregard the symbiotic origin of the plastids, the chapters are organized according to the type of chlorophylls contained in the algae. So Prokaryotes and Eukariotes are mixed, with Cyanobacteria ending up with Rhodophyta, while Prochlorophyta end up with Chlorophyta and Euglenophita. And, of course, the chapter on the algae with chlorophylls a and c is a total mess.

To sort out the phylogenetics of the algae one could consult the chapter by Delwiche et al. in "Assembling the Tree of Life", edited by J. Cracraft and M. J. Donoghue (and the references given there).

The remaining chapters on the biology and evolution of the land plants are very good. (As usual, mycorrhizae are not given the coverage they deserve, from an evolutionary point-of-view, but at least they are mentioned.)

Despite my criticism of the chapters on the algae (which still contain lots of good information), I like this book and recommend it.



Rating:
Summary: Great upper-level book, but not for an intro course
Review: I was needing a book for an introductory botany course, covering plant evolution and structure. This book is too advanced for a course like that, but would be excellent for a 300 or 400 level course after students have the basics of evolution, taxonomy, and plant structures down. As a grad student, this is a text I'd love to have as a resource and will use as a reference text in my course...but it's too dry and the language is at too high a level for beginners. I am recommending this text to a professor of a botany class I was TA'ing for on Comparative Plant Anatomy, a 300 level course. So...if you want to be a botanist, grab it. If you want to teach plant anatomy and origins after an introductory botany course, this is perfect (best I've seen for the price, too!). If you want to teach an AP Botany course to high school students that only have a high-school biology background with no botany experience....not a good choice except as a strong reference. Book explains well, has excellent black-and-white diagrams, follows a thorough and logical pattern of evolution, but simply uses terminology too advanced for a lower-level course. They have trouble with the concepts of transcription and translation, much less page 103, "The passage of materials into the sporophyte is entirely through the apoplast since in all archeoniates the boundary between the two phases lacks plasmodesmata." Clear to me....but not to a beginner. I can't stress how good this book is for an advanced course or a serious botanist/taxonomist/plant geneticist/etc. GREAT upper-level/professional text!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Great upper-level book, but not for an intro course
Review: I was needing a book for an introductory botany course, covering plant evolution and structure. This book is too advanced for a course like that, but would be excellent for a 300 or 400 level course after students have the basics of evolution, taxonomy, and plant structures down. As a grad student, this is a text I'd love to have as a resource and will use as a reference text in my course...but it's too dry and the language is at too high a level for beginners. I am recommending this text to a professor of a botany class I was TA'ing for on Comparative Plant Anatomy, a 300 level course. So...if you want to be a botanist, grab it. If you want to teach plant anatomy and origins after an introductory botany course, this is perfect (best I've seen for the price, too!). If you want to teach an AP Botany course to high school students that only have a high-school biology background with no botany experience....not a good choice except as a strong reference. Book explains well, has excellent black-and-white diagrams, follows a thorough and logical pattern of evolution, but simply uses terminology too advanced for a lower-level course. They have trouble with the concepts of transcription and translation, much less page 103, "The passage of materials into the sporophyte is entirely through the apoplast since in all archeoniates the boundary between the two phases lacks plasmodesmata." Clear to me....but not to a beginner. I can't stress how good this book is for an advanced course or a serious botanist/taxonomist/plant geneticist/etc. GREAT upper-level/professional text!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Basic botany text.
Review: This is a short book on plant diversity. There are lots of B/W drawings and diagrams. The book can be used in botany classes or for amateurs who want to learn more about plants.