An Introduction to Plant Structure and Development incorporates basic knowledge of plant anatomy with contemporary information and ideas about the development of structure and form. This textbook has been designed for undergraduates with a background in introductory botany or biology and basic knowledge of plant systematics and evolution. Descriptions of plant structure and development are integrated with discussions of the results from some of the most significant research on plant development. Topics include the integrative significance of plasmodesmata and the concept of the symplast, the concept of multicellularity, the role of cytoskeleton in development, signal transduction and the genetic control of development. Brief sections on evolution and function are also included. The book is profusely illustrated with line drawings and photographs, closely integrated with the text, which will enhance students' understanding, as will the comprehensive glossary. Extensive bibliographies provide the basis for in-depth study in major areas by students and researchers.
Table of Contents
Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Problems of adaptation to a terrestrial environment; 2. An overview of plant structure and development; 3. The protoplast of the eukaryotic cell; 4. Structure and development of the cell wall; 5. Meristems of the shoot and their role in plant growth and development; 6. Morphology and development of the primary vascular system of the stem; 7. Sympodial systems and patterns of nodal anatomy; 8. The epidermis; 9. The origin of secondary tissue systems and the effect of their formation on the primary body in seed plants; 10. The vascular cambium: structure and function; 11. Secondary xylem; 12. The phloem; 13. Periderm, rhytidome and the nature of the bark; 14. Unusual features of structure and development in stems and roots; 15. Secretion in plants; 16. The root; 17. The leaf; 18. Reproduction and the origin of the sporophyte; Glossary; Index.
Author Biography
CHarles B. Beck is Professor Emeritus of Botany at the University of Michigan.
