Product Description

Plant Systematics contains the essential paradigms, concepts, and terms required for a basic understanding of plant systematics at the graduate or undergraduate level. Plant systematics is an area central to numerous other biological disciplines, and a large subset of plant scientists are required to take a course in plant systematics. Almost all ecologists, horticulturalists, plant developmental biologists, and plant pathologists are interested in plant systematics because it is central to their studies of the plants that form such a large part of every ecosystem and experimental system.

* The Henry Allan Gleason Award of The New York Botanical Garden, awarded for "Outstanding recent publication in the field of plant taxonomy, plant ecology, or plant geography" (2006)
* Contains numerous cladograms that illustrate the evolutionary relationships of major plant groups, with an emphasis on the adaptive significance of major evolutionary novelties
*Provides descriptions and classifications of major groups of angiosperms, including over 90 flowering plant families
* Includes a comprehensive glossary of plant morphological terms as well as appendices on botanical illustration and plant description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #260269 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 608 pages

Review
"Michael Simpson has achieved the Herculean task of bringing together within a single book the many subdisciplines of Botany that are embraced by the ever-broadening field of Plant Systematics. Within these pages are detailed chapters focusing on plant structure and the terminology used to describe plants, the evolution and classification of plants based on the most up-to-date information, and an introduction to the plant systematist's toolbox including chapters on herbarium management, specimen collection, molecular techniques, and fundamentals of nomenclature. As if this were not enough, the book is generously illustrated with full color plates that bring each topic to life. The botanical community has been waiting for a textbook like this for a long time - the wait is finally over!" - Kenneth M. Cameron, The New York Botanical Garden, U.S.A.

"This is an "enabling" book on many levels. The labeled photographs of dissections and other structural details will speed mastery of plant diversity by students, as will the eclectic assortment of exemplar species pictured. The presentations of phylogenetic and molecular systematics give an accessible introduction to these complex and rapidly changing methodologies which pervade the modern systematic literature. Unit IV and the Appendices provide students with an instruction manual to guide them in systematic research of their own.

Simpson also places plant systematics within the larger context of plant biology by relating taxonomic characters to, for example, molecular models of floral development, assessment of plant breeding system ecology, and the physiology of alternative photosynthetic pathways. This allows students and non-systematists to see that these aspects of plant biology have evolutionary dimensions as well." - David M. Johnson, Ohio Wesleyan University, U.S.A.

"I am impressed and excited about this book. I am impressed, because Mike Simpson has authored a comprehensive, up to date, user friendly, and profusely illustrated textbook that will facilitate the teaching of plant systematics. The organization, breadth of topics, and illustrations are truly exceptional; Dr. Simpson has "raised the bar" in terms of textbook quality and scope. I am excited, because this book undoubtedly will serve as a valuable teaching and learning resource for the college classroom. Instructors and students will love this book, especially with its wealth of images, clarity of presentation, and review questions and exercises after each chapter." - Wayne J. Elisens, University of Oklahoma, Norman, U.S.A.

About the Author
By Michael Simpson

Customer Reviews

A multifunctional gem - the perfect textbook?
In teaching plant systematics and a wide range of allied botanical and horticultural subjects, there is no other book I have come across that fills so many gaps so comprehensively. Accessible, clearly written and with a wealth of useful illustrations I happily recommend it to all my students and colleagues. The taxonomic sections provide a very good distillation of plant diversity, generally following the APGII classification. The other chapters place everything in context, giving a concise introduction to phylogenetics, a clear and comprehensive glossary and even outlining the processes of plant collection and botanical illustration. Nice. . .
Although ideal for undergraduates, it is an excellent reference for anyone working on the front line of plant diversity from habitat surveyors to gel-jockeys.