You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
When WILHELM RUHLAND developed his plan for an Encyclopedia of Plant Physiol ogy more than three decades ago, biology could still be conveniently subdivided into classical areas. Even within plant physiology, subdivisions were not too difficult to make, and general principles could be covered sufficiently in the two introductory volumes of the Encyclopedia on the physical and chemical basis of cell biology. But the situation changed rapidly even during the 12-year publication period of the Encyclopedia (1955-1967). The new molecular direction of genetics and structural research on biopolymers had an integrating effect on all other biological fields, including plant physiology, and it became increasingly difficult to keep previously distinct areas separated. RUHLAND'S overall plan included 18 volumes and about 22,000 pages. It covered the entire field of plant physiology, in most cases from the very beginning. But, as each volume appeared, it was clear that its content would soon be outdated.
The Formation of Wood in Forest Trees covers the proceedings of the second symposium held under the auspices of the Maria Moors Cabot Foundation for Botanical Research, conducted in Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts on April 15-19, 1963. The book focuses on the aspects of tree growth, such as the chemistry and submicroscopic morphology of wood and the effects of the environment on growth. The selection first offers information on the evolution of cambium in geologic time; a model for cell production by the cambium of conifers; and structure and development of the bark in dicotyledons. The text then ponders on the aspects of ultrastructure of phloem, stem structure in arborescent mon...
When WILHELM RUHLAND developed his plan for an Encyclopedia of Plant Physiol ogy more than three decades ago, biology could still be conveniently subdivided into classical areas. Even within plant physiology, subdivisions were not too difficult to make, and general principles could be covered sufficiently in the two introductory volumes of the Encyclopedia on the physical and chemical basis of cell biology. But the situation changed rapidly even during the 12-year publication period of the Encyclopedia (1955-1967). The new molecular direction of genetics and structural research on biopolymers had an integrating effect on all other biological fields, including plant physiology, and it became increasingly difficult to keep previously distinct areas separated. RUHLAND'S overall plan included 18 volumes and about 22,000 pages. It covered the entire field of plant physiology, in most cases from the very beginning. But, as each volume appeared, it was clear that its content would soon be outdated.
None
The first edition of this book was the first to provide an integrated description of sap ascension from an anatomical and functional point of view. The second edition opens with the three-dimensional aspects of wood anatomy. The cohesion-tension theory and new evidence are introduced in response to recent controversies over the mechanism of sap ascent in plants. The physiology, anatomy and biophysics of xylem dysfunction are discussed and new insights into hydraulic architecture are reviewed with special emphasis on physiological limits on maximum transpiration and how hydraulic architecture limits gas exchange, carbon gain and growth of plants. The text concludes with a description of xylem failure and pathology. The book highlights fascinating areas of current research with the aim to stimulate more work in the future.
When this book was first published in 1978, tropical forests were unquestionably the largest scientifically unexplored region of the world, and being rapidly depleted by short-term exploitation. Species were being rendered extinct at a rate that is probably greater than the rate at which they are being discovered. This book is an assessment of scientific knowledge of tropical tree biology - construction, development, physiology, reproductive biology and evolution - set against a background of community ecology and forest structure. Its emphasis is on the study of the individual tree as a living system integrated into the larger forest community. The book publishes the results of the Fourth Cabot Symposium held at the Harvard Forest in 1976 and presents the special knowledge of the participants, each an expert in a special field. Much of the subject matter is presented in the form of reviews, making information easily accessible to an interested nonspecialist audience.