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Sexual reproduction is the predominant mode of perpetuation for flowering plant species. Investigating the reproductive strategies of plants has grown to become a vast area of research and, in crop plants, covers events from flowering to fruit and seed development; in wild species, it extends up to seed dispersal and seedling recruitment. Thus, reproduction determines the extent of yield in crop plants and, in wild plants, also determines the efficacy of recruiting new adults to the population, making this field important both from fundamental and applied plant biology perspectives. Moreover, in light of the growing concerns regarding food and nutritional security for the growing population ...
The plant-animal interactions, both mutualistic and antagonistic, play a crucial role in the diversification of plants and animals, and are important in functioning of communities in their natural habitats. The mutual interactions between the flowering plants and the animals, in pollination and seed dispersal, largely determine the reproductive success of the flowering plants. Maintenence of these eco-services is critical for the sustainability of our biodiversity. India,with its rich biodiversity and leveling of crop yields in recent years would benefit from research in the area of plant-animal interactions. This volume includes chapters on various aspects of mutualistic plant-animal interactions. In particular the fundamental and applied aspects of ecoservices – pollination and seed dispersal are covered comprehensively. It also covers tritrophic interaction and the potential of genomics in studies on the plant-animal interactions. The book will be of interest to post-graduate students, teachers and researchers in the areas of Biology, Ecology, Botany, Zoology, Agri-horticulture, Forestry, and Conservation Biology.
A fascinating exploration of the natural history of scent and human perceptions of fragrance from the viewpoint of plant and pollinator Plants have long harnessed the chemical characteristics of aromatic compounds to shape the world around them. Frankincense resin from the genus Boswellia seals injured tissues and protects trees from invading pathogens. Jasmine produces a molecule called linalool that attracts pollinating moths with its flowery scent. Tobacco uses a similarly sweet-smelling compound called benzyl acetone to attract pollinators. Only recently in the evolutionary history of plants, however, have humans learned to co-opt their fragrances to seduce, heal, protect, and alter moods themselves. In this wide-ranging and accessible new book, biologist-turned-perfumer Elise Vernon Pearlstine turns our human-centered perception of fragrance on its head and investigates plants' evolutionary reasons for creating aromatic molecules. Delving into themes of spirituality, wealth, power, addiction, royalty, fantasy, and more, Pearlstine uncovers the natural history of aromatic substances and their intersection with human culture and civilization.
The next time you hear the low buzzing sound of an approaching bee, look closer: the bee has navigated to this particular spot for a reason using a fascinating set of tools. She might be responding to scents on the breeze as her olfactory organs provide a 3D map of an object's location. She might be tracing the route based on her memories of a particular flower or the electrostatic traces left by other bees. What a Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories, and Personalities of Bees invites us to follow bees' mysterious pathways and experience their complex and alien world. Although their brains are incredibly small--just one million neurons compared to humans' 100 billion--bees have remarkable abilities to navigate, learn, communicate, and remember. In What a Bee Knows, entomologist Stephen Buchmann explores a bee's way of seeing the world and introduces the scientists who make the journey possible. What a Bee Knows will challenge your idea of a bee's place in the world--and perhaps our own.
Reproductive Biology of Angiosperms: Concepts and Laboratory Methods will cater to the needs of undergraduate and graduate students pursuing core and elective courses in life sciences, botany, and plant sciences. The book is designed according to the syllabi followed in major Indian universities. It provides the latest and detailed description of structures and processes involved in reproduction in higher plants. The inclusion of colour photographs and illustrations will be an effective visual aid to help readers. Interesting and significant findings of the latest research taking place in the field of reproductive biology are also provided in boxes. At the end of each chapter, the methodology of hands-on exercises is presented for the implementation and practice of theoretical concepts.
This book presents a comprehensive overview of DNA barcoding and molecular phylogeny, along with a number of case studies. It discusses a number of areas where DNA barcoding can be applied, such as clinical microbiology, especially in relation to infection management; DNA database management; and plant -animal interactions, and also presents valuable information on the DNA barcoding and molecular phylogeny of microbes, algae, elasmobranchs, fishes, birds and ruminant mammals. Furthermore it features unique case studies describing DNA barcoding of reptiles dwelling in Saudi Arabian deserts, genetic variation studies in both wild and hatchery populations of Anabas testudineus, DNA barcoding an...
We should thank a pollinator at every meal. These diminutive creatures fertilize a third of the crops we eat. Yet half of the 200,000 species of pollinators are threatened. Birds, bats, insects, and many other pollinators are disappearing, putting our entire food supply in jeopardy. In North America and Europe, bee populations have already plummeted by more than a third and the population of butterflies has declined 31 percent. Protecting Pollinators explores why the statistics have become so dire and how they can be reversed. Jodi Helmer breaks down the latest science on environmental threats and takes readers inside the most promising conservation initiatives. Efforts include famers reduci...
Successful reproduction is the basis not only for the stability of the species in their natural habitat but also for productivity of our crop plants. Therefore, knowledge on reproductive ecology of wild and cultivated plants is important for effective management of our dwindling biodiversity and for the sustainability and improvement of the yield in crop species. Conservation and management of our plant diversity is going to be a major challenge in the coming decades, particularly in the tropical countries which are rich in biodiversity. Reproductive failure is the main driver for pushing a large number of tropical species to vulnerable category. Available data on reproductive ecology on tro...
This volume encapsulates the thoughts and research of academics across the globe in regards to the biggest crisis of our generation: climate change. Considering this global crisis through the lens of creation care, this volume reviews the damage we have done to our environment and how our misuse of resources threatens all forms of life on earth via food insecurity, rising sea levels, mass migration and social unrest. This book presents a global voice on our historical impact on the world, the governance that allowed it and how creation care can present a way out of this crisis.
Presenting a thorough examination of the sacred forests of Asia, this volume engages with dynamic new scholarly dialogues on the nature of sacred space, place, landscape, and ecology in the context of the sharply contested ideas of the Anthropocene. Given the vast geographic range of sacred groves in Asia, this volume discusses the diversity of associated cosmologies, ecologies, traditional local resource management practices, and environmental governance systems developed during the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial periods. Adopting theoretical perspectives from political ecology, the book views ecology and polity as constitutive elements interacting within local, regional, and glo...