This volume is the final document of the 1st Balkan Botanical Congress and comprises after reviewing the full texts of the Congress Lectures submitted by their authors. The articles refer to all branches of plant sciences in the field of pure and applied research. The subjects dealt with in the Congress, and each representing a separate section in this book covered the following areas of interest: I. Taxonomy, geobotany and evolution II. Biochemistry, metabolism and bioenergetics lll. Ecology and ecophysiology IV. Structure and its dynamics V. Genetics, plant breeding and biotechnology VI. Growth, development and differentiation. The Congress was organized by the Department of Botany, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Hellenic Botanical Society. The city of Thessaloniki was chosen by the Organizers since it enjoyed the accolade of the "cultural capital of Europe" for the year 1997. The Thessaloniki Congress has taken on the character of an International Congress since 320 scientists, mainly from the Balkan countries and the rest of Europe (26 countries in all) took part in it. The 11 invited speakers who shared their experience with us, were well-known specialists from all the European countries.
This reference provides information about recent trends in bryology in parts of India, tropical rainforests and arctic regions. Bryophytes are the earliest land plants and quite fascinating in their overall diversity. All through its history, bryological study has contributed considerably to the field of plant sciences, for instance, the discovery of sex chromosomes in plants. The study of bryophytes is fundamental to our understanding of land plant evolution, and the latest progress in molecular phylogenetics and genomics have given researchers a clear depiction of land colonization of plants and subsequent terrestrial progression. Ecologically, the importance of bryophytes for the participation in biogeochemical cycles, in particular carbon cycle is now appreciated. Further, there has been an escalating interest in the conservation biology of bryophytes. The contributors have put forward holistic information regarding current research scenario of bryology in a range of environments to readers learning about research in applied bryology. The compilation of reviews presents reported findings related to various aspects of the subject, such as, conservation, diversity, tissue culture, bio-monitoring, computational bryology, molecular bryology, and species. Botanists and bryologists will receive updated information that will be valuable for their research work. The reader-friendly text is also suitable for beginners in applied plant science. Recent Advances in Botanical Science provides updated research and reviews on topics related to plant biology, genetics, taxonomy and ecology. The series is a useful resource for readers interested in applied plant science.
Editor Biography:Dr. Rajeshwar P. Sinha is a Professor of Molecular Biology at the Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. He received his Ph. D. in Biotechnology form Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. He is a fellow of the Society for Applied Biotechnology, India and recipient of the prestigious DAAD (Germany) fellowship. He has visited several countries such as Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Germany, Greece, France, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands and United Kingdom, in the field of academics and research on one or the other scientific assignments. He has over 23 years of research and teaching experience. He has been working on effects of UV radiation on aquatic ecosystems and has concentrated on the effects on DNA damage and repair, phycobilliproteins, mycosporine-like amino acids and scytonemin induction in cyanobacteria and algae. He is a life member of various national and international scientific societies and an editorial board member of several national and international scientific journals. He has published over 200 original research papers, reviews and book chapters and edited three books. He is having an h-index of 41 with over 6300 citations in reputed scientific journals including Nature and Science.Book Description:Biological science primarily deals with the morphology, physiology and biochemistry of living organisms, including their distribution, taxonomy, evolution, structure, growth, function and metabolism. All living organisms undergo metabolism, maintain homeostasis, have the capacity to grow, respond to stimuli, communicate through various means, reproduce and adapt to their environment through natural selection. The organisms that photosynthesize are the primary producers and represent life support systems from aesthetics to food to medicine. The book deals with the topics pertaining to biotechnology, molecular biology, ecology, plant pathology, bionanotechnology and stress biology. Technology-assisted research had led to the evolution of new disciplines of biological sciences with narrow specialization.The requirement of food, medicines, natural products, the quest to resolve and develop a better understanding of life and other biological processes need to conserve genes, plants and ecosystems; the apprehension of land, water and the environment have led to the strengthening of traditional disciplines as well as the emergence of diverse disciplines such as stress biology, molecular biology, biotechnology and bioinformatics.The chapters in this book impart the recent developments and the state-of-the art knowledge in biological sciences. In addition, this book provides newer techniques and uses for these tools in achieving the potential of biotechnology to understand some of the basic problems in biological sciences.Target Audience:This book is highly useful and must read for students, researchers and professionals in botany, biotechnology, environmental sciences, agriculture, molecular biology and other streams of biological sciences.
Topics covered in this book include RNA silencing and its suppression in plant virus infection, virus replication mechanisms, the association of cellular membranes with virus replication and movement, plant genetic resistance to viruses, viral cell-to-cell spread, long distance movement in plants, virus induced ER stress, virus diversity and evolution, virus-vector interactions, cross protection, geminiviruses, negative strand RNA viruses, viroids, and the diagnosis of plant viral diseases using next generation sequencing. This book was anticipated to help plant pathologists, scholars, professors, teachers and advanced students in the field with a comprehensive state-of-the-art knowledge of the subject.
Plant biotechnology applies to three major areas of plants and their uses: (1) control of plant growth and development; (2) protection of plants against biotic and abiotic stresses; and (3) expansion of ways by which specialty foods, biochemicals, and pharmaceuticals are produced. The topic of recent advances in plant biotechnology is ripe for consideration because of the rapid developments in this ?eld that have revolutionized our concepts of sustainable food production, cost-effective alt- native energy strategies, environmental bioremediation, and production of pla- derived medicines through plant cell biotechnology. Many of the more traditional approaches to plant biotechnology are woefully out of date and even obsolete. Fresh approaches are therefore required. To this end, we have brought together a group of contributors who address the most recent advances in plant biotechnology and what they mean for human progress, and hopefully, a more sustainable future. Achievements today in plant biotechnology have already surpassed all previous expectations. These are based on promising accomplishments in the last several decades and the fact that plant biotechnology has emerged as an exciting area of research by creating unprecedented opportunities for the manipulation of biological systems. In connection with its recent advances, plant biotechnology now allows for the transfer of a greater variety of genetic information in a more precise, controlled manner. The potential for improving plant productivity and its proper use in agric- ture relies largely on newly developed DNA biotechnology and molecular markers.
There is an essential connection between humans and plants, cultures and environments, and this is especially evident looking at the long history of the African continent. This book, comprising current research in archaeobotany on Africa, elucidates human adaptation and innovation with respect to the exploitation of plant resources. In the long-term perspective climatic changes of the environment as well as human impact have posed constant challenges to the interaction between peoples and the plants growing in different countries and latitudes. This book provides an insight into/overview of the manifold routes people have taken in various parts Africa in order to make a decent living from the provisions of their environment by bringing together the analyses of macroscopic and microscopic plant remains with ethnographic, botanical, geographical and linguistic research. The numerous chapters cover almost all the continent countries, and were prepared by most of the scholars who study African archaeobotany, i.e. the complex and composite history of plant uses and environmental transformations during the Holocene.
Forests are valuable in our daily lives, crucial to our nation's ecomony, and integral to the long-term health of the environment. Yet, forestry research has been critically underfunded, and the data generated under current research programs is not enough to meet the diverse needs of our society. Forestry Research provides a research agenda that should yield the information we need to develop responsible policies for forest use and management. In this consensus of forestry experts, the volume explores: The diverse and competing concerns of the timber industry, recreational interests, and wildlife and environmental organizations. The gap between our need for information and the current output of the forestry research program. Areas of research requiring attention: biology of forest organisms, ecosystem function and management, human-forest interactions, wood as raw material, and international trade and competition. Forestry Research is an important book of special interest to federal and state policymakers involved in forestry issues, research managers, researchers, faculty, and students in the field.
