Systematics, Evolution, and Biogeography of Compositae
Systematics, Evolution, and Biogeography of Compositae

Author: Vicki Ann Funk

Publisher:

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 1008

ISBN-13:

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"This spectacular book does full justice to the Compositae (Asteraceae), the largest and most successful flowering plant family with some 1700 genera and 24,000 species. It is an indispensable reference, providing the most up-to-date hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships in the family based on molecular and morphological characters, along with the corresponding subfamilial and tribal classification. The 2009 work not only integrates the extensive molecular phylogenetic analyses conducted in the last 25 years, but also uses these to produce a metatree for about 900 taxa of Compositae. The book contains 44 chapters, contributed by 80 authors, covering the history, economic importance, character variation, and systematic and phylogenetic diversity of the family. The emphasis of this work is phylogenetic; its chapters provide a detailed, current, and thoroughly documented presentation of the major (and not so major) clades in the family, citing some 2632 references. Like the Compositae, the book is massive, diverse, and fascinating. It is beautifully illustrated, with 170 figures, and an additional 108 cladograms (all consistently color-coded, based on the geographic range of the included taxa); within these figures are displayed 443 color photographs, clearly demonstrating the amazing array of floral and vegetative form expressed by members of the clade." --NHBS Environment Bookstore.

Biological Systematics
Biological Systematics

Author: Randall T. Schuh

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2011-04-15

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 0801462436

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Biological Systematics: Principles and Applications draws equally from examples in botany and zoology to provide a modern account of cladistic principles and techniques. It is a core systematics textbook with a focus on parsimony-based approaches for students and biologists interested in systematics and comparative biology. Randall T. Schuh and Andrew V. Z. Brower cover: -the history and philosophy of systematics and nomenclature; -the mechanics and methods of analysis and evaluation of results; -the practical applications of results and wider relevance within biological classification, biogeography, adaptation and coevolution, biodiversity, and conservation; and -software applications. This new and thoroughly revised edition reflects the exponential growth in the use of DNA sequence data in systematics. New data techniques and a notable increase in the number of examples from molecular systematics will be of interest to students increasingly involved in molecular and genetic work.

Species Concepts in Biology
Species Concepts in Biology

Author: Frank E. Zachos

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-10-05

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 3319449664

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Frank E. Zachos offers a comprehensive review of one of today’s most important and contentious issues in biology: the species problem. After setting the stage with key background information on the topic, the book provides a brief history of species concepts from antiquity to the Modern Synthesis, followed by a discussion of the ontological status of species with a focus on the individuality thesis and potential means of reconciling it with other philosophical approaches. More than 30 different species concepts found in the literature are presented in an annotated list, and the most important ones, including the Biological, Genetic, Evolutionary and different versions of the Phylogenetic Species Concept, are discussed in more detail. Specific questions addressed include the problem of asexual and prokaryotic species, intraspecific categories like subspecies and Evolutionarily Significant Units, and a potential solution to the species problem based on a hierarchical approach that distinguishes between ontological and operational species concepts. A full chapter is dedicated to the challenge of delimiting species by means of a discrete taxonomy in a continuous world of inherently fuzzy boundaries. Further, the book outlines the practical ramifications for ecology and evolutionary biology of how we define the species category, highlighting the danger of an apples and oranges problem if what we subsume under the same name (“species”) is in actuality a variety of different entities. A succinct summary chapter, glossary and annotated list of references round out the coverage, making the book essential reading for all biologists looking for an accessible introduction to the historical, philosophical and practical dimensions of the species problem.

Cladistics
Cladistics

Author: David M. Williams

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-08-06

Total Pages: 453

ISBN-13: 1107008107

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This new edition of a foundational text presents a contemporary review of cladistics, as applied to biological classification. It provides a comprehensive account of the past fifty years of discussion on the relationship between classification, phylogeny and evolution. It covers cladistics in the era of molecular data, detailing new advances and ideas that have emerged over the last twenty-five years. Written in an accessible style by internationally renowned authors in the field, readers are straightforwardly guided through fundamental principles and terminology. Simple worked examples and easy-to-understand diagrams also help readers navigate complex problems that have perplexed scientists for centuries. This practical guide is an essential addition for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in taxonomy, systematics, comparative biology, evolutionary biology and molecular biology.

Plants of Oceanic Islands
Plants of Oceanic Islands

Author: Tod F. Stuessy

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2017-10-26

Total Pages: 519

ISBN-13: 1107180074

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This book provides a comprehensive view of the origin and evolution of the plants of an entire oceanic archipelago.

Secondary Pollen Presentation
Secondary Pollen Presentation

Author: P.F. Yeo

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 3709166705

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Secondary pollen presentation is presentation of pollen to vectors by structures other than anthers, either passively or via a specialized protection and delivery system. The main part of the book describes secondary pollen presentation genus-by-genus in 25 families. The subject has never been extensively reviewed, although secondary pollen presentation occurs in the largest family of flowering plants, the Asteraceae (Compositae), and a large family of great economic importance, the Leguminosae. Now material from the scattered literature is brought together and supplemented with original observations. Many species are illustrated and each family is individually discussed. The last two chapters provide an overview of the whole topic. All the main functions that secondary pollen presentation may perform can be carried out in other plants without it. It is concluded from this that the evolution of secondary pollen presentation has been subject to constraint and canalization. The floral biology of most plants with secondary pollen presentation has not been adequately studied. Appendix 1 points to a wide range of topics on which research at various technical and academic levels is needed. The book should also become a reference work for morphologists, systematists, and floral ecologists.

Biodiversity and Chemotaxonomy
Biodiversity and Chemotaxonomy

Author: Kishan Gopal Ramawat

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2019-11-10

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 3030307468

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Plant classifications are based on morphological characters and it is difficult, particularly in small plants and grasses, to identify these below generic level on the basis of these characters using a dissecting microscope. Plant species have intra- and inter-specific variation in secondary metabolites which can be utilized as marker compounds for identification and classification of plants. Secondary metabolites are produced as a result of primary metabolism and the production of these compounds not only involves several genes but also it is an energy dependent process. Hence these products cannot be considered as insignificant for the plant and the environment. Modern tools of molecular biology and secondary metabolites present in them can definitively decide about classification of plants. Absence of correct identification of plant is associated to many problems of resource utilization. Due to wide availability of these tools, interest has revived in systematics and correct classification of plants based on these parameters for their sustainable utilization and resource management. The purpose of this book is to assess the potential of phytochemical and molecular tools in the systematic and classification of plants. The topics covered include species concept, barcoding and phylogenetic analysis, chemotaxonomy use of polyketides, carotenes, cuticular wax, volatile oils, biodiversity of corals, metazoans, Ruta and Echinocereus. It provides comprehensive and broad subject-based reviews, useful for students, teachers, researchers, and all others interested in the field. The field has been kept wide and general to accommodate the wide-ranging topics. This book will be useful to agriculturists, chemists, botanists, industrialists, and those involved in planning of crop plants.

Island Biogeography
Island Biogeography

Author: Robert J. Whittaker

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 0198566115

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Isolation, extinction, conservation, biodiversity, hotspots.

Flavonoids of the Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)
Flavonoids of the Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)

Author: Bruce A. Bohm

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-11-27

Total Pages: 836

ISBN-13: 3709161819

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Flavonoids are secondary plant products that have previously been shown to be helpful in determining relationships among plant groups. This work presents comprehensively the occurrence, patterns of variation, and systematic and evolutionary importance of flavonoids in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), the largest family of flowering plants (23,000 species). It gathers together the more than 2500 reports of flavonoids in Asteraceae published between 1950 to the present and interprets these data in context of new taxonomic (especially generic) alignments. The authors discuss flavonoid patterns with reference to modern phylogenetic studies based on morphology and DNA data. This book provides, therefore, the most exhaustive synthesis and evaluation of the systematic and evolutionary import of flavonoids ever accomplished for any large family of angiosperms.