An Introduction to Plant Structure and Development: Plant Anatomy for the Twenty-First Century

A plant anatomy textbook unlike any other on the market today. Carol A. Peterson described the first edition as 'the best book on the subject of plant anatomy since the texts of Esau'. Traditional plant anatomy texts include primarily descriptive aspects of structure, this book not only provides a comprehensive coverage of plant structure, but also introduces aspects of the mechanisms of development, especially the genetic and hormonal controls, and the roles of plasmodesmata and the cytoskeleton. The evolution of plant structure and the relationship between structure and function are also discussed throughout. Includes extensive bibliographies at the end of each chapter. It provides students with an introduction to many of the exciting, contemporary areas at the forefront of research in the development of plant structure and prepares them for future roles in teaching and research in plant anatomy.

Table of Contents:
1. Problems of adaptation to a terrestrial environment; 2. An overview of plant structure and development; 3. The protoplast of the eukaryotic cell; 4. Structure and development of the cell wall; 5. Meristems of the shoot and their roles in plant structure and development; 6. Morphology and development of the primary vascular system of the stem; 7. Sympodial systems and patterns of nodal anatomy; 8. The epidermis; 9. The origin of secondary tissue systems and the effect of their formation on the primary body of seed plants; 10. The vascular cambium: structure and function; 11. Secondary xylem; 12. The phloem; 13. Periderm, rhytidome, and the nature of bark; 14. Unusual features of structure and development in stems and roots; 15. Secretion in plants; 16. The root; 17. The leaf; 18. Reproduction and the origin of the sporophyte.

About the Author :
Charles B. Beck, Professor Emeritus, received the PhD degree from Cornell University where he developed an intense interest in the structure of fossil and living plants under the influence of Professor Harlan Banks and Professor Arthur Eames. Following post-doctoral study with Professor John Walton at Glasgow University in Scotland, he joined the faculty of the University of Michigan. At Michigan he served one term each as Chairman of the Department of Botany and Director of the Museum of Paleontology. He also served one year as President of the International Organization of Paleobotany. His graduate students pursued research in either plant structure and development or paleobotany. He taught courses in plant anatomy, plant morphology and paleobotany over a period of 35 years.

Review :
'What this work attempts and substantially accomplishes, is the connection of key topics in plant anatomy with contemporary knowledge in contiguous disciplines, particularly cell biology, plant physiology and to some extent genetics … a significant and informative synthesis. Those interested in plant structure are likely to find it a valuable reference worth owning. for me, it is already proving its usefulness in both teaching and research.' Plant Science Bulletin