Phylogeny and Evolution of Angiosperms

Our understanding of angiosperm relationships has changed dramatically during the past ten years. The big picture of angiosperm phylogeny emerged suddenly as a direct result of collaborative molecular analyses, and longstanding views of deep-level relationships required revision. Many major clades of angiosperms did not correspond to the classes, subclasses, and orders of modern classifications. Furthermore, a wealth of recent data coupled with current understanding of phylogeny permits reevaluation of many deep-rooted evolutionary hypotheses. Soltis et al. provide a comprehensive summary of current concepts of angiosperm phylogeny and illustrate the profound impact that this phylogenetic framework has had on concepts of character evolution. In so doing, they acknowledge inadequacies in both current understanding of phylogeny and knowledge of morphological characters, as well as the need for additional study.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments 1. Relationships of the Angiosperms to Other Seed Plants 2. Phylogeny of Angiosperms: An Overview 3. Basal Angiosperms 4. Monocots 5. Early-Diverging Eudicots 6. Core Eudicots: Introduction and Smaller Lineages 7. Caryophyllales 8. Rosids 9. Asterids 10. Angiosperm Classification 11. Parallel and Convergent Evolution 12. Floral Diversification 13. Evolution of Genome Size and Base Chromosome Number Appendix: Angiosperm Supertree References Index

About the Author :
Douglas E. Soltis is Professor in the Department of Botany at the University of Florida. His current research interests include: the study of higher level phylogenetic relationships and character evolution in the angiosperms; the genetic basis of key floral differences in basal angiosperms; the genetic and genomic consequences of polyploid speciation; conservation genetics of rare plant species, and phylogeography. Pamela E. Soltis is Curator of Molecular Systematics and Evolutionary Genetics at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. In this lab, scientists and students from many countries work with a variety of techniques to answer ecological and evolutionary questions at all taxonomic levels, including documenting the genetics of endangered species and using DNA sequences as a tool for understanding hybridization and polyploidy in plants. Other research interests include angiosperm phylogeny, floral evolution, and phylogeography. Peter K. Endress is Professor in the Institute of Systematic Botany at the University of Zurich (Switzerland). His main research interests are in the field of macrosystematics of angiosperms, and flower diversity and evolution. Mark W. Chase is Head of the Molecular Systematics Section in the Jodrell Laboratory at the Royal Botanic Gardens (Richmond, Surrey, UK). His main research interests are phylogenetics and classification of the angiosperms, particularly orchids.

Review :
"This book and the textbook Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach (Judd et al. 2002) are the two most significant books on flowering plant phylogeny and systematics to come out in recent years. This book belongs on the bookshelf of any serious plant systematist--it will be a valuable resource for years to come." --Richard G. Olmstead, BioScience "The book's goals are to review the molecular phylogeny of all flowering plants and use this information to inform systematics and our understanding of major evolutionary trends; in this it succeeds admirably. It will be a valuable reference for every botanist and many ecologists, and compelling reading for anyone who works on plant morphology, systematics, and evolution." --W. Scott Armbruster, The Quarterly Review of Biology "Unlike many such books, Phylogeny and Evolution of Angiosperms is no endnote to a finished project, but rather, a dynamic and synoptic state-of-the-union of the ongoing effort by many botanists to determine the phylogeny of the angiosperms and classify them accordingly. Phylogeny and Evolution of Angiosperms will likely be considered a necessary reference in the library of most plant systematists. It is encyclopedic in its treatment of the subject matter and the lengthy list of works cited make it an excellent source book for anyone hoping to begin broad phylogenetic study." --Christopher P. Randle, Cladistics "In their preface, Soltis et al. define the following three major goals of Phylogeny and Evolution of Angiosperms: (1) To provide a comprehensive summary of current concepts of angiosperm phylogeny, (2) to illustrate the profound effect that this phylogenetic framework has on interpretations of character evolution and (3) to point to inadequacies in current understanding of both phylogeny and morphology and to the need for additional study. All three goals (and even more) are achieved in an excellent manner and Phylogeny and Evolution of Angiosperms is highly recommendable for anyone involved in plant systematics." --Gerhard Prenner, Plant Science Bulletin "This book, very useful for students and scientists representing different disciplines in botany as phylogeny and evolution of angiosperms, will be of great value not only to systematists but also to evolutionary biologists, physiologists, ecologists, molecular biologists, and genomicists." --E. Kuta, Acta Physiologiae Plantarum "The book, Phylogeny and Evolution of Angiosperms, is timely despite the continued progress, modifications and uncertainties in the systematics of this largest group of land plants. The book is very well balanced in terms of historical review of the various subjects, presentation of recent findings, integration of non-DNA information with the DNA information, critical discussion of viewpoints, and presentation of outlook and potential future research. In summary, the book is comprehensive, well written, a very useful reference book in libraries, a good one to have in the office, as well as a useful text in graduate courses on angiosprem systematics." --Khidir W. Hilu, Écoscience "An important and very helpful book and a must for every plant systematist." --Volker Bittrich, Plant Systematics and Evolution "Overall, this book provides an impressive review of a rapidly expanding field. While the latest included results will no doubt be superseded by ongoing research, the comprehensive historical coverage ensures that the book will remain an important resource. And with over 40 pages of references, it serves as a good point of entry to the literature for graduate students and research scientists. This is obviously the intended audience, since there is no discussion of lab or analytical methods here. (The reader, at the outset, is assumed to have a solid understanding of molecular phylogenetics.) But both molecular systematists and morphologists will be well served by this book." DLTyler Smith, Systematic Botany