About the Book
The DVD contains approx. 2,000 images and more than 250 movies of the cell biology and structure-function relationships of subcellular components of plant cells. Most forms of microscopy and most forms of sample preparation are included. The superior quality given by high-pressure freezing/freeze-substitution is featured in all chapters. Particular emphasis is placed on movie recording of dynamic processes in live cells, thus making avaiable events which few teachers or students can hope to see for themselves. Program facilities include hierarchical menus, comprehensive navigation and progress-monitoring aids, detailed descriptions of all images, ability to export images, and a slide-show module that allowas pre-selection of sequences of images/movies for use in one-click presentations or tutorial exercises. Written for: Lecturers, schoolteachers, researchers and students in plant cell biology.
Table of Contents:
Introduction to plant cells: images and movies introducing cell types and surveying cell organelles Nucleus: images and movies on chromatin, nuclear envelope, nucleolus, Cajal bodies ER: images and movies/animations dealing with rough, smooth, cortical, and ER in mitosis Golgi: images and movies/animations on structure and functions, assembly and division Plasma membrane: images describing general features, surface amplifications & adhesions Plasmodesmata: images showing structure and transport properties Vacuole: images and movies on dynamics, contents, categories, cell enlargement, tonoplast Mitochondria: images and movies on structure, behaviour, fusion-fission, origin Plastids: images and movies/animations covering proplastids, chloroplasts, etioplasts, amyloplasts, chromoplasts, leucoplasts, elaioplasts; a taxonomic survey of algal and higher plant groups, endosymbiotic origins, division processes, positioning in cells, thylakoid/granum architecture, stroma components, rubisco, pyrenoids, starch, DNA, C4 variations, and a large section on the dynamic behaviour of stromules. Peroxisomes: images and movies dealing with structure, categories of function and proliferation Cytoskeleton: images and movies/animations on actin and cytoplasmic streaming, microtubules, cortical arrays and wall deposition, pre-prophase bands, the mitotic spindle, phragmoplasts, initiation of microtubules and assembly of arrays, and specialized systems in spermatozoids, nucleo-cytoplasmic domains, quadripolar meiotic spindles and lipotubuloids Vesicle Trafficking: images and movies on endo- and exo-cytosis, endosomes, pre-vacuolar compartments (MVBs), Golgi associated vesicles and TGN, clathrin coated vesicles Organelle Interactions: images and movies illustrating positional interactions in the cell.
About the Author :
Brian E.S. Gunning is an Emeritus Professor in the Plant Cell Biology Group of the Australian National University's Research School of Biology. His distinguished research career included pioneering applications of electron microscopy and confocal scanning microscopy to studies of many aspects of plant cell structure and function. He co-authored several textbooks and has now distilled his long experience in this field into his "Plant Cell Biology on DVD", a comprehensive collection of micrographs and movies of live cell phenomena presented in a user-friendly interface. He considers his long career in plant cell biology to have been in many ways a preparation for this major work, which in its educational contributions will have much longer-lasting value than research discoveries that are relatively ephemeral, despite representing fascinating progress at the time.
Review :
From the reviews: "I cannot imagine teaching plant cell biology or general botany without Professor Brian Gunning's "Plant Cell Biology on DVD". This amazing teaching aid brings plant cells to life and students love it. The DVD explores the structure and function of plant cells using images of the highest quality. This is perhaps best illustrated by the 3-D images and DIC movies which are simply outstanding. Instructors can easily assemble their own programs consisting of light and electron micrographs, diagrams and movies for class presentation. Professor Gunning's international reputation for cutting edge research is reflected in this unique teaching resource." Larry Fowke, University of Saskatchewan, Canada "It has been my privelege to be a colleague of Brian's and to have received regular copies of his DVD as it has been developed over the past 10 years. This is the most impressive collection of micrographs anywhere in the world - there is nothing to match it for either plants or animals (including humans) - so there is room for another expert to produce a similar product on the animal side. As a teaching aid it is unparalleled, students are amazed at the rich variety of structures to be found in the micro world of biology. While the DVD can be used directly for teaching, because each chapter and section is meticulously laid out, it is very easy to download individual images and diagrams into your own PowerPoint presentations. This greatly increases the value of the product, because many people give lectures in all areas of biology and need single illustrations of cells and cell structures. It is also easy to set up your own programmed sequence of images for a lecture derived entirely from within this DVD. The image quality of every single subject is excellent, and many images are unique in that there is no comparable material published in the scientific literature, so the DVD is a real gold mine, bringing into focus many interesting cell types and structures that are rarely found in modern 'mission-orientated' research projects. I would recommend this DVD for every plant biologist as a reference source for research work and as an unparalleled teaching aid for plant science." Martin Steer, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland "The new, improved version of Brian Gunning's "Plant Cell Biology" is now distributed by Springer. The DVD includes 14 chapters with over 2000 images (light and electron micrographs, anaglyph stereos and confocal animations) of unsurpassed quality. They are complemented by text descriptions and diagrams which create links between structure and function. The outstanding feature of the DVD, making it superior to every text book, are the 270 movies which provide fascinating insights into the dynamics of plant cells. This DVD is not only an indispensible, user-friendly tool for teaching and learning but also a rich source of inspiration for scientific research. It is a must for every plant cell biologist!" Ilse Foissner, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria "PCB certainly delivers what it promises -- the whole of plant cell biology on one DVD. ! One of the great strengths of PCB is its wealth of >240 moving images that bring alive the dynamic nature of plant cells in a way that no static image can. Another strength is the impressive number of colourful fluorescence studies ! . PCB has been written ! for a wide audience, including lecturers, researchers and students in plant cell biology, but also with school-teachers in mind." (Nigel Chaffey, Annals of Botany, Vol. 105 (5), May, 2010)
