1st Edition

Kaplan's Principles of Plant Morphology

By Donald Kaplan, Chelsea D. Specht Copyright 2022
    1317 Pages 1848 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Kaplan's Principles of Plant Morphology defines the field of plant morphology, providing resources, examples, and theoretical constructs that illuminate the foundations of plant morphology and clearly outline the importance of integrating a fundamental understanding of plant morphology into modern research in plant genetics, development, and physiology. As research on developmental genetics and plant evolution emerges, an understanding of plant morphology is essential to interpret developmental and morphological data. The principles of plant morphology are being brought into studies of crop development, biodiversity, and evolution during climate change, and increasingly such researchers are turning to old texts to uncover information about historic research on plant morphology. Hence, there is great need for a modern reference and textbook that highlights past studies and provides the synthesis of data necessary to drive our future research in plant morphological and developmental evolution.

    Key Features

    • Numerous illustrations demonstrating the principles of plant morphology
    • Historical context for interpretations of more recent genetic data
    • Firmly rooted in the principles of studying plant form and function
    • Provides evolutionary framework without relying on evolutionary interpretations for plant form
    • Only synthetic treatment of plant morphology on the market

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    Introduction to the science of plant morphology: goals and concepts. The cast of characters: a review of the plant kingdom and its major representatives. The relationship between morphology and anatomy in plants. Plant embryogenesis: the origin of morphological organization during development. Early plant development: from seed to seedling to established plant. Divergent patterns of seedling development and their significance for the interpretation of plant ontogeny and evolution. The shoot: phyllotaxis. The concept of differential growth. The effect of internodal elongation on shoot form. The effect of stem thickening growth on shoot form/shoot lateral symmetry. Shoot branching. Developmental expressions and specializations of shoot branches. Leaf morphology and development. Transectional symmetry of leaves. Longitudinal symmetry and zonation of leaves I. Longitudinal symmetry and zonation of leaves II. Blade dissection. Specializations in leaf structure and function. Morphology of reproductive shoots: I. Pteridophytes. Morphology of reproductive shoots and reproduction: II. Gymnosperms. Morphology of reproductive shoots and reproduction. III. The angiosperms: A. The floral shoot. Morphology of "reproductive shoots and reproduction. III. The angiosperms B. The floral organs in their pre- and postfertilization states. Morphology of reproductive shoots and reproduction III. The angiosperms. C. Inflorescence morphology. Principles of root morphology.

    Biography

    Donald Kaplan, Chelsea D. Specht

    "… the book is a treasure trove of examples illustrating virtually every variation of vegetative plant structure you can think of.… there should be a copy of Kaplan’s Principles of Plant Morphology in every library supporting plant researchers." 

    - In Plant Science Bulletin, Fall 2022, vol. 68 (3): 226-228.