Stern/Introductory Plant Biology

Preface

This book is designed as an introductory text in botany. It assumes little knowledge of the sciences on the part of the student. It includes sufficient information for some shorter introductory botany courses open to both majors and nonmajors, but it is arranged so that certain sections-for example, "Soils," "Molecular Genetics," "Division Psilotophyta"-can be omitted without disrupting the overall continuity of the course.

Botany instructors vary greatly in their opinions concerning the depth of coverage needed for the topics of photosynthesis and respiration in a text of this type. Some feel that nonmajors, in particular, should have a brief introduction only, while others consider a more detailed discussion essential. In this text, photosynthesis and respiration are discussed at three levels. Some may find one or two levels sufficient, and others may wish their students to become familiar with the processes at all three levels.

Despite eye-catching chapter titles and headings, many texts for majors and nonmajors give relatively minor coverage of the current interests of a significant number of students. This text emphasizes current interests without giving short shrift to botanical principles. Present interests of students include subjects such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, acid rain (acid deposition), genetic engineering, organic gardening, Native American and pioneer uses of plants, pollution and recycling, house plants, backyard vegetable gardens, natural dye plants, poisonous and hallucinogenic plants, and the nutritional values of edible plants. The rather perfunctory coverage or absence of such topics in many botany texts has occurred partly because botanists previously have tended to believe that some of the topics are more appropriately covered in anthropology and horticulture courses. I have found, however, that both majors and nonmajors in botany, who may be initially disinterested in the subject matter of a required course, frequently become engrossed if the material is repeatedly related to such topics. Accordingly, a considerable amount of ecological and ethnobotanical materials has been included with traditional botany throughout the book-without, however, resorting to excessive use of technical terms.

Organization of the text

A relatively conventional sequence of botanical subjects is included. Chapters 1 and 2 cover introductory and background information; Chapters 3 through 11 deal with structure and function; Chapters 12 and 13 introduce meiosis and genetics. Chapter 14 discusses plant propagation and biotechnology; Chapter 15 introduces evolution. Chapter 16 presents a five-kingdom system of classification; Chapters 17 through 23 stress, in phylogenetic sequence, the diversity of organisms traditionally regarded as plants, and Chapter 24 deals with ethnobotanical aspects and information of general interest pertaining to sixteen major families of flowering plants. Chapters 25 and 26 constitute an overview of the vast topic of ecology, although ecological topics and applied botany are included in most of the preceding chapters as well. Some of these subjects are broached in anecdotes that introduce the chapters, while others are mentioned in the ecological review summaries and in the human and ecological relevance sections (with which most of the chapters in the latter half of the book conclude).

Aids to the reader

Review questions, discussion questions, and additional reading lists are provided for each chapter. New terms are defined as they are introduced, and those used more than once are boldfaced and included in a pronunciation glossary. The use of the scientific names throughout the body of the text has been held to a minimum, but a list of the scientific names of all organisms mentioned is given in Appendix 1. Appendix 2 deals with the biological controls and companion planting; Appendix 3 lists wild edible plants, poisonous plants, hallucinogenic plants, spices, and natural dye plants. Appendix 4 discusses pruning and grafting and gives horticultural information on house plants; information on the cultivation and nutritional value of vegetables is included. Appendix 5 gives some metric equivalents.

New to this edition

The introduction to this subject matter has been completely revised, and several new or revised illustrations have been added. Information throughout the text has been updated or augmented, particularly in the areas of basic chemistry and physics; molecular genetics; genetic engineering; evolution; and the Appendix 3 information on medicinal plants. Some of the boxed inserts about interesting recent specific events and discoveries have been revised or changed, all except one having been contributed by Dr. Daniel Scheirer. Highlighted summaries of the ecological aspects of each chapter, prepared by Dr. Manuel Molles, have been added. The contributions of Dr. Scheirer and Dr. Molles are gratefully acknowledged.

Additional Aids

Instructor's Manual
The Instructor's Manual available with Introductory Plant Biology offers a variety of course schedules while providing overviews, goals, suggested answers, film sources, and examination questions for each text chapter.
Laboratory Manual
The Laboratory Manual that accompanies Introductory Plant Biology has been revised throughout, particularly in some of the exercise introductions and illustrations. It is written for the student entering the study of botany for the first time. The exercises utilize plants to introduce biological principles and the scientific method. The exercises are written to allow for maximum flexibility in sequencing.
Student Study Guide
A Student Study Guide, prepared by Daniel Scheirer, Northeastern University, is available. The study guide provides students an opportunity to study at their own pace. It contains learning objectives, chapter outlines, key terms/concepts (referenced to the text), and a set of objective questions for each chapter.
Transparencies
The transparency package includes 100 two- and four-color acetate overlays that are available free to adopters. These figures represent key illustrations from the text that merit extra visual review and discussion.
Visual Resource Library and Web Sites
A Botany VRL (Visual Resource Library) and a comprehensive web site have been added. The web site will offer an on-line study guide and an interactive NetQuest (Exploring Botany). Other web sites will support specific chapters and will provide practice quizzes, sample syllabi, and other sources.
TestPak Computerized Testing Software
This user-friendly computerized software is available at no charge to instructors for testing and grading. It can be ordered in either the IBM (DOS or Windows) or MacIntosh version.

Acknowledgments

The contributions of many individuals to the development of this book are gratefully acknowledged. Critical reviewers, who provided many valuable suggestions for improving and updating the text, include:

Reviewers of the eighth edition
Ligia Arango, Stone Child College
Joseph Arditti, University of California, Irvine
Tasneem K. Ashraf, Cochise College, Sierra Vista
Ralph A. Backhaus, Arizona State University
Sharon Bartholomew-Began, West Chester University
Dorthea Bedigian
Patricia Bedinger, Colorado State University
Robert A. Bell, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
James Enderby Bidlack, University of Central Oklahoma
Richard R. Bounds, Mount Olive College
Michelle Briggs, Lycoming College
George M. Brooks, Ohio University
William J. Campbell, Louisiana Tech University
Ajoy G. Chakrabarti, South Carolina State University
James A. Christian, Louisiana Technical University
Richard Churchill, Southern Maine Technical College
Jerry A. Clonts, Anderson College
David B. Czarnecki, Loras College
John Cruzan, Geneva College
Stephen S. Daggett, Avila College
Roy Darville, East Texas Baptist University
Bill D. Davis, Rutgers University
Jerry D. Davis, University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse
John W. Davis, Benedictine College
Ben L. Dolbeare, Lincoln Land Community College
Patricia M. Dooris, Saint Leo College
Tom Dudley, Angelina College
Robert Ediger, California State University, Chico
David G. Fisher, Maharishi University of Management
Stephen W. Fuller, Mary Washington College
Sibdas Ghosh, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
Richard Glick, Winston-Salem State University
Scott A. Gordon, University of Southern Illinois
Steve Greenwald, Gordon College
Mark F. Hammer, Wayne State College
Laszlo Hanzely, Nothern Illinois University
Joyce Phillips Hardy, Chadron State College
David Hartsell, Phillips Community College
David L. Herrin, University of Texas, Austin
Elisabeth A. Hooper, Truman State University
Vernon R. Huebschwerlen, Reedley Community College
William A. Jensen, Ohio State University, Columbus
Toney Keeney, Southwest Texas State
Helen G. Kiss, Miami University
Martin LaBar, Southern Wesleyan University
Vic Landrum, Washburn University
James M. Lang, Greenville College
Donald C. Leynaud, Wabash Valley College
Michael H. Marcovitz, Midland Lutheran College
Bernard Marcus, Genesee Community College
Dave Martin, Centralia College
Margaret Massey, Mississippi University for Women
William Mathena, Kaskaskia College
Timothy Metz, Campbell University
David H. Miller, Oberlin College
Subhash C. Minocha, University of New Hampshire
L. Maynard Moe, California State University, Bakersfield
Joanna H. Norris, University of Rhode Island
Jeanette C. Oliver, Flathead Valley Community College
A.D. Owings, Southeastern Louisiana University
Julie M. Palmer, University of Texas, Austin
Richard A. Palmer, Fresno City College
Carolyn Peters, Spoon River College
Jerry L. Pickering, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Wayne S. Pierce, California State University, Stanislaus
Mary Ann Polasek, Cardinal Stritch University
Margene M. Ranieri, Bob Jones University
Linda Mary Reeves, San Juan College
Dennis F. Ringling, Pennsylvania College of Technology
Darryl Ritter, Okalossa-Walton Community College
Manfred Ruddat, University of Chicago
Robert M. Rupp, Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Inst.
Dennis J. Russell, University of Alaska Southeast
Connie Rye, Bevill State Community College
C. L. Sagers, University of Arkansas
F. Lee St. John, Ohio State University, Newark
A. Edwards Salgado, Christian Brothers University
Thomas Sasek, Northeast Louisiana University
Michael A. Savka, University of West Florida
Renee M. Schloupt, Delaware Valley College
Bruce S. Serlin, DePauw University
Wilbur J. Settle, State University of New York, Oneonta
Richard H. Shippee, Vincennes University
Shaukat M. Siddiqi, Virginia State University
Dilbagh Singh, Blackburn College
James Smith, Boise State University
Joanna M.K. Smith
Steven Smith, University of Arizona
Spencer S. Stober, Alvernia College
Marshall D. Sundberg, Emporia State University
Eric Sundell, University of Arkansas, Monticello
Max R. Terman, Tabor College
Stephen L. Timme, Pittsburgh State University
Leslie R. Towill, Arizona State University
Jun Tsuji, Siena Heights College
Gordon E. Uno, University of Oklahoma
Delmar Vander Zee, Dordt College
Leon Walker, University of Findlay
Betty J. Washington, Albany State University
Edgar E. Webber, Keuka College
Ingelia White, Windward Community College
Marvin Williams, University of Nebraska, Kearney
James A. Winsor, The Pennsylvania State University
Clarence C. Wolfe, Northern Virginia Community College
Richard J. Wright, Valencia Community College
Todd Christian Yetter, Cumberland College
Brenda Young, Daemen College
Rebecca Zamora, South Plains College

Additional persons who read parts of the manuscripts of various editions and made many helpful criticisms and suggestions include Robert I. Ediger, Richard S. Demaree, Jr., Robert B. McNairn, Donald T. Kowalski, Larry Hanne, Patricia Parker, and Robert A. Schlising. Others whose encouragement and contributions are deeply appreciated include Timothy Devine, W. T. Stearn, Lorraine Wiley, Isabella A. Abbott, Paul C. Silva, Donald E. Brink, Jr., William F. Derr, Beverly Marcum, Robert McNulty, the faculty and staff of the Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Chico, my many inspiring students, the Lyon Arboretum of the University of Hawaii, the editorial, production, and design staffs of McGraw-Hill Publishers, and most of all, my family. Special thanks are due the artists, Denise Robertson Devine, Janet Monelo, and Sharon Stern.

Kingsley R. Stern
Chico, California

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