Flowering Plants : : Evolution above the Species Level / / G. Ledyard Stebbins.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter HUP e-dition: Complete eBook Package
• VerfasserIn: Stebbins, G. Ledyard,
• Place / Publishing House: Cambridge, MA : : Harvard University Press, , [2013]; ©1974
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Edition: Reprint 2014
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (399 p.) :; 59 figures, 13 tables

One of the world's leading evolutionary biologists here reexamines the evolutionary history of flowering plants. This important book is the first to interpret the phylogeny of flowering plants in the light of modern knowledge about genetics, developmental biology, and ecology. Mr. Stebbins is concerned with the evolution of genera, families, and other higher taxa; his analysis is based upon a unified theory that identifies the same fundamental processes at work in the origin of both species and the broader taxonomic categories. He shows, however, that subspecific evolution depends primarily on the natural selection of vegetative characters, whereas the emphasis at the transspecific level is on reproductive characters. Major changes in evolutionary direction are interpreted as resulting from an interaction of environmental change and the inherent capacity of the organism to alter preferentially in some ways and not in others. The author facilitates this discussion by examining reversibility in certain simple evolutionary trends. After reviewing basic principles and exploring major patterns of evolution in flowering plants, Mr. Stebbins turns to their actual history. On the basis of a detailed analysis he concludes that the most primitive forms are not represented in any extant category and are not found in the fossil record. His work gives definitive weight to the researches of others who have postulated a monophyletic origin of the angiosperms from a single, extinct group. Although this beautifully illustrated volume will prove indispensable to botanists, it will be of great interest also to any student of evolutionary theory, theoretical biology, and ecology.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Preface -- Contents -- Tables -- Figures -- Part I. Factors That Determine Evolutionary Trends -- 1. The Basic Processes of Evolution -- 2. Evolutionary Processes and the Origin of Higher Categories -- 3. Adaptations for Survival -- 4. Adaptations for Cross-Pollination -- 5. Adaptations for Seed Development and Dispersal and for Seedling Establishment -- 6. Gene Action, Development, and Evolution -- 7. Methods for Recognizing Evolutionary Trends -- Part II. Trends of Angiosperm Phylogeny -- 8. The Ecological Basis of Diversity -- 9. Adaptive Radiations and Ecological Differentiation -- 10. The Nature and Origin of Primitive Angiosperms -- 11. Trends of Specialization within the Angiosperms -- 12. Trends of Evolution in the Flower -- 13. Evolution of the Monocotyledons -- 14. A Glimpse into the Future -- Appendix. The Orders and Families of Angiosperms -- Bibliography -- Index