The Restless Plant - Hardcover

Koller, Dov

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0674048636 ISBN 13: 9780674048638

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2011

Synopsis

Plants, so predictable, stay where they are. And yet, like all living things, they also move: they grow, adapt, shed leaves and bark, spread roots and branches, snare pollinators, and reward cultivators. This book, the first to thoroughly explore the subject since Darwin’s 1881 treatise on movements in plants, is a comprehensive, up-to-date account of the mechanisms and the adaptive values that move plants.

Drawing on examples across the spectrum of plant families―including mosses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants―the author opens a window on how plants move: within cells, as individual cells, and via organs. Opening with an explanation of how cellular motors work and how cells manage to move organs, Dov Koller considers the movement of roots, tubers, rhizomes, and other plant parts underground, as well as the more familiar stems, leaves, and flowers.

Throughout, Koller presents information at the subcellular and cellular levels, including the roles of receptors, signaling pathways, hormones, and physiological responses in motor function. He also discusses the adaptive significance of movements. His book exposes the workings of a world little understood and often overlooked, the world of restless plants and the movements by which they accomplish the necessary functions of their lives.

About this title

About the Author

Dov Koller was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Botany at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh is Adjunct Professor of Forest Resources and Divisional Dean for Research, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Washington.

Review

“Koller sets the stage for an amazing interpretation of the world around us. The Restless Plant is not just a litany of examples of plant movement, although that alone is worth the read, but also an exploration of the mechanisms and physiology that support those movements, the intricacies and beauty of their responses. You will never look at plants the same way again.”―Sarah E. Wyatt, Science

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0674048636
• ISBN 13: 9780674048638
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 224
• Editor: Van Volkenburgh Elizabeth