Biology and Evolution of Ferns and Lycophytes

With their team of contemporary scholars, the editors present a thorough coverage of fundamental topics necessary for obtaining an up-to-date understanding of the biology of ferns and lycophytes. The book is organized into major topics that build from the individual and its biochemistry and structure, to genetics and populations, to interactions among individuals and the conservation of species, and concludes with perspectives on evolutionary history and classification. Each chapter is organized to review past work, explore current questions, and suggest productive directions for continued discoveries about these fascinating groups of organisms. Written for upper undergraduates, graduates and academic researchers, Biology and Evolution of Ferns and Lycophytes fills a major gap in biological, organism-level, evolutionary literature by providing a review of the biology and evolution of this important group of vascular land plants.

Tom A. Ranker received his Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Kansas. He is President of the International Association of Pteridologists (2005–11) and is a past President of the American Fern Society. From 1990 to 2007, Dr Ranker was the Curator of Botany at the Museum of Natural History and a faculty member in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder. Beginning in 2008 he joined he faculty of the Department of Botany, University of Hawai'i, Manoa, Honolulu.

Christopher H. Haufler received his Ph.D. in Botany from Indiana University. After obtaining his Ph.D., Dr Haufler held post-doctoral positions at Harvard University and at the Missouri Botanical Garden before becoming a faculty member at the University of Kansas in 1979, where he has been ever since. He is currently President of the Botanical Society of America and Past President of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists and the American Fern Society. He has received a Centennial Award from the Botanical Society of America.