Biochemistry and molecular biology made simple Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants (2001)

.The overall organization is similar, thereare the familiar declarative headings andthe style of the illustrations is reminiscentof this text. The book is divided into fivemajor sections – Compartments, CellReproduction, Energy Flow, Metabolic andDevelopmental Integration, and PlantEnvironment and Agriculture – whichbetween them cover all the major aspects ofmolecular plant science, extending eveninto some physiological topics such asresponses to abiotic stress. Thisorganization is logical and makes it easy tofind information. Although in general thecoverage is broad and complete, there are afew strange omissions. For example, thereis a whole chapter concerned with aminoacid metabolism, but the biosynthesis ofserine is not covered in spite of beingreferred to in the summary diagram at thebeginning of the chapter. Although this isnot a major omission, it has an impact onany claims the book might have to be areference work. The coverage is also, inplaces, rather eclectic. This is difficult toavoid in a multi-author work such as this,where the research interests of individualchapter authors inevitably affect theirchoice of material for inclusion. In general,the text seems to be error free, althoughthere is a recurring oversimplification thatsome might consider an error – the protonelectrochemical potential difference across amembrane is given as the simple sum of themembrane potential difference and the∆pH. This occurs in spite of a well writtensection near the beginning that describesthe correct derivation of this equation.Notwithstanding these points, thistextbook has some real strengths. It is up-to-date not only in terms of the content, butalso, and perhaps most importantly, interms of its description of current researchmethodology. There are numerousreferences to the contributions thatgenetics, both classical and molecularapproaches, have made to ourunderstanding. There are also excellentsections that explain the basis of importanttechniques and approaches, such as use ofNMR spectroscopy or the development ofnon-invasive methods for the measurementof cytoplasmic calcium concentrations. Ifyou take the view that teaching plantbiology is primarily about communicatinghow our knowledge of plant function isacquired, then this feature will definitelyappeal. From the perspective of teaching,another key feature of the book is itsillustrations. Although many works claimto be lavishly illustrated, this one really is,and the majority of the figures presentimportant information in visually engagingand appealing ways. The use of colour isexcellent, and the overall coherence of thevolume is helped by the consistencybetween figures. For example, metaboliccofactors are always represented in thesame way, making it easy to appreciate howpathways interact with one another, even ifthis is not stated explicitly.Overall, I think this book is a welcomeaddition to the texts available. Its claim tobe a reference work can be disputed – even awork of more than 1200 pages cannotpossibly cover everything. Nevertheless, asa tool for teaching (both for the teacher andthe learner) I think that this book will proveinvaluable. It will certainly be appearing onmy reading lists before too long.