Reaching for the sun
Subtitle: how plants work
By: John King
Edition: 2nd ed.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Cambridge, UK; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 298
ISBN-13: 9780521518048; 9780521736688
Subjects: Plants; Botany; SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Botany
Description: "From their ability to use energy from sunlight to make their own food, to combating attacks from diseases and predators, plants have evolved an amazing range of life-sustaining strategies. Written with the non-specialist in mind, John King's lively natural history explains how plants function, from how they gain energy and nutrition to how they grow, develop and ultimately die. New to this edition is a section devoted to plants and the environment, exploring how problems created by human activities, such as global warming, pollution of land, water and air, and increasing ocean acidity, are impacting on the lives of plants. King's narrative provides a simple, highly readable introduction, with boxes in each chapter offering additional or more advanced material for readers seeking more detail. He concludes that despite the challenges posed by growing environmental perils, plants will continue to dominate our planet"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Preface to the Second Edition; title: Preface to the First Edition; title: Part I. Plants and energy. 1. Photosynthesis: the leitmotiv of life; title: 2. Plant respiration: breathing without lungs; title: Part II. Plant nutrition. 3. Plants are cool, but why?; title: 4. Nutrition for the healthy lifestyle; title: 5. Nitrogen, nitrogen, everywhere ...; title: 6. Transport of delights; title: Part III. Growth and development. 7. Growth: the long and the short of it; title: 8. The time of their lives; title: 9. A dash of seasoning; title: 10. Dormancy: a matter of survival; title: 11. Color, fragrance, and flavor; title: Part IV. Stress, defense, and decline. 12. Stressful tranquility; title: 13. Chemical warfare; title: 14. Senescence and death; title: Part V. Plants and the environment. 15. Elemental cycles; title: 16. The human touch; title: Appendix : Genetic engineering : an essential tool in a rapidly changing world.