Plant Conservation
A Natural History Approach
Plant Conservation opens with a broad view of plant biodiversity and then considers evolutionary and taxonomic threats and consequences of habitat alteration; specific threats to plant diversity, such as invasive species and global climate change; consequences of plant population decline at the ecological, evolutionary, and taxonomic levels; and, finally, management strategies that protect plant biodiversity from further decline. With a unique perspective on biodiversity and scientific collections, Plant Conservation ultimately emphasizes the role museums and botanical gardens will play in future conservation.
“A most thorough review of plant conservation from the marine to the terrestrial that will be of great use to all people seeking to reduce the alarming loss of plant species around the world. Full of useful information on the broadest range of topics.”—Professor Sir Ghillean Prance FRS, VMH, Scientific Director of the Eden Project and Former Director of The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
“The subtleties of documenting extinctions are described elegantly by one contributor to Plant Conservation as ‘chiaroscuro in shades of green.’ The long tradition of institutional natural history provides both the context and a distinctive rationale for this book on plant conservation. . . . Broad coverage of a large and complex subject has been achieved by what the editors call ‘diverse sampling of conservation activities’ and by bringing together the expertise of many specialists.”—Anthony J. Davy, Trends in Ecology and
Evolution
“At the beginning of the twenty-first century, plant diversity on our planet is being eroded at an unprecedented rate. In Plant Conservation: A Natural History Approach specialists from museums, universities, and botanic gardens respond to the challenge with a sweeping overview of the problem, as well as the prospects for conservation and sustainable use. This book is an important reassertion of the relevance of plant diversity science and the commitment of plant diversity scientists to conservation action.”—Professor Sir Peter Crane FRS, Director of The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
“Plant Conservation emphasizes the value of a broad array of concrete, accurate information, much of it stored in the libraries and museums of the world, in informing plant conservation activities. Many of the essays present a very concise view of the world of plants, algae, lichens, and other organisms, the problems they face in surviving in the modern world, and some of the strategies that have been used to understand and conserve them. This volume acknowledges the great problems of conservation in a world where the lack of spaces for survival make intelligent choices increasingly important.”—Peter H. Raven, Director, Missouri Botanical Garden
“No volume covers the topic of plant conservation as comprehensively as Plant Conservation: A Natural History Approach. This book goes way beyond the contribution that natural history museums can make to conservation efforts to consider the topic as a whole, and it is all the more useful as a consequence. This will be an important and widely used book.”—Thomas Lovejoy, President of The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment
“Plant Conservation provides a much needed scientific basis for conservation efforts. From tropical rain forests to marine ecosystems, Plant Conservation examines the past, present, and future of plant conservation efforts.”—Paul Alan Cox, Institute for Ethnomedicine, National Tropical Botanical Garden
Preface
Part I. Plant Diversity: Past and Present
Chapter 1. Evolution of Land Plant Diversity: Major Innovations and Lineages through Time
William A. DiMichele and Richard M. Bateman
Chapter 2. Diversity and Distribution of Plants
2.1 Terrestrial Plant Diversity
Jens Mutke, Gerold Kier, Gary A. Krupnick, and Wilhelm Barthlott
2.2 Marine Plant Diversity
Walter H. Adey
Chapter 3. Plant Extinctions
3.1 A Paleontological Perspective on Plant Extinctions
Scott Wing
3.2 Current Plant Extinctions: Chiaroscuro in Shades of Green
Bruce A. Stein and Warren L. Wagner
Part II. Plant Diversity: Habitats and Taxonomic Groups
Chapter 4. Case Studies in Select Tropical and Subtropical Habitats
4.1 The Ecuadorian Andes
John L. Clark
4.2 The Ramal de Guaramacal in the Venezuelan Andes
Laurence J. Dorr, Basil Stergios, and S. Miguel Niño
4.3 The Guiana Shield
Vicki A. Funk and Paul E. Berry
4.4 Pacific Oceanic Islands
Warren L. Wagner, Denise Mix, and Jonathan Price
4.5 The Gaoligong Mountains of Southwest China and Northeast Myanmar
Ai-Zhong Liu and W. John Kress
Chapter 5. Case Studies among Select Taxonomic Groups
5.1 Dinoflagellates: Phylum Dinoflagellata
Maria A. Faust
5.2 Lichens: Phylum Ascomycota
Rebecca Yahr and Paula T. DePriest
5.3 Mosses: Phylum Bryophyta
Harold E. Robinson
5.4 Grasses: Family Poaceae
Paul M. Peterson
5.5 Day Flowers: Family Commelinaceae
Robert B. Faden
5.6 Acanthus: Family Acanthaceae
Dieter C. Wasshausen
5.7 Daisies and Sunflowers: Family Asteraceae
Vicki A. Funk and Harold E. Robinson
5.8 African Violets: Family Gesneriaceae
Laurence E. Skog
5.9 Litchis and Rambutans: Family Sapindaceae
Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez
Part III. Contemporary Causes of Plant Extinction
Chapter 6. Habitat Fragmentation and Degradation
6.1 Forest Fragments and Tropical Plant Reproduction in Amazonian Brazil
Emilio M. Bruna and W. John Kress
6.2 Habitat Alteration in the Caribbean: Natural and Human-Induced
W. John Kress and Carol Horvitz
6.3 Habitat Loss: The Extreme Case of Madagascar
Dieter C. Wasshausen and Werner Rauh
6.4 Degradation of Algae in Coral Reefs
Walter H. Adey
6.5 Alteration of Kelp Communities in the Northwestern North Atlantic
Walter H. Adey and James N. Norris
Chapter 7. Invasive Species
Jessica Poulin, Ann Sakai, Stephen Weller, and Warren L. Wagner
Chapter 8. Global Climate Change: The Spring Temperate Flora
Paul M. Peterson, Stanwyn G. Shetler, Mones S. Abu-Asab, and Sylvia S. Orli
Chapter 9. Genetic Consequences of Reduced Diversity: Heterozygosity Loss, Inbreeding Depression, and Effective Population Size
Paul M. Peterson and Carrie L. McCracken
Part IV. The Conservation of Plant Diversity: Assessment, Management Strategies, and Action
Chapter 10. Mapping Biological Diversity
10.1 Herbarium Collections, Floras, and Checklists
W. John Kress and Vicki A. Funk
10.2 Hot Spots and Ecoregions
Gary A. Krupnick
10.3 Phylogenetic Considerations
M. Alejandra Jaramillo and Vicki A. Funk
Chapter 11. Assessing Conservation Status
11.1 Genetic Assessment Methods for Plant Conservation Biology
Elizabeth A. Zimmer
11.2 Species Assessment: The IUCN Red List
Gary A. Krupnick
11.3 Community Assessment: Rapid Assessment Teams
William S. Alverson
Chapter 12. Management Strategies
12.1 Ex situ Conservation of Plants
Stephen Blackmore
12.2 A Proposed Sustainable Coral-Reef Management Model
Mark M. Littler and Diane S. Littler
12.3 Application of a Seagrass Management Model
Mark M. Littler and Diane S. Littler
Chapter 13. Laws and Treaties: Is the Convention on Biological Diversity Protecting Plant Diversity?
Kerry ten Kate and W. John Kress
Chapter 14. Grassroots Conservation
Stanwyn G. Shetler
Conclusion: Documenting and Conserving Plant Diversity in the Future
W. John Kress and Gary A. Krupnick
List of Contributors
Index
Biological Sciences: Biology--Systematics | Botany | Ecology | Evolutionary Biology | Natural History | Tropical Biology and Conservation
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