Skip to main content

The Evolutionary Biology of Plants

Although they are among the most abundant of all living things and provide essential oxygen,
food, and shelter to the animal kingdom, few books pay any attention to how and why plants
evolved the wondrous diversity we see today. In this richly illustrated and clearly written book,
Karl J. Niklas provides the first comprehensive synthesis of modern evolutionary biology as it
relates to plants.

After presenting key evolutionary principles, Niklas recounts the saga of plant life from its
origins to the radiation of the flowering plants. To investigate how living plants might have
evolved, Niklas conducts a series of computer-generated "walks" on fitness "landscapes,"
arriving at hypothetical forms of plant life strikingly similar to those of today and the distant
past. He concludes with an extended consideration of molecular biology and paleontology.

An excellent overview for undergraduates, this book will also challenge graduate students and
researchers.

470 pages | 2 halftones, 126 line drawings, 7 tables | 6 x 9 | © 1997

Biological Sciences: Botany, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology

Earth Sciences: Paleontology

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
Ch. 1: Adaptive Evolution
Ch. 2: Species and Speciation
Ch. 3: Origins and Early Events
Ch. 4: The Invasion of Land and Air
Ch. 5: The Aquatic Landscape
Ch. 6: The Terrestrial Landscape
Ch. 7: Divergence and Convergence
Ch. 8: Tempos and Patterns
Literature Cited
Author Index
Subject Index

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press