Botany and plant sciences Books

Book SynopsisIntroduction.- Seeds of Memory: Botanical Legacies of the African Diaspora.- Did Enslaved Africans Spark South Carolina's 18th-Century Rice Boom?.- African Origins of Sesame Cultivation in the Americas.- By the Rivers of Babylon: The Lowcountry Basket in Slavery and Freedom.- Gathering, Buying, and Growing Sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia sericea): Urbanization and Social Networking in the Sweetgrass Basket-Making Industry of Lowcountry South Carolina.- Marketing, Culture and Conservation Value of NTFPs: A Case Study of Afro-Ecuadorian Use of Piquigua (Heteropsis ecuadorensis, Araceae).- Berimbau de Barriga: Musical Ethnobotany of the Afro-Brazilian Diaspora.- Trans-Atlantic Diaspora Ethnobotany: Legacies of West African and Iberian Mediterranean Migration in Central Cuba.- What Makes a Plant Magical? Symbolism and Sacred Herbs in Afro-Surinamese Winti Rituals.- Medicinal and Cooling Teas of Barbados.- Candomble's Cosmic Tree and Brazil's Ficus Species.- Exploring Biocultural Contexts: ComparaTrade ReviewFrom the reviews:“This fascinating book, written by inquisitive authors, should be required reading for ethnoecological scholars. It documents the essential importance of African peoples and plants in the Americas through fruitful methodological syntheses of ethnobotanical and ethnoecological approaches, both diachronic and synchronic.” (Egleé L. Zent, Ethnobiology Letters, Vol. 4, October, 2013)“A rich and exciting volume that joins a burgeoning effort to widen the ethnobotanical gaze, embracing the dynamisms of diaspora, migration, and disturbance. … volume will find great utility among scholars of ethnobotany, per se, but most any reader interested in the human–environment interface will find value in its clear prose and probing of historical discussions. The volume will make an effective course reader for undergraduates in geography, anthropology, and other disciplines, as it provides a compelling window into contemporary research methodologies and approaches.” (Case Watkins, The AAG Review of Books, Vol. 1 (4), 2013)Table of Contents1. Introduction (Robert Voeks and John Rashford)Crops and Cultivators2. Seeds of Memory: Botanical Legacies of the African Diaspora (Judith Carney)3. Did Enslaved Africans Spark South Carolina’s 18th-Century Rice Boom? (Stanley B. Alpern) 4. African Origins of Sesame Cultivation in the Americas (Dorothea Bedigian)Handicrafts and Crafters5. By the Rivers of Babylon: The Lowcountry Basket in Slavery and Freedom (Dale Rosengarten)6. Gathering, Buying, and Growing Sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia sericea): Urbanization and Social Networking in the Sweetgrass Basket-Making Industry of Lowcountry South Carolina (Patrick T. Hurley, Brian Grabbatin, Cari Goetcheus, and Angela Halfacre)7. Marketing, Culture and Conservation Value of NTFPs: A Case Study of Afro-Ecuadorian Use of Piquigua (Heteropsis ecuadorensis, Araceae) (Maria Fadiman)8. Berimbau de Barriga: Musical Ethnobotany of the Afro-Brazilian Diaspora (James Sera and Robert Voeks)Medicinal and Spiritual Ethnofloras9. Trans-Atlantic Diaspora Ethnobotany: Legacies of West African and Iberian Mediterranean Migration in Central Cuba (Erica Moret) 10. What Makes a Plant Magical? Symbolism and Sacred Herbs in Afro-Surinamese Winti Rituals (Tinde van Andel, Sofie Ruysschaert, Kobeke Van de Putte, and Sara Groenendijk)11. Medicinal and Cooling Teas of Barbados (Sonia Peter)Ethnobotanical Continuity and Change12. Candomble's Cosmic Tree and Brazil's Ficus Species (John Rashford)13. Exploring Biocultural Contexts: Comparative Woody Plant Knowledge of an Indigenous and Afro-American Maroon Community in Suriname, South America (Bruce Hoffman)14. Ethnobotany of Brazil’s African Diaspora: The Role of Floristic Homogenization (Robert Voeks)

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Book SynopsisStructure and Composition.- Development and Maturation.- Synthesis of Storage Reserves.- Germination.- Mobilization of Stored Reserves.- Dormancy and the Control of Germination.- Environmental Regulation of Dormancy and Germination.- Longevity, Storage and Deterioration.Table of ContentsChapter 1Structure and Composition1.1. Introduction1.2. Seed structure1.2.1. Embryo1.2.2. Non-embryonic storage tissues1.2.3. Testa – seed coat1.3. Seed storage reserves1.3.1. Carbohydrates1.3.2. Oils (Neutral lipids)1.3.3. Proteins1.3.4. Phytin1.3.5. Other constituentsChapter 2Development and Maturation2.1. Fertilization2.2. Embryogeny and storage tissue formation 2.2.1. Embryonic tissues 2.2.2. Endosperm 2.2.3. Testa (seed coat)2.3. Regulation of seed development 2.3.1. Plant hormones 2.3.2. Embryo polarity and patterning 2.3.3. ABA content and sensitivity to ABA during development 2.3.4. Regulation of the seed maturation program 2.3.5. Epigenetic control of endosperm development 2.3.6. Testa development and its interaction with the endosperm and embryo 2.3.7. Somatic embryogenesis and apomixis2.4. Germinability during development 2.4.1. Ability to germinate during development 2.4.2. Precocious germination: Vivipary and preharvest sprouting 2.4.3. Role of preharvest drying in development of germinability2.5. Maturation drying and the ‘switch’ to germination 2.5.1. The acquisition of desiccation tolerance 2.5.2. Protective mechanisms associated with drying 2.5.2.1. Membranes, proteins and water replacement 2.5.2.2. Gene expression and protein synthesis 2.5.2.3. Other changes in metabolism associated with drying 2.5.3. Gene expression changes upon rehydration2.6. Late maturation events and seed drying 2.6.1. Physiological maturity versus harvest maturity 2.6.2. Seed development and seed quality 2.6.3. Maturation drying and biophysical aspects of dry seedsChapter 3Synthesis of Storage Reserves3.1. Assimilates for grain and seed filling 3.1.1. Source of nutrients for storage reserve synthesis 3.1.2. Import of nutrients into the developing seed 3.1.3. Factors affecting seed production and quality3.2. Deposition of reserves within storage tissues 3.2.1. Starch synthesis 3.2.1.1. Uses and modifications of starch 3.2.2. Synthesis of polymeric carbohydrates other than starch 3.2.3. Oil (triacylglycerol) synthesis 3.2.3.1. Uses and modifications of fatty acids 3.2.4. Storage protein synthesis 3.2.4.1. Synthesis, processing and deposition of storage proteins 3.2.4.2. Uses and modifications of storage proteins 3.2.4.3. Regulation of storage protein synthesis 3.2.5. Phytin synthesis 3.2.6. Modifications of non-storage compounds to improve nutritional quality Chapter 4Germination4.1. Seed germination – definition and general features4.2. Measurement of germination4.3. Imbibition 4.3.1. Uptake of water from the soil 4.3.2. Phase I, imbibition and imbibitional damage 4.3.3. Phase II, the lag phase 4.3.4. Phase III, completion of germination 4.3.5. Kinetics of imbibition4.4. Respiration – oxygen consumption and mitochondrial development 4.4.1. Pathways and products 4.4.2. Respiration during imbibition and germination 4.4.3. Mitochondrial development and oxidative phosphorylation 4.4.4. Respiration under low oxygen conditions4.5. RNA and protein synthesis 4.5.1. Transcriptomes of dry and germinating seeds 4.5.2. Proteomes of germinating seeds4.6. The completion of germination 4.6.1. Embryo growth potential verses enclosing tissue constraints in radicle emergence 4.6.2. DNA synthesis and cell division (cell cycle)4.7. Priming and the enhancement of germinationChapter 5Mobilization of Stored Reserves5.1. Seedling growth patterns5.2. Mobilization of stored reserves5.3. Stored oligosaccharide catabolism5.4. Pathways of starch catabolism 5.4.1. Synthesis of sucrose5.5. Mobilization of stored starch in cereal grains 5.5.1. Synthesis and release of -amylase and other hydrolases from the aleurone layer 5.5.2. Starch breakdown and the fate of the products of hydrolysis 5.5.3. Hormonal control of starch mobilization 5.5.4. Programmed cell death (PCD) of the aleurone layer and other tissues5.6. Mobilization of stored carbohydrate reserves in dicots 5.6.1. Starch-storing non-endospermic legumes 5.6.2. Hemicellulose-storing endospermic legumes 5.6.3. Hemicellulose-containing seeds other than legumes5.7. Stored triacylglycerol (TAG) mobilization 5.7.1. Mobilization of TAGs from oil bodies 5.7.2. Role and formation of the glyoxysome 5.7.3. Utilization of the products of TAG catabolism5.8. Storage protein mobilization 5.8.1. Protein mobilization during germination 5.8.2. Protein mobilization following germination of cereals 5.8.2.1. Uptake of amino acids and peptides into the embryo 5.8.3. Protein mobilization following germination of dicots5.8.4. Protease inhibitors5.8.5. Utilization of liberated amino acids in dicot seedlings5.9. Phytin mobilization5.10. Control of reserve mobilization in dicots 5.10.1. Regulation in endospermic dicots 5.10.2. Regulation in non-endospermic dicots 5.10.2.1. Mode of regulation by the axisChapter 6Dormancy and the Control of Germination6.1. Dormancy - its biological role 6.2. Categories of dormancy6.3. Mechanisms of dormancy 6.3.1. Blocks to germination within the embryo 6.3.1.1. Undifferentiated embryo 6.3.1.2. Immature embryo 6.3.1.3. Chemical inhibitors 6.3.1.4. Regulatory and metabolic constraints 6.3.2. Blocks to germination by the covering layers 6.3.2.1. Interference with water uptake 6.3.2.2. Interference with gas exchange 6.4.2.3. Prevention of exit of inhibitors from the embryo 6.4.2.4. Mechanical restraint6.4. Embryonic inadequacy – the causes 6.4.1. Energy metabolism of dormant seeds6.4.2. Genetic aspects of dormancy6.5. The environment in dormancy perception 6.6. The release from dormancy6.6.1. Perception, signaling and role of hormones with respect to dormancy and germination 6.6.1.1. Regulation by ABA 6.6.1.2. Regulation by GA 6.6.1.3. Regulation by ethylene and brassinosteroids 6.6.1.4. ABA/GA balance and hormonal cross-talk in the regulation of dormancy6.6.2. After-ripening6.6.3. Low temperatures (chilling)6.6.4. Other effects of temperature on dormancy6.6.5. Light 6.6.5.1. Phytochrome: action spectra 6.6.5.2. Phytochrome: photoequilibria 6.6.5.3. Phytochrome: multiple forms 6.6.5.4. Phytochrome: downstream signaling 6.6.6. Dormancy release of seeds with impermeable coats 6.6.7. Breaking of dormancy by chemicals 6.6.7.1. Breaking of dormancy by nitrate 6.6.7.2. Breaking of dormancy by nitric oxide 6.6.7.3. Breaking of dormancy by smokeChapter7Environmental Regulation of Dormancy and Germination7.1. Seed dispersal and burial 7.1.1. The soil seed bank7.2. Environmental control of germination 7.2.1. Water 7.2.1.1. Hydrotime model of germination 7.2.1.2. Hydrotime and dormancy 7.2.1.3. Ecological applications of the hydrotime model 7.2.2. Temperature7.2.2.1. Cardinal temperatures for seed germination 7.2.2.2. Thermal time models 7.2.2.3. Temperature and water interactions: hydrothermal time models 7.2.3. Light 7.2.3.1. Phytochrome responses 7.2.4. Nitrate 7.2.5. Oxygen and other gases 7.2.6. Other chemicals7.3. Secondary dormancy and seasonal variation 7.3.1. Dormancy cycling 7.3.2. Dormancy cycling: mechanisms and modeling7.4. Influences of plant life cycle, distribution and origin on germination 7.4.1. Plant distribution 7.4.2. Seasonal and flowering interactions affecting dormancyChapter 8Longevity, Storage and Deterioration8.1. Ancient seeds8.2. Longevity of seeds in storage 8.2.1. Patterns of seed viability loss during storage 8.2.2. Temperature, moisture content and seed longevity 8.2.3. Other factors that affect seed viability during storage8.3. Seed storage and conservation 8.3.1. Short-term storage 8.3.2. Long-term genetic conservation—ex situ seed gene banks 8.3.3. Long-term genetic conservation—in situ Centers of Diversity8.4. Mechanisms and consequences of deterioration in seeds 8.4.1. Deterioration mechanisms in stored seeds 8.4.2. Consequences of storage on germination8.5. Mechanisms of after-ripening in dry seeds8.6. Recalcitrant seeds

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Book SynopsisMycoheterotrophy: An introduction.- Taxonomy and classification.- Biogeography and conservation.- Subterranean morphology and mycorrhizal structures.- Evolution and diversification.- Progress and prospects for the ecological genetics of mycoheterotrophs.- Species interactions of mycoheterotrophic plants specialization and its potential consequences.- The physiological ecology of mycoheterotrophy.Trade ReviewFrom the reviews:Selected by Choice magazine as an "Outstanding Academic Title" for 2013“This exceptional book provides detailed background information on plants that obtain their organic carbon from fungi … . Each well-written chapter is an in-depth study with an extensive list of current references. This superb resource provides a wonderful overview and detailed examination of mycoheterotrophs. … Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers/faculty, and professional botanists and mycologists.” (K. M. Foos, Choice, Vol. 51 (2), October, 2013)Table of Contents1 Mycoheterotrophy: An introductionVincent S. F. T. Merckx2. Taxonomy and classificationVincent S. F. T. Merckx, John V. Freudenstein, Jonathan Kissling, Maarten J. M. Christenhusz, Raymond E. Stotler, Barbara Crandall-Stotler, Norman Wickett, Paula J. Rudall, Hiltje Maas-van de Kamer, and Paul J. M. Maas3. Biogeography and conservationVincent S. F. T. Merckx, Erik F. Smets, and Chelsea D. Specht4. Subterranean morphology and mycorrhizal structuresStephan Imhof, Hugues B. Massicotte, Lewis H. Melville, and R. Larry Peterson5. Evolution and diversificationVincent S.F.T. Merckx, Constantijn B. Mennes, Kabir G. Peay, and József Geml6. Progress and prospects for the ecological genetics of mycoheterotrophsD. Lee Taylor, Craig F. Barrett, Gemma E. Beatty, Sarah E. Hopkins, Aaron H. Kennedy, and Matthew R. Klooster7. Species interactions of mycoheterotrophic plants – specialization and its potential consequencesRichard J. Waterman, Heiko Hentrich, Matthew R. Klooster, and Martin I. Bidartondo8. The physiological ecology of mycoheterotrophyNicole A. Hynson, Thomas Madsen, Marc-André Selosse, Iris K. U. Adam, Yuki Ogura-Tsujita, Melanie Roy, and Gerhard Gebauer

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Book SynopsisAssembled by two of the most distinguished botanical and ethnological scholars in Britain, this book chronicles the medicinal uses of more than 400 species used by the plain folk of Britain and Ireland. The history of these plants' usages has been mined from rich firsthand accounts captured by surveys, from more than 1000 manuscript volumes of the Irish Folklore Commission, and from close to 300 other published and unpublished sources. This book is only available through print on demand. All interior art is black and white.

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Book SynopsisAfter the generation of genome sequence data from a wide variety of plants, databases are filled with sequence information of genes with no known biological function, and while bioinformatics tools can help analyze genome sequences and predict gene structures, experimental approaches to discover gene functions need to be widely implemented. In Plant Reverse Genetics: Methods and Protocols, leading researchers in the field describe cutting-edge methods, both high-throughput and genome-wide, involving the models Arabidopsis and rice as well as several other plants to provide comparative functional genomics information. With chapters on the analysis of high-throughput genome sequence data, the identification of non-coding RNA from sequence information, the comprehensive analysis of gene expression by microarrays, and metabolomic analysis, the thorough methods of the book are fully supported by scripts to aid their computational use. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology™ series format, the chapters contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and essential, Plant Reverse Genetics: Methods and Protocols is an ideal guide for researchers seeking an understanding of how the complex web of plant genes work together in a systems biology view.Trade ReviewFrom the reviews:“This book includes a compendium of methods and protocols derived from functional genomics that have been developed during the last decade … . The book is organized in chapters written by leading researchers from different groups … . Large scale phenotyping is also described with protocols suitable for application in different lab conditions. … Gramene database is presented as an example of integrated information … derived from different species, providing details of the information gathered in it as well as available tools for sequence comparisons.” (Ruth Heinz and Norma Paniego, Boletin de Bibleoteca del IMYZA-INTA, Issue 26, June, 2011)Table of Contents1. Analysis of High-Throughput Sequencing Data Shrinivasrao P. Mane, Thero Modise, and Bruno W. Sobral 2. Identification of Plant MicroRNAs Using Expressed Sequence Tag Analysis Taylor P. Frazier and Baohong Zhang 3. Microarray Data Analysis Saroj K. Mohapatra and Arjun Krishnan 4. Setting Up Reverse Transcription Quantitative-PCR Experiments Madana M.R. Ambavaram and Andy Pereira 5. Virus-Induced Gene Silencing in Nicotiana benthamiana and Other Plant Species Andrew Hayward, Meenu Padmanabhan, and S. P. Dinesh-Kumar 6. Agroinoculation and Agroinfiltration: Simple Tools for Complex Gene Function Analyses Zarir Vaghchhipawala, Clemencia M. Rojas, Muthappa Senthil-Kumar, and Kirankumar S. Mysore 7. Full-Length cDNA Overexpressor Gene Hunting System (FOX Hunting System) Mieko Higuchi, Youichi Kondou, Takanari Ichikawa, and Minami Matsui 8. Activation Tagging with En/Spm-I/dSpm Transposons in Arabidopsis Nayelli Marsch-Martínez and Andy Pereira 9. Activation Tagging and Insertional Mutagenesis in Barley Michael A. Ayliffe and Anthony J. Pryor 10. Methods for Rice Phenomics Studies Chyr-Guan Chern, Ming-Jen Fan, Sheng-Chung Huang, Su-May Yu, Fu-Jin Wei, Cheng-Chieh Wu, Arunee Trisiriroj, Ming-Hsing Lai, Shu Chen, and Yue-Ie C. Hsing 11. Development of an Efficient Inverse PCR Method for Isolating Gene Tags from T-DNA Insertional Mutants in Rice Sung-Ryul Kim, Jong-Seong Jeon, and Gynheung An 12. Transposon Insertional Mutagenesis in Rice Narayana M. Upadhyaya, Qian-Hao Zhu, and Ramesh S. Bhat 13. Reverse Genetics in Medicago truncatula Using Tnt1 Insertion Mutants Xiaofei Cheng, Jiangqi Wen, Million Tadege, Pascal Ratet, and Kirankumar S. Mysore 14. Screening Arabidopsis Genotypes for Drought Stress Resistance Amal Harb and Andy Pereira 15. Protein Tagging for Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) from Arabidopsis Stefan de Folter 16. Yeast One-Hybrid Screens for Detection of Transcription Factor DNA Interactions Pieter B.F. Ouwerkerk and Annemarie H. Meijer 17. Plant Metabolomics by GC-MS and Differential Analysis Joel L. Shuman, Diego F. Cortes, Jenny M. Armenta, Revonda M. Pokrzywa, Pedro Mendes, and Vladimir Shulaev 18. Gramene Database: A Hub for Comparative Plant Genomics Pankaj Jaiswal

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