Description
Book SynopsisThe survival of plants on our planet is nothing short of miraculous. They are virtually stationary packages of food, providing sustenance for a vast array of organisms, ranging from bacteria and fungi, through to insects, and even other plants. But plants are master survivors, having coped with changing environments and evolving predators over much of the history of life on earth. They have surveillance systems and defences that would put most modern armies to shame. They need to have a formidable armoury, because their enemies have sophisticated weaponry of their own. In this often hostile world, battles are fought daily, often to the death. These battles are not trivial - they matter, because life on this fragile planet of ours depends on plants. In this book Dale Walters takes readers on a journey through these battlefields, exploring how predators try to fool plants'' surveillance systems and, if they manage to do so, how they gain access to the nourishment they require. Incredibly
Trade ReviewThis book is a wonderfully lucid introduction for the non-specials to a most complex field of food security scholarship, I strongly recommend it. * David Ingram, Food Security *
Fortress Plant is cutting-edge science described with great clarity, presented in easily digested sections. * Phil Gates, BBC Wildlife Magazine *
Fortress Plant celebrates how wild plants thrive at the base of the food chain. This lively narrative ... weaves important new research and perspective into the structure. * Ian T. Baldwin, Nature *
Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; ABBREVIATIONS; PROLOGUE; EPILOGUE; REFERENCES; GLOSSARY
