Integrative Plant Anatomy

Summary: "This is an ambitious and scholarly text, and Dr. Dickison should be congratulated for his efforts." --Thomas L. Rost, University of California at Davis "I commend the author for his fresh and novel approach to the study of plant anatomy. Presently, there is no textbook available that interrelates plant anatomy with systematics, physiology, ecology, genetics, anthropology, and the other fields of study covered in the... manuscript; this approach has merit and addresses a need as far as plant anatomy and its applications are concerned." --Terence W. Lucansky, University of Florida "The author is completely successful in fulfilling his objective of conveying the importance of plant anatomy as a field of endeavor with widespread applicaitions to other fields. Dickison's approach is refreshingly different and likely to have great appeal to the novice.... For example, the manuscript was easy to read, unlike most [plant] anatomy books, because of minimal use of technical jargon." --Dale M.J. Mueller, Texas A&M University Plant anatomy is the developmental and comparative study of plant cells and tissues -a botanical discipline with a long tradition. Historically, most courses in plant anatomy-and much anatomical research-has centered on systematic, phylogenetic, developmental, and functional aspects of plants. Although a number of comprehensive texts and references books emphasizing one or more of these approaches have been published, anatomy has not received its due as a botanical subdiscipline of central importance. This text addressed the central role of anatomy by consolidating previously scattered information into a single volume. It highlights the important contribution made by studying anatomy to the solutions of a number of present and future problems. It succeeds in integrating diverse areas of botany, as well as the non-biological sciences, the arts, and numerous other fields of human endeavor. The text is primarily for students of botany or plant biology, or biology majors requiring some familiarity with plant anatomy. It is particularly useful for agricultural students who need to know applied plant physiology, plant pathology, horticulture, and crop science. [read more]