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As New Information Is Introduced And Environmental Changes Occur, Plant Biology Continues To Develop And Evolve As A Science. Updated And Revised To Keep Pace With These Developments, The Fifth Edition Of Botany: An Introduction To Plant Biology Provides A Modern And Comprehensive Overview Of The Fundamentals Of Botany While Retaining The Important Focus Of Natural Selection, Analysis Of Botanical Phenomena, And Diversity. Students Are First Introduced To Topics That Should Be Most Familiar (Plant Structure), Proceed To Those Less Familiar (Plant Physiology And Development), And Conclude With Topics That Are Likely Least Familiar To The Introductory Student (Genetics, Evolution, And Ecology). Mauseth Is Sure To Provide The Latest Material On Molecular Biology And Plant Biotechnology In An Effort To Keep Pace With These Advancing Areas Of Study. All Sections Are Written To Be Self-Contained Allowing For A Flexible Presentation Of Course Material. Key Features: - Includes New Content On Molecular Biology, Plant Biotechnology, And The Most Recent Coverage Of Taxonomy And Phylogeny Of Plants. - Now Available With A New Electronic Laboratory Manual. - Plants Do Things Differently Boxes Help Students Understand And Compare Plant Biology With Human Biology. - End-Of-Chapter Study Guide Includes Nearly 50 Or More Questions In Each Chapter, Urging Students To Test Themselves On The Most Important Points In The Chapter. - Alternatives Boxes Encourage Students To Think Expansively About Alternative Aspects Of Plant Biology That Are More Advantageous In Certain Conditions.

696 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1991

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About the author

James D. Mauseth

20 books8 followers

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Profile Image for Graham Cammock.
250 reviews6 followers
December 30, 2018
Mind blowing!

This book is amazing, it is unbelievable how much is known about plants and flowers. I'm not a student, just an enthusiast, but this book took my knowledge and ability up a level from wild flower identification and using wild flower keys. The most important book I've read in my life, because it is life changing. If you're a hobbyist botanist like me, I definitely recommend reading this book, getting the 'Plantsnap' app on your smart phone and buying some wild flower keys.
Profile Image for Christopher.
154 reviews10 followers
November 3, 2010
Great book to have for a botany course, loads of information and very well layed out and explained. Reccomended for anybody doing a botany module or course, or eveny anybody just interested in knowing how plants work...:D
Profile Image for Ietrio.
6,949 reviews24 followers
October 16, 2018
A dull, boring manual that starts with a declaration of faith on Climate Change.
1 review
October 21, 2019
good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Meaningless.
91 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2025
When I was in grade 9 back in about 2014, this was my first textbook I ever read front to back (I would receive discarded textbooks from my father who worked at a university). I would carry this big hard copy textbook between classes for about 3 months straight. My graduation photo even has me holding this book. As such, this book holds a sentimental value to me. It formulated much of how I think about science.

What James Mauseth does well in this book is making us not mistake what phrases we use to describe phenomenon versus what is actually happening. Phrases like, "sunflowers enjoy the sun, so they move themselves to face it," doesn't actually mean that the sunflowers are feeling joy in the sun, but instead that their genes have determined from natural selection have been activated by chemical signals to move their plant fibers where the optimal amount of chlorophyl are exposed to the most amount of UV rays. We do not know concretely whether any particular plant feels any sensations similar to ours, therefore, it is important to acknowledge that terms we use to describe what we are 0bserving is not actually based in objectivity but is a shorthand to use to describe a complex mechanism, which the book points out in a much better way than I have. This is probably one of the most important lessons I've learned.

An indirect lesson I gathered from this book was the section about "limiting growth factors." My high-school brain was looking for ways to fix myself. Reading about this one concept had me comparing myself to plants, where I began asking myself, "what are my limiting growth factors for personal growth? What things in life are blocking me from growing faster and healthier? What things in life would boost my growth and health [and not just in terms of a young boy growing taller]?" Lessons like that and others, were quite important to me, meaning that this book was more than about learning how plants work, it was also learning about how I worked.

My mother is obsessed with house plants, Poison Ivy is my pop culture crush, and I felt a nagging obligation to use my free time to learn as much as I could about the world, which were my three motivations to pick up this textbook.

I wasn't the smartest kid. I didn't even begin to actively read books until grade 8. The fact that I was able to read, comprehend, and enjoy this book goes to show that anyone can pick up books like these without it having to be hard or a chore. All it takes is a lil' curiosity. It certainly boosted my science grades, as I was reading up on the material a year or two in advanced! Haha :D

Thanks James Mauseth for writing a good book. My life was altered by it :)
Profile Image for Roma.
775 reviews25 followers
December 31, 2015
I love this book. We used this in botany 10 & i learned a lot from it. Made me realize how interesting autotrophs are.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews

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