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Kingdom of Plants: A Journey Through Their Evolution
This book accompanies the landmark television series Kingdom of Plants 3 With David Attenborough.
In the last 500 million years, plants have undertaken an epic journey that has not only spanned the ages but has altered the very make-up of the planet. It was a journey that began in a dark and barren world, and has culminated in a planet that is draped in rich colours, and overflowing with a diversity of mystifying orchids, exploding seed pods and snapping carnivorous plants.
But plants are far more than just beautiful and bizarre. Through the chapters of this book we uncover how plants first began to live on land, how they have become linked with a multitude of animal and fungi partners, and how ultimately they have shaped both landscapes and cultures.
With an introduction by Professor Stephen Hopper, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, as well as contributions from leading botanists and horticulturists, this book unpicks the strands of our planet’s network of botanical life. Through its pages we reveal the extraordinary ways in which plants have come to live and thrive in all habitats, and we discover how they can provide us with answers to many of the problems that face humanity in our modern age.
In the last 500 million years, plants have undertaken an epic journey that has not only spanned the ages but has altered the very make-up of the planet. It was a journey that began in a dark and barren world, and has culminated in a planet that is draped in rich colours, and overflowing with a diversity of mystifying orchids, exploding seed pods and snapping carnivorous plants.
But plants are far more than just beautiful and bizarre. Through the chapters of this book we uncover how plants first began to live on land, how they have become linked with a multitude of animal and fungi partners, and how ultimately they have shaped both landscapes and cultures.
With an introduction by Professor Stephen Hopper, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, as well as contributions from leading botanists and horticulturists, this book unpicks the strands of our planet’s network of botanical life. Through its pages we reveal the extraordinary ways in which plants have come to live and thrive in all habitats, and we discover how they can provide us with answers to many of the problems that face humanity in our modern age.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2012
20 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 12, 2014
I bought this book out of frustration at not being able to get access to the BBC TV program it is based on. It is about what one would expect from that sort of adaptation. OK text, gorgeous photos.
Still not the book on first and prehistoric plants I seek. Shall keep trying.
Ta, L.
January 4, 2014
This is lovely to look at, with some absolutely gorgeous photographs. As an introductory botany text or a coffee-table book it's fine. But its subtitle indicates it is about plant evolution, but its treatment of the topic is extremely superficial. The Emerald Planet: How Plants Changed Earth's History is much, much more interesting on the topic.
July 16, 2014
In A World Of Emerald Green.
Some 3 billion years ago Earth was a hostile place, volcanos, toxic atmosphere and impacting bodies from space all combined to make a very different world than the one we're all used to. But even in all this chaos there was order: life! Warm shallow seas surrounded unfamiliar islands and continents and it was in those seas that plants first evolved. Research scientist Will Benson authored this astonishing book as a companion piece for David Attenborough's nature film by the same name. The whole project is the result of a collaboration between Attenborough, Benson and the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew. Benson's writing is rich and informative, giving the reader a close up look at plants and how they interact with, other plants, fungi, animals, and the very environment itself. Starting with the earliest evidence of life we find only simple bacteria, but some of those bacteria were photosynthesizing Cyanobacteria, the possible ancestor of all modern plants. There are many facets in the study of botany and sometimes it's hard to draw the line between different functions and even different organisms, like lichens for example. Lichens are a combination of fungi and algae that have a profound effect on the landscape, helping to break down solid rock into rubble and dust and, with the help of plants, eventually into soil. While far ranging in scope this is not a text-book nor is it written like one. What you have here is a good introduction to the plant kingdom, one that can lead you on to other titles and authors that may help your studies. But this book is not just about evolution. Benson examines flowers and their role in plant reproduction, he also looks at leaves and how they capture light, regulate water loss and respiration as well. Other subjects covered are; survival in extreme environments, how plants communicate with other plants and animals too, how symbiosis plays a vital role for all life, including us. One chapter is devoted to Fungi, their history, how they're classified, and, while not part of the plant kingdom, what kind of impact they have on both plants and animals. The section on pollination of flowers is fascinating with several different players getting in on the act. Plant's use of colors and mimicry for both defense and offense is an important part of the text. The book closes with look at the relationship between plants and humans and how our actions, or inactions, could have serious repercussions for our future. This is a fine book for anyone who likes reading about natural history, the environment and, of course, plants. The Kingdom Of Plants is illustrated with many beautiful pictures and they all came across just fine on both the Kindle and my iPad. I had no technical or formatting problems with this Kindle edition.
Last Ranger
Some 3 billion years ago Earth was a hostile place, volcanos, toxic atmosphere and impacting bodies from space all combined to make a very different world than the one we're all used to. But even in all this chaos there was order: life! Warm shallow seas surrounded unfamiliar islands and continents and it was in those seas that plants first evolved. Research scientist Will Benson authored this astonishing book as a companion piece for David Attenborough's nature film by the same name. The whole project is the result of a collaboration between Attenborough, Benson and the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew. Benson's writing is rich and informative, giving the reader a close up look at plants and how they interact with, other plants, fungi, animals, and the very environment itself. Starting with the earliest evidence of life we find only simple bacteria, but some of those bacteria were photosynthesizing Cyanobacteria, the possible ancestor of all modern plants. There are many facets in the study of botany and sometimes it's hard to draw the line between different functions and even different organisms, like lichens for example. Lichens are a combination of fungi and algae that have a profound effect on the landscape, helping to break down solid rock into rubble and dust and, with the help of plants, eventually into soil. While far ranging in scope this is not a text-book nor is it written like one. What you have here is a good introduction to the plant kingdom, one that can lead you on to other titles and authors that may help your studies. But this book is not just about evolution. Benson examines flowers and their role in plant reproduction, he also looks at leaves and how they capture light, regulate water loss and respiration as well. Other subjects covered are; survival in extreme environments, how plants communicate with other plants and animals too, how symbiosis plays a vital role for all life, including us. One chapter is devoted to Fungi, their history, how they're classified, and, while not part of the plant kingdom, what kind of impact they have on both plants and animals. The section on pollination of flowers is fascinating with several different players getting in on the act. Plant's use of colors and mimicry for both defense and offense is an important part of the text. The book closes with look at the relationship between plants and humans and how our actions, or inactions, could have serious repercussions for our future. This is a fine book for anyone who likes reading about natural history, the environment and, of course, plants. The Kingdom Of Plants is illustrated with many beautiful pictures and they all came across just fine on both the Kindle and my iPad. I had no technical or formatting problems with this Kindle edition.
Last Ranger
October 22, 2018
Fascinating!!
So much information about weird and wonderful plants, all the ways they have of propagating the species. I think my favourite is the Bee Orchid, which mimics the appearance and scent of a female bee so that the unfortunate male bee thinks he is mating with a female of the species, but actually is just pollinating the orchids.
So much information about weird and wonderful plants, all the ways they have of propagating the species. I think my favourite is the Bee Orchid, which mimics the appearance and scent of a female bee so that the unfortunate male bee thinks he is mating with a female of the species, but actually is just pollinating the orchids.
January 4, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this book, sure the are probably books out there that go into greater detail, but I still feel I learnt enough to follow up on plants included in this book. Possibly will read again.
January 12, 2017
I was super pumped to read this book. and for the most part it is really good, but it's geared toward people who have little understanding of plants and how they function ecologically. I found myself getting a little bored in the last few chapters probably because I had already learned most of what he wrote about. I was really excited for his chapter on plant-fungal interactions. However I was horribly disappointed. It started off well enough discussing the symbiosis between plants and fungi, but about halfway through the chapter he veered off and only discussed fungi in terms of medicinal properties, the taxonomic history and fungal function. He barely skimmed the surface on the interactions between plants and fungi. For a book on the evolutionary history of PLANTS this chapter felt very out of place.
All that said, I still found the book fascinating. There is a lot of really interesting information and overall I enjoyed the book.
All that said, I still found the book fascinating. There is a lot of really interesting information and overall I enjoyed the book.
April 1, 2014
I found this book very informative with the most beautiful pictures. Although not in the plant kingdom there is a chapter on fungi which I found the most interesting.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews