Botany: An Introduction to Plant Biology

by James D. Mauseth

Newly updated, An Introduction to Plant Biology, Fourth Edition provides an current, thorough overview of the fundamentals of botany. The topics and chapters are organized in a sequence that is easy to follow, beginning with the most familiar (structure) and proceeding to the less familiar (metabolism) then finishing with those topics that are probably the least familiar to most beginning students (genetics, evolution, the diversity of organisms, and ecology). The diversity and systematics are organized on a cladistics basis. An emphasis on natural selection throughout the book allows the instructor to incorporate analysis of diversity of structures and metabolisms into every subject. Believing that a knowledge of evolution by natural selection is essential for understanding biological structure and processes, the author works throughout the text to convey how powerful a concept natural selection is. Beginning with Chapter 1, selective advantage and fitness are referred to or discussed in every chapter and on almost every page. Natural selection is covered in detail in Chapter 17 after students have become rather sophisticated in their knowledge of plants and botanical phenomena.

Genres: Biology, Science, Plants, Nonfiction, Reference, Physics, Horticulture

672 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1991

Reviews

[Graham Cammock · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A dull, boring manual that starts with a declaration of faith on Climate Change.

[Sagar Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

[Mehmet Köse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best source about plants i have ever read

[Melanie Arison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Proper educational must have.

[Evaline Mhina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plant cell and stains

[Meaningless · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 :)

[Killthehumans Savetheforest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still haven't read all the chapters..

[Roma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. We used this in botany 10 & i learned a lot from it. Made me realize how interesting autotrophs are.