Advances in Botanical Research publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics in plant sciences. The series features several reviews by recognized experts on all aspects of plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology, and ecology. Volume 78 focuses on the Genomes and Evolution of Charophytes, Bryophytes, Lycophytes, and Ferns. Sequencing of genomes of 'lower' animals such as sponges or hydrozoans has much informed our understanding of how metazoans evolved. On the plant side of things, sequencing and comparison of a moss and lycophyte genome with those of green algae and flowering plants has greatly informed our understanding of plant evolution. However, it has also become clear that we need to look into genomes of the closest algal relatives to land plants, the charophytes, and into further genomes of bryophytes, lycophytes, and ferns to unravel how land plants evolved. - Features reviews by recognized experts on all aspects of plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology, and ecology - Focuses on the genomes and evolution of charophytes, bryophytes, lycophytes, and ferns - Offers a first time compilation on non-flowering plant genomes - Helps unravel how land plants evolved

Plant Development and Evolution, the latest release in the Current Topics in Developmental Biology series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on the Evolution of the plant body plan, Lateral root development and its role in evolutionary adaptation, the Development of the vascular system, the Development of the shoot apical meristem and phyllotaxis, the Evolution of leaf diversity, the Evolution of regulatory networks in land plants, The role of programed cell death in plant development, the Development and evolution of inflorescence architecture, the Molecular regulation of flower development, the Pre-meiotic another development, and much more. - Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors - Presents the latest release in the Current Topics in Developmental Biology series - Updated release includes the latest information on Plant Development and Evolution

Nature has always been a source of inspiration for the design of the human environment. The analysis of biological constructions can not only lead to astonishing technical solutions but can also inspire the design of architecture. Bionics is a fascinating border area between pure research and practical application: biologists, chemists, physicists, mineralogists, and paleontologists meet up with material scientists, engineers, and architects and transfer their knowledge to architecture and construction. Using numerous practical examples, this richly illustrated introduction traces the process from the understanding of how something functions, to abstraction—for example in computer models—and the construction of initial prototypes, through to fully functional manufacture and production.

Cyanobacterial symbioses are no longer regarded as mere oddities but as important components of the biosphere, occurring both in terrestrial and aquatic habitats worldwide. It is becoming apparent that they can enter into symbiosis with a wider variety of organisms than hitherto known, and there are many more still to be discovered, particularly in marine environments. The chapters cover cyanobacterial symbioses with plants (algae, bryophytes, Azolla, cycads, Gunnera), cyanobacterial symbioses in marine environments, lichens, Nostoc-Geosiphon (a fungus closely related to arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi) symbiosis, and artificial associations of cyanobacteria with economically important plants. In addition, cyanobiont diversity, sensing-signalling, and evolutionary aspects of the symbiosis are dealt with. Renowned experts actively involved in research on cyanobacterial symbioses deal with ecological, physiological, biochemical, molecular, and applied aspects of all known cyanobacterial symbioses. This volume on cyanobacteria in symbiosis complements the two earlier volumes on cyanobacteria published by Kluwer (Molecular Biology of Cyanobacteria, edited by D.A. Bryant and Ecology of Cyanobacteria, edited by B.A. Whitton and M. Potts). Together, the three volumes provide the most comprehensive treatment of cyanobacterial literature as a whole. The book will serve as a valuable reference work and text for teaching and research in the field of plant-microbe interactions and nitrogen fixation.

This book collates the basic and advanced concepts of plant biotechnology and genomics along with the future trends. It discusses the combination of conventional breeding techniques with genomic tools and approaches leading to a new genomics-based plant breeding technology supporting crop plants that respond better to biotic and abiotic stress, and pathogen attacks. Plant genomics play an important role in developing more efficient plant cultivars which are essential for the neo green revolution needed to feed the world’s rapidly growing population. Plant genomic data is being utilized in genetic engineering to ensure that better and resilient varieties of crops are available ensuring food security. This book is of immense interest to teachers, researchers, crop scientists, capacity builders, and policy makers. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, biotechnology, genomics, soil science, and environmental sciences. National and International agricultural scientists and policy makers will also find this to be a useful read.

Phylogenetics often uncovers contradicting hypotheses regarding the relationships within the same group of organisms, a phenomenon known since the beginning of the molecular systematics era. While, historically, single marker-based analyses produced discordance, nowadays entire cellular genomes or portions of the same genomic compartment conflict with others or the rest, respectively. In contrast to the beginning of the molecular systematics era, when adding markers and taxa offered a way out of systematic errors, genome inference-based incongruences cannot be addressed and explained easily. Disagreeing phylogenomic hypotheses might originate from various evolutionary processes, including but not limited to hybridization or incomplete lineage sorting, thereby leading to gene tree-versus species tree-associated discrepancies. Today, this can be expanded to genome discordance, where phylogenomic signals of organellar genomes (plastid, mitochondrial) and the nuclear genome disagree due to intrinsically different coalescent paths or phenomena like organelle capture.