The first part of the book presents the evolution of plants starting from photosynthetic cells to topics like Gymnosperms and Angiosperms, including the evolution of the breeding system. Geological and molecular data were used, helping us to show with more details each of the phases presented. Also, specialization of the reproductive systems such as evolution of unissexuality (dioecy and monoecy), evolution of self-incompatibility, selfing fertilization and mixed mating systems were considered. The last part discusses the biology and genetics of the reproductive systems and shows the strategies that modern plants use in asexual reproduction (vegetative and apomictic reproduction) and sexual reproduction. In addition, the sexual reproduction topics such as gametogenesis, the genetic control of reproductive organs, systems that promote outcrossing, selfing and mixed mating systems were also included.

The first part of the book presents the evolution of plants starting from photosynthetic cells to topics like Gymnosperms and Angiosperms, including the evolution of the breeding system. Geological and molecular data were used, helping us to show with more details each of the phases presented. Also, specialization of the reproductive systems such as evolution of unissexuality (dioecy and monoecy), evolution of self-incompatibility, selfing fertilization and mixed mating systems were considered. The last part discusses the biology and genetics of the reproductive systems and shows the strategies that modern plants use in asexual reproduction (vegetative and apomictic reproduction) and sexual reproduction. In addition, the sexual reproduction topics such as gametogenesis, the genetic control of reproductive organs, systems that promote outcrossing, selfing and mixed mating systems were also included. .

Cities pose formidable obstacles to nonhuman life. Vast expanses of asphalt and concrete are inhospitable to plants and animals; traffic noise and artificial light disturb natural rhythms; sewage and pollutants imperil existence. Yet cities teem with life: In rowhouse neighborhoods, tiny flowers bloom from cracks in the sidewalk. White clover covers lawns, its seeds dispersed by shoes and birds. Moths flutter and spiders weave their webs near electric lights. Sparrows and squirrels feast on the scraps people leave behind. Pairs of red-tailed hawks nest on window ledges. How do wild plants and animals in urban areas find mates? How do they navigate the patchwork of habitats to reproduce while avoiding inbreeding? In what ways do built environments enable or inhibit mating? This book explores the natural history of sex in urban bacteria, fungi, plants, and nonhuman animals. Kenneth D. Frank illuminates the reproductive behavior of scores of species. He examines topics such as breeding systems, sex determination, sex change, sexual conflict, sexual trauma, sexually transmitted disease, sexual mimicry, sexual cannibalism, aphrodisiacs, and lost sex. Frank offers a guide to urban reproductive diversity across a range of conditions, showing how understanding of sex and mating furthers the appreciation of biodiversity. He presents reproductive diversity as elegant but vulnerable, underscoring the consequences of human activity. Featuring compelling photographs of a multitude of life forms in their city habitats, this book provides a new lens on urban natural history.

Sexual reproduction is the predominant mode of perpetuation for flowering plant species. Investigating the reproductive strategies of plants has grown to become a vast area of research and, in crop plants, covers events from flowering to fruit and seed development; in wild species, it extends up to seed dispersal and seedling recruitment. Thus, reproduction determines the extent of yield in crop plants and, in wild plants, also determines the efficacy of recruiting new adults to the population, making this field important both from fundamental and applied plant biology perspectives. Moreover, in light of the growing concerns regarding food and nutritional security for the growing population and preserving biological diversity, reproductive biology of flowering plants has acquired special significance. Extensive studies on various facets of reproduction are being carried out around the world. However, these studies are scattered across research journals and reviews from diverse areas of biology. The present volume covers the whole spectrum of reproductive ecology, from phenology and floral biology, to sexuality and pollination biology/ecology including floral rewards, breeding systems, apomixis and seed dispersal. In turn, transgene flow, its biosafety and mitigation approaches, and the ‘global pollinator crisis’, which has become a major international concern in light of the urgent need to sustain crop yield and biodiversity, are discussed in detail. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable resource for students, teachers and researchers of botany, zoology, ecology, agriculture and forestry, as well as conservation biologists.

Reproductive biology is the basis of species improvement and a thorough understanding of this is needed for plant improvement, whether by conventional or biotechnological methods. This book presents an up to date and comprehensive description of reproduction in lower plants, gymnosperms and higher plants. It covers general plant biology, pollinatio

Much effort has been devoted to developing theories to explain the wide variation we observe in reproductive allocation among environments. Reproductive Allocation in Plants describes why plants differ in the proportion of their resources that they allocate to reproduction and looks into the various theories. This book examines the ecological and evolutionary explanations for variation in plant reproductive allocation from the perspective of the underlying physiological mechanisms controlling reproduction and growth. An international team of leading experts have prepared chapters summarizing the current state of the field and offering their views on the factors determining reproductive allocation in plants. This will be a valuable resource for senior undergraduate students, graduate students and researchers in ecology, plant ecophysiology, and population biology. 8 outstanding chapters dedicated to the evolution and ecology of variation in plant reproductive allocation Written by an international team of leading experts in the field Provides enough background information to make it accessible to senior undergraduate students Includes over 60 figures and 29 tables