Plant Development: The Cellular Basis

Plant Development offers to students of plant physiology a concise and highly readable introduction to plant development. Focusing on events at the molecular and cellular levels, the book highlights some of the key processes operating in the formation of plants, and examines areas of research yielding a fuller understanding of the underlying regulatory mechanisms. While assuming a basic knowledge of plant morphology, the book describes a host developmental strategies across a spectrum of plant groups ranging from algae to higher plants. The opening chapters deal with the evolution of fundamental structure and highlights some of the related problems before leading into a careful consideration of meristem structure and function. Central chapters examine the control of plant shape and direction of growth, and provides a platform for the subsequent discussion of cell differentiation. Chapter 9 looks at genetic regulation of development, and the final section focuses on competence, determination and co-ordination of growth.