KR Shivanna - Böcker

This book provides information about the key aspects of plant-animal interactions, both mutualistic and antagonistic, which are important for the functioning of communities in their natural habitats and play a crucial role in the diversification of plants and animals. It covers the fundamental and applied aspects of these eco-services, including pollination and seed dispersal, and discusses their critical role in sustaining biodiversity. Detailing the basic concepts of these mutualistic interactions, the subject matter of this book also includes:Plant-Pollinator-Robber InteractionRecent Advances on Biotic Seed Dispersal by VertebratesPollination Diversity in OrchidsPollen-Pistil Interaction and FertilizationSeed Dispersal and Seed PredationThe book will serve as a comprehensive guide for post-graduate students, teachers and researchers in the areas of Biology, Ecology, Botany, Zoology, Agri-horticulture, Forestry, and Conservation Biology.This title has been co-published with MUP. T&F does not sell or distribute the print editions in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri lanka.

Pollen grains are everywhere - in the air, in the water, in soil and in the food we eat. Pollen has direct relevance in agriculture, horticulture, plant breeding, crop improvement and biotechnology. They are further of use for monitoring cytotoxic effects - by herbicides, pesticides and pollutants - testing for allergic reactions, and for basic studies on gene expression, research on differentiation and polarity. Detailed instruction of the standard techniques, which have all been tested and improvised by the authors, are given, such as collection and storage of pollen, pollen culture, germination, tests for viability, incompatibility and isolation of protoplasts. Introduced by an explanation of the principles involved, the step-by-step protocols are complemented by personal notes and precautions, specifying the reagents used and various appendices on basic and specific requirements for laboratory exercises on pollen.

Successful reproduction is the basis not only for the stability of the species in their natural habitat but also for productivity of our crop plants. Therefore, knowledge on reproductive ecology of wild and cultivated plants is important for effective management of our dwindling biodiversity and for the sustainability and improvement of the yield in crop species. Conservation and management of our plant diversity is going to be a major challenge in the coming decades, particularly in the tropical countries which are rich in biodiversity. Reproductive failure is the main driver for pushing a large number of tropical species to vulnerable category. Available data on reproductive ecology on tropical species is very limited and there is an urgent need to initiate research on these lines. A major limitation for the beginners to take up research is the absence of simple concise work manuals that provide step-wise procedures to study all aspects of reproductive ecology.The Manual fills this void. Over 60 protocols described in the manual cover the whole spectrum of reproductive ecology - study sites and species, phenology, floral morphology and sexuality, pollen and pistil biology, pollination ecology, breeding system, seed biology, seed dispersal and seedling recruitment. Each chapter gives a concise conceptual account of the topic before describing the protocols. The Manual caters to researchers, teachers and students who are interested in any aspect of reproductive ecology of flowering plants -- botanists, ecologists, agri-horticulturists, foresters, entomologists, plant breeders and conservation biologists.