When it comes to reproduction, gymnosperms are deeply weird. Cycads and co- fers have drawn out reproduction: at least 13 genera take over a year from polli- tion to fertilization. Since they don’t apparently have any selection mechanism by which to discriminate among pollen tubes prior to fertilization, it is natural to w- der why such a delay in reproduction is necessary. Claire Williams’ book celebrates such oddities of conifer reproduction. She has written a book that turns the context of many of these reproductive quirks into deeper questions concerning evolution. The origins of some of these questions can be traced back Wilhelm Hofmeister’s 1851 book, which detailed the revolutionary idea of alternation of generations. This alternation between diploid and haploid generations was eventually to become one of the key unifying ideas in plant evolution. Dr. Williams points out that alter- tion of generations in conifers shows strong divergence in the evolution of male and female gametes, as well as in the synchronicity of male and female gamete development. How are these coordinated to achieve fertilization? Books on conifer reproduction are all too rare. The only major work in the last generation was Hardev Singh’s 1978 Embryology of Gymnosperms, a book that summarized the previous century’s work. Being a book primarily about embry- ogy, it stopped short of putting conifer reproduction in a genetic or evolutionary context.

Black & white print. Concepts of Biology is designed for the typical introductory biology course for nonmajors, covering standard scope and sequence requirements. The text includes interesting applications and conveys the major themes of biology, with content that is meaningful and easy to understand. The book is designed to demonstrate biology concepts and to promote scientific literacy.

Dendrology: Cones, Flowers, Fruits and Seeds offers a comprehensive overview of the morphology of reproductive organs of woody plants of Europe in one resource. The book contains 2020 woody taxa (845 species, 58 subspecies, 38 varieties, 13 forms, 40 hybrids and 1026 cultivars), belonging to 400 genera and 121 families. It includes 447 taxa of trees and shrubs that are autochthonous in Europe and numerous ornamental species that originate from North America, Asia, South America, Australia and Africa, along with invasive woody species. Accompanied by thousands of original photographs, the book is designed to efficiently guide the reader to accurate identification. Other features include taxa organized in alphabetical order of their botanical names, flowering and fruiting time, mode of fruit or seed dispersal, and distribution range, making this a must-have reference for students and researchers in dendrology, botany, forestry, forest management and conservation, arboriculture and horticulture. - Includes 2,020 taxa of trees and shrubs important for the European dendrology - Provides detailed descriptions of reproductive organs and data on the reproductive biology of the described taxa - Contains 6,644 original, high-quality photographs of habits, cones, flowers, fruits and seeds

This book is the first comprehensive volume on conifers detailing their genomes, variations, and evolution. The book begins with general information about conifers such as taxonomy, geography, reproduction, life history, and social and economic importance. Then topics discussed include the full genome sequence, complex traits, phenotypic and genetic variations, landscape genomics, and forest health and conservation. This book also synthesizes the research included to provide a bigger picture and suggest an evolutionary trajectory. As a large plant family, conifers are an important part of economic botany. The group includes the pines, spruces, firs, larches, yews, junipers, cedars, cypresses, and sequoias. Of the phylum Coniferophyta, conifers typically bear cones and evergreen leaves. Recently, there has been much data available in conifer genomics with the publication of several crop and non-crop genome sequences. In addition to their economic importance, conifers are an important habitat for humans and animals, especially in developing parts of the world. The application of genomics for improving the productivity of conifer crops holds great promise to help provide resources for the most needy in the world.

A compelling account of the extraordinary relatives of ordinary garden conifers. Leading expert Aljos Farjon provides a compelling narrative that observes conifers from the standpoint of the curious naturalist. It starts with the basic question of what conifers are and continues to explore their evolution, taxonomy, ecology, distribution, human uses, and issues of conservation. As the story unfolds many popular misconceptions are dispelled, such as the false notion that all conifers have cones. The extraordinary diversity of conifers begins to dawn as Farjon describes the diminutive creeping shrub Microcachrys tetragona, whose strange seed cones resemble raspberries, and the prehistoric-looking Araucaria meulleri. The taxonomic diversity of conifers is huge and Farjon goes on to relate how, over the course of 300 million years, these trees and shrubs have adapted to survive geological upheavals, climatic extremes, and formidable competition from flowering plants. All who seek to learn more about the early history of life on our planet will cherish this book.

A 2014 Choice Magazine "Outstanding Academic Title" An Atlas of the World's Conifers is the first ever atlas of all known conifer species. It is based on locality information of ca. 37,000 collected herbarium specimens held in scientific institutions. As well as providing natural distribution maps for each species, Farjon and Filer give the reader comprehensive insight into the biogeography, diversity and conservation status of conifers on all continents, dispelling the widely held view that they are primarily a northern boreal plant group. Conifer diversity is analysed and presented with a taxonomic and geographic perspective. Distribution patterns are interpreted using the latest information on continental drift, dispersal and phylogeny. The entire dataset supporting the Atlas can be consulted and verified online. These data can also be used for further research and are an invaluable resource for anyone working on conifer systematics, biogeography or conservation. An Atlas of the World’s Conifers indicates the known distribution of all conifers including an analysis of their biogeography, diversity and conservation status. Also available from Brill is Aljos Farjon’s A Handbook of the World's Conifers, published in 2010 (ISBN 978 90 04 17718 5) which is a 2017 Choice Magazine "Outstanding Academic Title".

"What are the lives of trees, of conifers, like'. . . How do seedlings establish and develop into saplings? How do some seedlings stay alive for decades, marking time in the deep shade of the forest? How do the distinctive forms of saplings of the different species arise'. . . When, how, and where do cones come from? What is the sex life of a conifer? Where does pollen come from? What does pollen do?" - From the Introduction A comparative account of the coniferous trees indigenous to Northeastern North America Extensively illustrated with full-colour photographs, diagrams, and drawings by the author, Graham R. Powell's Lives of Conifers examines the complex and fascinating life cycles of the 12 coniferous trees that grow naturally in northeastern North America on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. Tracing their development from seeds and seedlings, to saplings, through the pole stage to maturity, old age, and death, the book is designed to pro-vide a comparison of each species at each stage of life, thus aiding in the recognition and identification of species at all stages of their existence. It includes descriptions of developmental processes and how they differ among the species. The species covered in the book are: the balsam fir, eastern hemlock, tamarack larch, eastern white pine, jack pine, pitch pine, red pine, black spruce, red spruce, white spruce, eastern juniper, and eastern thuja. The book is based almost entirely on what is visible to the careful observer in the forest, and includes only the parts of trees that can be seen above ground. Lives of Conifers will appeal to forest scientists, forestry students, foresters, forest technologists, botanists, horticulturists, arborists, naturalists, and general readers interested in knowing more about their natural surroundings.

Dendrochronologists have long estimated the impact of climate on tree-ring growth by empirical-statistical methods. The use of the model is illustrated with examples from widely differing environments, and possible future directions for model development and application are discussed. As forests are the main carbon sink on land, the results are of great importance for all global change studies.