Author : David Attenborough
Publisher : Princeton Univ Department of Art &
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 10,45 MB
Release : 1995
Category : Botany.
ISBN : 9780691006390
Shows how plants avoid predators, find food, increase their territory, reproduce, and obtain sunlight
Author : Peter Tompkins
Publisher : HarperCollins
Page : 420 pages
File Size : 14,6 MB
Release : 2018-06-12
Category : Nature
ISBN : 006287442X
"Once in a while you find a book that stuns you. Its scope leaves you breathless. This is such a book." — John White, San Francisco Chronicle Explore the inner world of plants and its fascinating relation to mankind, as uncovered by the latest discoveries of science. In this truly revolutionary and beloved work, drawn from remarkable research, Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird cast light on the rich psychic universe of plants. The Secret Life of Plants explores plants' response to human care and nurturing, their ability to communicate with man, plants' surprising reaction to music, their lie-detection abilities, their creative powers, and much more. Tompkins and Bird's classic book affirms the depth of humanity's relationship with nature and adds special urgency to the cause of protecting the environment that nourishes us.
Author : David Attenborough
Publisher :
Page : 328 pages
File Size : 29,58 MB
Release : 1995
Category : Nature
ISBN :
Without plants, there would be no food, no animals of any sorts, no life on earth at all. Yet for most of the time their lives remain a secret to us, hidden, private events. The reason is merely a difference of time. Plants live on a different time-scale from ours. Though not obviously to the naked eye, they are constantly on the move: developing, fighting, avoiding or exploiting predators or neighbours, struggling to find food, to increase their territories, to reproduce themselves, to find and hold a place in the sun. We only need to learn to look. In this book, and his BBC television series, David Attenborough does look. He examines in turn the great trials of plant life the world over: 1 Travelling 2 Growing 3 Flowering 4 The Social Struggle 5 Living Together 6 Surviving David Attenborough shows us the natural world and how it works, with a clarity and infectious enthusiasm that few other writers or film-makers ahve matched. One of the most successful teachers of the late 20th century, his books and films are consistently of the highest quality. The Private Life of Plants is central to his work, the background to all that he has studied so far. Given this fascinating new view of vegetable life, anything that grows on soil or rock or water, in open country or the smallest garden, suddenly it seems quite different: less gentle altogether, in restless motion night and day, locked in the endless competition necessary for survivial. ""This is David Attenborough at his best . . .Full of delights and surprises, even for those who thought they knew about the seemingly passive green world around us."" Professor Grenville Lucas Keeper of the Herbarium and Library, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Author : David Beerling
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 381 pages
File Size : 50,25 MB
Release : 2017-05-12
Category : Science
ISBN : 0192529781
Plants have profoundly moulded the Earth's climate and the evolutionary trajectory of life. Far from being 'silent witnesses to the passage of time', plants are dynamic components of our world, shaping the environment throughout history as much as that environment has shaped them. In The Emerald Planet, David Beerling puts plants centre stage, revealing the crucial role they have played in driving global changes in the environment, in recording hidden facets of Earth's history, and in helping us to predict its future. His account draws together evidence from fossil plants, from experiments with their living counterparts, and from computer models of the 'Earth System', to illuminate the history of our planet and its biodiversity. This new approach reveals how plummeting carbon dioxide levels removed a barrier to the evolution of the leaf; how plants played a starring role in pushing oxygen levels upwards, allowing spectacular giant insects to thrive in the Carboniferous; and it strengthens fascinating and contentious fossil evidence for an ancient hole in the ozone layer. Along the way, Beerling introduces a lively cast of pioneering scientists from Victorian times onwards whose discoveries provided the crucial background to these and the other puzzles. This understanding of our planet's past sheds a sobering light on our own climate-changing activities, and offers clues to what our climatic and ecological futures might look like. There could be no more important time to take a close look at plants, and to understand the history of the world through the stories they tell. Oxford Landmark Science books are 'must-read' classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas, and shaped the way we think.
Author : Matt Candeias
Publisher : Mango Media Inc.
Page : 297 pages
File Size : 32,84 MB
Release : 2021-03-16
Category : Science
ISBN : 1642504548
The Study of Plants in a Whole New Light “Matt Candeias succeeds in evoking the wonder of plants with wit and wisdom.” ―James T. Costa, PhD, executive director, Highlands Biological Station and author of Darwin's Backyard #1 New Release in Nature & Ecology, Plants, Botany, Horticulture, Trees, Biological Sciences, and Nature Writing & Essays In his debut book, internationally-recognized blogger and podcaster Matt Candeias celebrates the nature of plants and the extraordinary world of plant organisms. A botanist’s defense. Since his early days of plant restoration, this amateur plant scientist has been enchanted with flora and the greater environmental ecology of the planet. Now, he looks at the study of plants through the lens of his ever-growing houseplant collection. Using gardening, houseplants, and examples of plants around you, In Defense of Plants changes your relationship with the world from the comfort of your windowsill. The ruthless, horny, and wonderful nature of plants. Understand how plants evolve and live on Earth with a never-before-seen look into their daily drama. Inside, Candeias explores the incredible ways plants live, fight, have sex, and conquer new territory. Whether a blossoming botanist or a professional plant scientist, In Defense of Plants is for anyone who sees plants as more than just static backdrops to more charismatic life forms. In this easily accessible introduction to the incredible world of plants, you’ll find: • Fantastic botanical histories and plant symbolism • Passionate stories of flora diversity and scientific names of plant organisms • Personal tales of plantsman discovery through the study of plants If you enjoyed books like The Botany of Desire, What a Plant Knows, or The Soul of an Octopus, then you’ll love In Defense of Plants.
Author : Jane Goodall
Publisher : Grand Central Publishing
Page : 440 pages
File Size : 11,85 MB
Release : 2014-04-01
Category : Nature
ISBN : 1455554480
From world-renowned scientist Jane Goodall, as seen in the new National Geographic documentary Jane, comes a fascinating examination of the critical role that trees and plants play in our world. From world-renowned scientist Jane Goodall, as seen in the new National Geographic documentary Jane, comes a fascinating examination of the critical role that trees and plants play in our world. Seeds of Hope takes us from Goodall's home in England to her home-away-from-home in Africa, deep inside the Gombe forest, where she and the chimpanzees are enchanted by the fig and plum trees they encounter. She introduces us to botanists around the world, as well as places where hope for plants can be found, such as The Millennium Seed Bank. She shows us the secret world of plants with all their mysteries and potential for healing our bodies as well as Planet Earth. Looking at the world as an adventurer, scientist, and devotee of sustainable foods and gardening--and setting forth simple goals we can all take to protect the plants around us--Goodall delivers an enlightening story of the wonders we can find in our own backyards.
Author : Sŭng-u Yi
Publisher : Library of Korean Literature
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,96 MB
Release : 2015
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781628971163
"The Private Life of Plants is about the ways in which desire can both worsen and mitigate our flaws. We meet amputee sons whose mothers cart them from brothel to brothel; we meet brothers who love their brother's lovers, and whose lovers in turn are stolen away by the husbands of their sisters. Sexuality in all its ugliness and wonder is put under the microscope by Lee Seung-U, who reminds us that love may come in various forms, but that it is, nonetheless, a force that unifies us all . . . whether we like it or not."--Back cover.
Author : David Attenborough
Publisher : Random House
Page : 292 pages
File Size : 25,85 MB
Release : 2005
Category : Insects
ISBN : 0563522089
David Attenborough invites you to witness the dramatic battles between predator and prey that are happening in the corner of your living room and in your larder - and get up close and personal with scorpions and centipedes, mites and mantids, spiders and dragonflies.
Author : Sir David Attenborough
Publisher : Grand Central Publishing
Page : 235 pages
File Size : 38,69 MB
Release : 2020-10-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 1538720000
*Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Science & Technology Book of the Year* In this scientifically informed account of the changes occurring in the world over the last century, award-winning broadcaster and natural historian shares a lifetime of wisdom and a hopeful vision for the future. See the world. Then make it better. I am 93. I've had an extraordinary life. It's only now that I appreciate how extraordinary. As a young man, I felt I was out there in the wild, experiencing the untouched natural world - but it was an illusion. The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us, barely noticeable from day to day -- the loss of our planet's wild places, its biodiversity. I have been witness to this decline. A Life on Our Planet is my witness statement, and my vision for the future. It is the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake -- and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right. We have one final chance to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited. All we need is the will to do so.
Author : Wolfgang Stuppy
Publisher :
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 48,33 MB
Release : 2012
Category : Plants
ISBN : 9781770851252
THE BIZARRE AND INCREDIBLE WORLD OF PLANTS, which sold 6,000 copies in hardcover and is now available in paperback This title brings together the best of these three books in one fascinating union of art and science, POLLEN: THE HIDDEN SEXUALITY OF FLOWERS; SEEDS: TIME CAPSULES OF LIFE; AND FRUIT: EDIBLE, INEDIBLE, INCREDIBLE. Each earned high praise that varied from "breathtaking" and "ravishing" to "enlightening" and "truly revelatory." Visual artist Rob Kesseler uses special light and scanning electron microscopy to create astonishing images of a variety of pollen, seeds and fruits. His razor-sharp cross-sections reveal intricate interiors, pods, pouches, keys, and other examples of botanical architecture and seed dispersal. Seed morphologist Wolfgang Stuppy and palynologist Madeline Harley deftly explain the botanical purposes for which the pollen, seeds and fruit are designed, how they fulfill their mission, and their role in preserving the biodiversity of our planet. Literary references and early botanical illustrations pepper the text. THE BIZARRE AND INCREDIBLE WORLD OF PLANTS is groundbreaking in its intimate examination of plant reproduction. It is an essential source and reference for artists, designers and photographers and will fascinate gardeners and readers interested in the natural world. AUTHOR: Wolfgang Stuppy is a seed morphologist for the Millennium Seed Bank at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Rob Kesseler is a visual arts professor and artist who works with microscopic plant material at London's Royal Botanic Gardens. Madeline Harley, PhD, FLS, is head of the palynology unit at the Royal Botanic Gardens. ILLUSTRATIONS: Colour photographs
