Preface

As we enter the twenty-first century, plant science is once again assuming a prominent role in research. Renewed emphasis on developing medicinal products from native plants has encouraged ethno-botanical endeavors. The destruction of the rain forests has made the timing for this research imperative and has spurred efforts to catalog the plant biodiversity in these environments. Efforts to feed the growing populations in developing nations have also positioned plant scientists at the cutting edge of genetic engineering with the creation of transgenic crops. However, in recent decades, botany courses have seen a decline in enrollment, and some courses have even disappeared from the curriculum in many universities. We have written Plants and Society in an effort to offset this trend. By taking a multidisciplinary approach to studying the relationship between plants and people, we hope to stimulate interest in plant science and encourage students to further study. Also by exposing students to society’s historical connection to plants, we hope to instill a greater appreciation for the botanical world.

AUDIENCE

Students usually take a course of this nature in their freshman or sophomore year to satisfy a science requirement in the general education curriculum. Typically, they are not biology majors. Although most students enroll to satisfy the science requirement, many become enthusiastic about the subject matter. Students, even those with a limited science background, should not encounter any problems with the level of scientific detail in this text.

As indicated, the primary market for this text would be a plants and society course; however, it would certainly be suitable for an introductory general botany course as well.

ORGANIZATION

Plants and Society is organized into 26 chapters that are grouped into seven units. The first nine chapters cover the basic botany found in an introductory course. However, even in these chapters we have included many applied topics; some in the boxed essays but others directly in the chapter text.

Unit I—Plants and Society: The Botanical Connections to Our Lives. Chapter 1 stresses the overall importance of plants in everyday life. The properties of life and an introduction to chemistry are included. Flowering and non-flowering plants, algae, and fungi are introduced. The diversity and applications of phytochemicals is also presented.

Unit II—Introduction to Plant Life: Botanical Principles. This unit addresses basic botany. Chapters cover plant structure from the cellular level through the mature plant. Reproduction, including mitosis and meiosis and the life cycle of flowering plants, is discussed in a separate chapter. Other chapters cover genetics, evolution, plant physiology, plant systematics, and plant diversity. Some of the economic aspects of plants discussed in this unit are the importance of vegetables and fruits, the connection between sugar and slavery, plant essential oils and perfumes, phytoremediation, the applications of palynology, and species conservation.

Unit III—Plants As a Source of Food. This unit describes the major food crops. It begins with a chapter on the requirements for human nutrition and continues with a chapter on the origin of agriculture. Other chapters cover the grasses, the legumes, and starchy staples. The unit ends with a chapter on the Green Revolution, the loss of genetic diversity, the search for alternative crops, and the controversial development of transgenic crops.

Unit IV—Commercial Products Derived from Plants. This unit covers other crops that provide us with consumable products such as beverages, herbs and spices, and materials such as cloth, paper, and wood. The historical origin and societal impact of these crops are explored.

Unit V—Plants and Human Health. This unit introduces students to the historical foundations of Western medicine, the practice of herbal medicine, and the chemistry of secondary plant products. Descriptions of the plants that provide us with medicinal products and psychoactive drugs are discussed. The unit also covers the ubiquitous poisonous and allergy plants in our environment.

Unit VI—Algae and Fungi: The Impact of Algae and Fungi on Human Affairs. This unit describes the economic importance of the algae and fungi, including their biology and crucial roles in the environment. The algae are recognized as key producers in aquatic environments, and as sources of human food, devastating blooms, and industrial products. Fermented beverages and foods from fungi are discussed, as is the medical importance of fungi as sources of antibiotics, toxins, and diseases affecting crops and people.

Unit VII—Plants and the Environment. Chapter 26 is an introduction to the principles of ecology: the ecosystem, niches, food chains, biogeochemical cycles, and ecological succession. The major biomes of the world are discussed, with an emphasis on the economic value of certain desert plants and the strategy of extractive reserves in the rain forest. The problems associated with rising levels of the greenhouse gas CO₂ and the environmental consequences of global warming are addressed.

APPROACH

LEARNING AIDS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Our students, colleagues, families, and friends have inspired and supported us during the long revision process. We are also extremely grateful to the insightful comments of our reviewers and for their assistance in improving the accuracy and clarity of Plants and Society.