About the Authors

Dr. Peter Raven is director of the Missouri Botanical Garden and Engelmann Professor of Botany at Washington University. Dr. Raven oversees the Garden's internationally recognized research program in tropical botany, one of the most active in the world in the study and conservation of imperiled habitats. A distinguished scientist, Dr. Raven is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Research Council, and is a MacArthur and a Guggenheim fellow. He has received numerous honors and awards for his botanical research and work in tropical conservation, including the National Medal of Science. In addition to coauthoring this text with Dr. George Johnson, Dr. Raven has authored twenty other books and several hundred scientific articles.

Dr. George Johnson is Professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, where he has taught genetics and general biology to undergraduates for 29 years. Also Professor of Genetics at Washington University School of Medicine, he is a student of population genetics and evolution. He has authored more than 50 scientific publications, and several high school and college texts, including The Living World, a very successful non-majors college biology text. He has pioneered the development of interactive CD-ROM and web-based investigations for biology teaching.

Dr. Susan Singer is professor of biology at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she has taught introductory biology, plant biology, plant development, and developmental genetics for 15 years. Her research interests are focused on the development and evolution of flowering plants. Susan has authored numerous scientific publications on plant development, contributed chapters to developmental biology texts, and been actively involved with the education efforts of several professional societies. She is also the coordinator for the Perlman Center for Learning and Teaching at Carleton.

Dr. Jonathan Losos is an associate professor in the Department of Biology at Washington University and is also director of the university's Tyson Research Center. An evolutionary biologist, Losos' research has focused on studying patterns of adaptive radiation and evolutionary diversification in lizards. The recipient of several awards including the prestigious Theodosius Dobzhanksy and David Starr Jordan Prizes for outstanding young evolutionary biologists, Losos has published more than seventy scientific articles.

Again, William C. Ober and Claire Garrison have enhanced the art program for this text with many new and revised full-color illustrations. Bill's artistic skills, knowledge of biology, and experience gained from an earlier career as a practicing physician have enriched this text through six of its editions. Claire practiced pediatric and obstetric nursing before turning to scientific illustration as a full-time career. Texts illustrated by Bill and Claire have received national recognition and won awards from the Association of Medical Illustrators, American Institute of Graphic Arts, Chicago Book Clinic, Printing Industries of America, and Bookbuilders West. They are also recipients of the Art Directors Award.