Reaching for the sun : how plants work /

Reaching for the sun : how plants work /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	King, John, 1938-
Edition:	2nd ed.
Imprint:	Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Description:	1 online resource (xi, 298 pages) : illustrations
Language:	English
Subject:	Plants. Botany. Botany. Plants. Electronic books.
Format:	E-Resource Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11826764

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9780511859182 051185918X 9780511860928 0511860927 9780511973895 0511973896 0511858310 9780511858314 9780521518048 0521518040 9780521736688 0521736684
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references and index. Print version record.
Summary:	"From their ability to use energy from sunlight to make their own food, to combating attacks from diseases and predators, plants have evolved an amazing range of life-sustaining strategies. Written with the non-specialist in mind, John King's lively natural history explains how plants function, from how they gain energy and nutrition to how they grow, develop and ultimately die. New to this edition is a section devoted to plants and the environment, exploring how problems created by human activities, such as global warming, pollution of land, water and air, and increasing ocean acidity, are impacting on the lives of plants. King's narrative provides a simple, highly readable introduction, with boxes in each chapter offering additional or more advanced material for readers seeking more detail. He concludes that despite the challenges posed by growing environmental perils, plants will continue to dominate our planet"--
Other form:	Print version: King, John, 1938- Reaching for the sun. 2nd ed. Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2011 9780521518048

Table of Contents:

Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the First Edition
Part I. Plants and energy. 1. Photosynthesis: the leitmotiv of life
2. Plant respiration: breathing without lungs
Part II. Plant nutrition. 3. Plants are cool, but why?
4. Nutrition for the healthy lifestyle
5. Nitrogen, nitrogen, everywhere ...
6. Transport of delights
Part III. Growth and development. 7. Growth: the long and the short of it
8. The time of their lives
9. A dash of seasoning
10. Dormancy: a matter of survival
11. Color, fragrance, and flavor
Part IV. Stress, defense, and decline. 12. Stressful tranquility
13. Chemical warfare
14. Senescence and death
Part V. Plants and the environment. 15. Elemental cycles
16. The human touch
Appendix : Genetic engineering : an essential tool in a rapidly changing world.