Plant Conservation: A Natural History Approach

by Gary A. Krupnick, W. John Kress, Daniel H. Janzen

Overview

Natural history has always been the foundation of conservation biology. For centuries, botanists collected specimens in the field to understand plant diversity; now that many habitats are threatened, botanists have turned their focus to conservation, and, increasingly, they look to the collections of museums, herbaria, and botanical gardens for insight on developing informed management programs. Plant Conservation explores the value of these collections in light of contemporary biodiversity studies.

Plant Conservation opens with a broad view of plant biodiversity and then considers evolutionary and taxonomic threats and consequences of habitat alteration; specific threats to plant diversity, such as invasive species and global climate change; consequences of plant population decline at the ecological, evolutionary, and taxonomic levels; and, finally, management strategies that protect plant biodiversity from further decline. With a unique perspective on biodiversity and scientific collections, Plant Conservation ultimately emphasizes the role museums and botanical gardens will play in future conservation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226455136
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	09/01/2005
Edition description:	1
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Gary A. Krupnick is director of the plant conservation unit at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.

W. John Kress is curator and research botanist as well as director of the Consortium for Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet at the Smithsonian Institution.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Daniel H. Janzen
Preface
Part I. Plant Diversity: Past and Present
Chapter 1. Evolution of Land Plant Diversity: Major Innovations and Lineages through Time
William A. DiMichele and Richard M. Bateman
Chapter 2. Diversity and Distribution of Plants
2.1 Terrestrial Plant Diversity
Jens Mutke, Gerold Kier, Gary A. Krupnick, and Wilhelm Barthlott
2.2 Marine Plant Diversity
Walter H. Adey
Chapter 3. Plant Extinctions
3.1 A Paleontological Perspective on Plant Extinctions
Scott Wing
3.2 Current Plant Extinctions: Chiaroscuro in Shades of Green
Bruce A. Stein and Warren L. Wagner
Part II. Plant Diversity: Habitats and Taxonomic Groups
Chapter 4. Case Studies in Select Tropical and Subtropical Habitats
4.1 The Ecuadorian Andes
John L. Clark
4.2 The Ramal de Guaramacal in the Venezuelan Andes
Laurence J. Dorr, Basil Stergios, and S. Miguel Niño
4.3 The Guiana Shield
Vicki A. Funk and Paul E. Berry
4.4 Pacific Oceanic Islands
Warren L. Wagner, Denise Mix, and Jonathan Price
4.5 The Gaoligong Mountains of Southwest China and Northeast Myanmar
Ai-Zhong Liu and W. John Kress
Chapter 5. Case Studies among Select Taxonomic Groups
5.1 Dinoflagellates: Phylum Dinoflagellata
Maria A. Faust
5.2 Lichens: Phylum Ascomycota
Rebecca Yahr and Paula T. DePriest
5.3 Mosses: Phylum Bryophyta
Harold E. Robinson
5.4 Grasses: Family Poaceae
Paul M. Peterson
5.5 Day Flowers: Family Commelinaceae
Robert B. Faden
5.6 Acanthus: Family Acanthaceae
Dieter C. Wasshausen
5.7 Daisies and Sunflowers: Family Asteraceae
Vicki A. Funk and Harold E. Robinson
5.8 African Violets: Family Gesneriaceae
Laurence E. Skog
5.9 Litchis and Rambutans: Family Sapindaceae
Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez
Part III. Contemporary Causes of Plant Extinction
Chapter 6. Habitat Fragmentation and Degradation
6.1 Forest Fragments and Tropical Plant Reproduction in Amazonian Brazil
Emilio M. Bruna and W. John Kress
6.2 Habitat Alteration in the Caribbean: Natural and Human-Induced
W. John Kress and Carol Horvitz
6.3 Habitat Loss: The Extreme Case of Madagascar
Dieter C. Wasshausen and Werner Rauh
6.4 Degradation of Algae in Coral Reefs
Walter H. Adey
6.5 Alteration of Kelp Communities in the Northwestern North Atlantic
Walter H. Adey and James N. Norris
Chapter 7. Invasive Species
Jessica Poulin, Ann Sakai, Stephen Weller, and Warren L. Wagner
Chapter 8. Global Climate Change: The Spring Temperate Flora
Paul M. Peterson, Stanwyn G. Shetler, Mones S. Abu-Asab, and Sylvia S. Orli
Chapter 9. Genetic Consequences of Reduced Diversity: Heterozygosity Loss, Inbreeding Depression, and Effective Population Size
Paul M. Peterson and Carrie L. McCracken
Part IV. The Conservation of Plant Diversity: Assessment, Management Strategies, and Action
Chapter 10. Mapping Biological Diversity
10.1 Herbarium Collections, Floras, and Checklists
W. John Kress and Vicki A. Funk
10.2 Hot Spots and Ecoregions
Gary A. Krupnick
10.3 Phylogenetic Considerations
M. Alejandra Jaramillo and Vicki A. Funk
Chapter 11. Assessing Conservation Status
11.1 Genetic Assessment Methods for Plant Conservation Biology
Elizabeth A. Zimmer
11.2 Species Assessment: The IUCN Red List
Gary A. Krupnick
11.3 Community Assessment: Rapid Assessment Teams
William S. Alverson
Chapter 12. Management Strategies
12.1 Ex situ Conservation of Plants
Stephen Blackmore
12.2 A Proposed Sustainable Coral-Reef Management Model
Mark M. Littler and Diane S. Littler
12.3 Application of a Seagrass Management Model
Mark M. Littler and Diane S. Littler
Chapter 13. Laws and Treaties: Is the Convention on Biological Diversity Protecting Plant Diversity?
Kerry ten Kate and W. John Kress
Chapter 14. Grassroots Conservation
Stanwyn G. Shetler
Conclusion: Documenting and Conserving Plant Diversity in the Future
W. John Kress and Gary A. Krupnick
List of Contributors
Index

Editorial Reviews

"[The book] provides substantial food for thought for students of terrestrial and aquatic ecology, botany, biology, environmental studies and those involved in wildlife biology and natural resource management. . . . As a botanical ecologist, I found the book insightful, logically structured and well written and I would recommend it as an academic text and as a good read for those with a background and interest in plant conservation."

Austral Ecology - Elizabeth A. Daley

"[This book] reveals a wealth of information about the organization of biological diversity from a global perspective and demonstrates the important contributions that herbaria, botanical gardens, and museums are making to this effort. In the process, it reveals how little we know about the very problem so many are trying to adddress, and highlights the importance of scientifically sound information as a baseline and an imnpetus for future research and concervation action."

Bioscience - Brian C. Husband

"Written predominantly by systematists and taxonomists, the volume offers a very useful perspective on the complex issues of plant conservation and the debates over what must be done to preserve botanical diversity. Many readers will find the early chapters on the evolutionary context of plant diversity especially informative and the geographic and taxonomic case studies fascinating. . . . Krupnick, Kress, and the contributors have produced an excellent overview that will serve as both a reference for conservation professionals and a great resource for university teaching."

Science - Mike Maunder

[This book] reveals a wealth of information about the organization of biological diversity from a global perspective and demonstrates the important contributions that herbaria, botanical gardens, and museums are making to this effort. In the process, it reveals how little we know about the very problem so many are trying to adddress, and highlights the importance of scientifically sound information as a baseline and an imnpetus for future research and concervation action.

— Brian C. Husband

Bioscience

[The book] provides substantial food for thought for students of terrestrial and aquatic ecology, botany, biology, environmental studies and those involved in wildlife biology and natural resource management. . . . As a botanical ecologist, I found the book insightful, logically structured and well written and I would recommend it as an academic text and as a good read for those with a background and interest in plant conservation.

— Elizabeth A. Daley

Austral Ecology

Written predominantly by systematists and taxonomists, the volume offers a very useful perspective on the complex issues of plant conservation and the debates over what must be done to preserve botanical diversity. Many readers will find the early chapters on the evolutionary context of plant diversity especially informative and the geographic and taxonomic case studies fascinating. . . . Krupnick, Kress, and the contributors have produced an excellent overview that will serve as both a reference for conservation professionals and a great resource for university teaching.

— Mike Maunder

Science