PLANT
SCIENCE BULLETIN
December 1973
A Publication of the Botanical Society of America, Inc.
Vol. 19 No.4
Contents
Teaching
and Introductory Courses Charles Heimsch - 50
Decremental Planning Elwood B. Ehrle - 52
Opinion/Commentary - The Annual Meeting: Habit-Forming
or Forming Habits? Richard M. Klein - 54
International Symposium on the Biology and Management of
Mangroves - 54
The First International Congress of Systematic and Evolutionary
Biology - 55
Professional Opportunities - 55
Editor's Notes - Who is a botanist? - 56
Botanical Potpourri - 56
Personalia- 57
Adriance Sherwood Foster (1909-1973) - An Appreciation -
Donald R. Kaplan 57
Frank D. Kern (1883-1973) - 59
Harry J. Fuller (1907-1973) - 59
Book Reviews
Taxonomy, Phytogeography, and Evolution, D. H.
Valentine (ed.) - 60
Mushrooms of North America, Orson K. Miller, Jr.
- 60
Michigan Flora, Part 1. Gymnosperms and Monocots, Edward
G. Voss - 61
Ecology of Leaf Surface Micro-organisms, T. F. Preece
and C. H. Dickinson (eds.) - 61
Biosynthesis and its Control in Plants, B. V Milborrow
(ed.) - 62
Fundamentals of Plant Pathology, Daniel A. Roberts
and Carl w: Boothroyd - 62
Phytochemistry Vol. I. The Process and Products of
Photosynthesis, Lawrence P. Miller (ed.) 63
Evolutionary Biology, Vol. 6, Th. Dobzhansky,
K. Hecht, and w: C.Steere (eds.) - 63
Introduction to Plant Biochemistry, T. w: Goodwin
and E. I. Mercer - 64
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 50
TEACHING AND INTRODUCTORY COURSES
1
Charles Heimsch Department of Botany Miami University Oxford, Ohio
Attention to various aspects of teaching has been prominent on the national science scene during recent years. Commissions and committees have been organized for a variety of objectives, conferences have been held, and new instructional packages have been developed. These have ranged in focus from those which are concerned with discrete, specific units to complete courses. In some cases these developments have been supported by sizeable grants which have spawned texts, films and even complete television courses. In many colleges and universities entire curricula have been overturned and such institutional in- volvement has been a manifestation of the broadly based programs of reevaluation and redirection.
In the realm of the biological sciences it was the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) and related efforts that held prominence among the concerns for teaching objectives. These efforts were directed to the im- provement of secondary school biology instruction, and they utilized the talents of many of our fellow botanists. The alternative or experimental green, blue and yellow versions of the courses that resulted, as well as the ac- companying laboratory materials and films, are now well known. Whether or not these packages are continuing to be used directly on a large scale, there would seem to be no question that they had a strong impact and carry-over value in biological instruction. Aside from the greater competence of teachers that was encouraged, partly from the availability of special study or refresher courses, there were corollary benefits with respect to subject matter. Em- phasis on modern concepts and techniques in the BSCS products was perhaps their major innovation. Although it would be difficult to prove and certainly other factors were involved, it seems reasonable to believe that this program had some influence on the introductory texts for college and university courses that appeared later. Many of these texts are amazingly current with respect to modern problems and research findings. Prior to these events there was a much greater time lag before research findings were incorporated into introductory texts.
The Botanical Society of America has not neglected its responsibilities to teaching. For most of us it is our prime professional obligation and this has had long- standing recognition in the program of the Society. This program has been spearheaded by the activities of the Teaching Section which has regularly sponsored sessions or symposia concerned with our collective interests, and this meeting is no exception. Fellow members who have developed distinctive course offerings at their own in- stitutions have been prominent as leaders in the Society's program. Thus it is not inappropriate to focus on matters that relate to teaching in this address.
In some quarters it seems to have become fashionable to criticize the efforts
of college and university teachers. Legislators inquire into various facets of
involvement, ad- ministrators promote reforms as if teaching has reached an all~time
low, and students demand professor evaluation and a voice in administrative actions
con- cerning promotion and tenure. Cries are heard periodically that teachers
are unavailable, inept, disin- terested in students, or want only to do research.
With full recognition that it is dangerous to generalize, I am inclined to believe
that such accusations have little credibility among botanists. A combination of
factors and circumstances places a special premium on satisfactory teaching and
fosters a professional pride to encourage it for most of us. This has been my
own experience with colleagues in several institutions. I know that this applies
as well to many of you with whom I am well acquainted, and I am confident that
it holds true for us generally.
A common feature of those efforts which have been directed to the improvement of courses or the way in which they are taught is that virtually all have been con- cerned with the beginning course which provides the in- troductory experience in a subject area. Likewise, it seems that most attention has been given to the interests or ob- jectives of the general student or non-major. Whether there should be separate introductions for non-majors and majors is, of course, a perennial issue. Individual at- titudes are conditioned or regulated by institutional and departmental circumstances and a consensus is hardly to be expected. For botany, functioning as a separate depart- ment in contrast to a biology department is a major fac- tor. In many cases the viability of a separate department will depend on the course offerings that are available to the non-major.
Certainly not the least important ingredient in teaching considerations is the
student who is the con- sumer of the commodity. What many students expect from
their educational experience is highly conditioned by societal developments. There
are many signs that suggest we are continuing to experience what some have termed
a "humanistic backlash." As a consequence, the value of scientific or even botanical
instruction is lowered in esteem. One often comes to wonder what has happened
to the love of learning for its own sake. Pragmatic benefits and relevance are
frequently applied in weighing the value of a course. Many hold the conviction
that courses em- phasizing factual material are ill suited to the objectives of
the non-major. For them course experiences which are directed to the impact and
relationships of science with society are often viewed as preferable The future
leaders in local, state and national functions are, of course, included in the
present student population. They will be called upon for decisions and judgments
on scien- tific matters as have been required of other leaders, past and present.
Unfortunately there is no easy and simple way of assessing the meaning of a sound
scientific ex- perience for them, but it can hardly be reasoned that it would
be of no value.
Perhaps time will tell whether these developments on the academic scene are good,
bad, or indifferent. Their im-pact in different institutions has likely been variable.
In some, they appear to have been largely the concern of a general college with
perhaps little or no effects on depart-
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 51
mental programs where the emphasis
is rather exclusively on advanced instruction and research. In other in stitutions,
though, there has been direct impact on departmental programs with pronounced
changes.
It is appropriate to consider how botany may fit into these concerns. This is
not a new question in any sense. Much of our collective teaching effort is directed
toward providing the answer. Further, the question has been sub- jected to open
review repeatedly. I recall that in a sym- posium sponsored at least in part by
the Teaching Section quite a few years ago Professor Harry Fuller talked on "The
Role of Botany in a Liberal Education." Some of you may recall that he toyed with
the definition of a liberal education in his inimitable manner, but he established
the point that an experience in botanical in- struction indeed had a place. If
we are to consider the non-major student and his objectives, it is basically the
matter of a liberal education that we are dealing with. Although this goal may
defy clear definition because of its breadth and complexity, I have found a simplified
ex- pression of it useful and meaningful. Briefly, a liberal education should
encompass the principal elements of man's societal relationships and those of
his physical and biological environments. Inasmuch as plants are a primary component
of the biological environment, an ex- perience in botanical instruction is justified
for the student.
With your indulgence I wish to review the highlights of the changes we have made in the introductory courses in our botany program at Miami University. I do so with the full realization that such criticism might apply as that of a parent who talks excessively about his or her children. The justification in doing this, though, resides in the fact that for many years there has been maintained at Miami a strong departmental program that has produced a relatively large number of graduates who have entered botanical professions. This result has been attributable in many ways to the introductory course experience available to the student. The recent changes have been made in relation to a striking modification of the general curricular requirement in the University. The new curriculum has now been in effect for 2 years, thus a ten- tative assessment of the effectiveness of our changes can be made.
As a background for appreciating the impact of the change to our present general
curriculum, the former requirement which existed for 15 or more years needs to
be cited. Known as the Common Curriculum, its essential feature was that every
student, regardless of school or college affiliation was required to earn 12 credits
in each of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. In the natural
sciences, 6 credits were required in the physical sciences and 6 credits in the
biological sciences. With a recent change from a semester to a quarter calen-
dar the credit values were increased since the courses represented a full year
sequence.
Under this scheme, the botany course which served the Common Curriculum eventually
exceeded an enrollment of more than 500 as the student body in- creased in size.
It is a point of interest that more than half of the places in anyone year came
to be filled during preregistration held during the Spring, suggesting that the
course enjoyed a favorable image on the campus in com- petition ~ith those in
the other biological science departments. Without resorting to detail, the course
perhaps can be simply described as one in general botany; successive editions
of Wilson and Loomis were used as texts with our own laboratory guide. Concommitant
with this course, there was also a companion, more intensive course recom- mended
for prospective majors in botany and other sci- ences. This course regularly enrolled
100 or more students. At a time when our departmental majors num- bered about
75, we determined that about 75% of them had experienced the more intensive introdution
and the remainder were drawn from the so-called Common Curriculum course.
Our new general curriculum termed the University Requirement, has induced vast changes, more significant for the sciences than other disciplines. Its basic features reduce the fixed requirement to 9 quarter credits in each of the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, with an additional 28 credits to be elected in divisions or subjects outside the major. With the adoption of this change, departments were urged to consider single quarter units as against full-year sequences and most have done so. Under this scheme the students may elect to satisfy the science requirement in anyone subject or mix up the quar- ter courses as they may choose.
During our departmental planning for this new curriculum we came to know that many of the single quar- ter offerings of other departments were to be topical rather than of a survey nature. This along with the trends in our own thinking fashioned the courses now offered. Our deliberations consumed every weekly faculty meeting for a 2-month period. We assumed that the outcome would be vitally important to the entire departmental program, and in no way did we begrudge this expenditure of time and effort.
The basic feature of the result is that there is now available to the student an introductory" experience in a variety of botanical areas.- A total of seven different courses were involved and each of these presents a solid scientific experience in the area with which it is con- cerned. Some of these are offered every quarter; some are seasonal and are offered only in the Fall or Spring. Never are all offered at the same time. Others have been offered at least two of the three quarters of the regular year.
These courses are as follows:
- Plant Biology - which centers on principles as exemplified by structure
and function in seed plants.
- The Plant Kingdom - which demonstrates principles, through a survey
approach with emphasis on en- vironmental adaptation, reproduction, and evolution.
- Plants, Man and Environment - which focuses upon an understanding
of current environmental problems based upon elementary principles of plant
ecology.
- Plants and Civilization - relates plants to man's social and economic
development - history, exploration,
foods and other uses, and future demands.
- Trees and Shrubs - Identification of native and introduced woody plants.
- Spring Flora - Concerns on identification of spring-flowering components of the local flora.
- Vegetation of North America - which considers various appspects of
the major types of North American vegitation
In addition,
we have retained a 2-quarter General Botany course recommended for majors. It
is a more in- tensive version of the Plant Biology course by virtue of a' greater
total amount of class time.
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 52
The total enrollments for each of the entire two years the program has been in effect is as follows.
|
|
1971-72
|
1972-73 |
|
Plant Biology |
226 |
173 |
|
The Plant Kingdom |
111 |
72 |
|
Plants, Man and |
|
|
|
Environment |
284 |
565 |
|
Plants and Civilization |
91a |
154 |
|
Trees and Shrubs |
60a |
55a |
|
Spring Flora |
108 |
192a |
|
Vegetation of |
|
|
|
North America |
63a |
155 |
|
General Botany |
264 |
249 |
|
Total |
1,207 |
1,615 |
a-Offered only for one quarter during the year.
During the first year
of the new program not quite as many students were enrolled in the collective
courses as in the old curriculum. During the year just completed, though, we handled
30% more students in these courses than in the previous year. This is in part
the consequence of a different scheduling pattern, but other factors may be involved.
Preregistration figures for the coming year suggest that enrollments should at
least equal those of the year just completed.
The experience of only two years does not justify identification of trends, but the enrollments in the specific courses reveal what may be regarded as suggestions of trends. These courses which have no laboratory were very successful from the criterion of enrollment. These are Plants, Man and Environment, Plants and Civilization and Vegetation of North America. Plants, Man and En- vironment enrolled 284 students during two quarters of 1971-72; when offered during three quarters of 1972-73 its total enrollment was 565. PLants and Civilization offered once in 1971-72 enrolled 91, during 1972-73 when it was offered in two quarters the total students were 154. Vegetation of North America had 63 and 155 students, having been offered during one quarter and two quarters in the respective years. In the first year Spring Flora drew 108 students, but in this past year the number was nearly doubled despite the basic laboratory character of the course, conducted in the field when weather permitted. As an aside, it might be pointed out that this number of students has presented certain very real problems in con- serving local vegetation. The Trees and Shrubs course is a Fall offering that parallels Spring Flora. During the first two years it drew about 60 students'each time it was of- fered, but for next Fall nearly all of the 90 places we have provided have been filled.
Whereas those courses just cited showed enrollment increases, the Plant Biology and Plant Kingdom courses which in a sense can be regarded as core courses, showed a decrease in student numbers during the second year. Each of them was offered each quarter and together their total students were 337 and 245 in the respective years. The two-quarter General Botany course presents a con- trast, however. Each year it has been near the capacity of 150 students in 6 sections for the first quarter, with some decline during the second quarter. Among these non- majors exceed intended majors. Nearly 66% of the places in this course have already been filled for next year ac- cording to preregistration figures. Perhaps this record for the course is attributable to the fact that it carries 3 credit hours each quarter instead of 4 credits as most of the others.
Initially we were apprehensive concerning the success of the new course alignment at the registration desk, but thus far that issue seems to present no problem. Whereas during the planning stage we had already set aside the supposition that a general survey course was the preferable type of introduction, it was another matter to determine how this would work out in practice. One aspect of the new topical courses that could qualify them as more desirable than a survey introduction is that they would afford an experience in greater depth and would thereby have more lasting value to the student. Likewise, there is a choice that is presented, and this seemingly is much more acceptable than a single, prescribed offering. If the initial experience is satisfying to the student it could lead to subsequent registration with advantage to the de- partment. We have not compiled data on this point.
The new introductory curriculum I have described should probably be considered as an experiment that thus far has yielded only preliminary results. These results are encouraging, however, and they generally support the hypothesis. The courses sustain the departmental program, and the number of undergraduate majors which now totals 125 has not decreased. We have organized it in- dependently to fit our own specific situation and have not determined the extent to which it may exist wholly or in part elsewhere. We recognize, though, that likely it is not completely unique. The situation and circumstances that it has fit may have counterparts elsewhere, and I have chosen to bring it to your attention on this occasion for the merit or value it' may hold for others.
1 - Address of the retiring President of the Botanical Society of America, presented at the Society's annual banquet, June 20, 1973 at Amherst, Mass.
Decremental Planning
For more than a decade academicians have been effective in incremental planning. New ideas resulted in a search for new dollars, new staff, and new space. Programmatic increments were added to what went before. These were years of growth, development and programmatic enrichment on many campuses. How quickly the worm turns!
We are now entering a period of decremental plan- ning. New ideas can be implemented only by finding something we've been doing all along and stopping it. New dollars, new staff and new space are in short supply. Budgets cannot hold steady for long in the face of declining enrollments, declining public enthusiasm for higher education, the fiscal crunch, and inflation. The situation is complicated by the fact that many faculty members seem not to have realized that the worm, indeed, has turned.
The basic problem in decremental planning is to iden- tify priorities in such a way that a spartan vitality can be acquired in essential programs while at the same time building those programs demanded by a more vital future. These programs are not infrequently problem-focused and interdisciplinary. Most of the dollars and staff are now vested in disciplinary programs, many of which are declining. Therein lies part of the problem.
Many of our present programs seem to serve their in- stitutions only peripherally. The main concern in some cases seems to be to serve a discipline or a profession rather than to serve the students of the institution ex- pected to support the program. Furthermore, where the service is to the institution few seem to be able to ar. ticulate clearly just what this service is and why it should
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 53
be maintained. Many of our platitudes are wearing thin. If there really is value in continuing a particular program, it will be increasingly necessary for its staff to describe those values in a clear and compelling way.
The description of values in an arena of decremental planning inevitably turns to the setting of priorities. You can start with the position that everything being done in your department is important, necessary, and critical. If you stay in this position very long you simply don't un- derstand the problem and perhaps need to re-read the second paragraph. It is axiomatic that everything indeed is important, that is, important to someone, somewhere. If it weren't it would have been stopped long ago. The questions, rather, are how important and to whom.
The basic guidelines in decremental planning are to sort out priorities and to really put in effort where the priorities are. If you consider and classify everything going on in your department and array it in priority order you have made a strong start. If you are ready to abandon the bottom tenth, quarter, third, and half of the list you un- derstand what decremental planning is all about.
The determination of priorities is a difficult job in- volving many people and several levels of institutional leadership. A few examples may help to reveal just how difficult it can be to say no to "necessary" things.
A while ago I was asked to study the rehab needs of the twenty units in my School. After consultation with De- partment Chairmen, Program Directors and selected faculty, it became apparent that a minimum list involved fifteen necessary projects. I had examined the situations and satisfied myself that these fifteen were, indeed, necessary. The question of priority among them was so difficult that I arranged them in two priority classes with five projects in the top priority class. In due course central administration called me in with the question, "Which two proje<;ts did I really want done'?" Two projects, mind you, when fifteen are "necessary." It is clearer and clearer that there are only so many dollars available. The more we spend on rehab, the less will be available for equip- ment, library, and so forth. It's priorities all the way.
A second example deals with the way in which cam- puses handle their salary dollars. In the old days (prior to 1971) salary increases came along pretty easily in most academic institutions, particularly public colleges and universities. Across-the-board raises aere healthfully ahead of cost-of-living increases. Dollars were available to award exceptional merit, right past inequities, provide a boost upon promotion, and accomplish many other in- stitutional odjectives. Negotiations about these matters between Department Chairmen, Deans, faculty groups, and legislators were generally simple and comparatively amiable. After all, everyone wanted the same things - more money for more people to do more things. In- cremental planning carried the day. That day is over. While legislators and trustees are fixing smaller per- centage increases or lower total dollar limits for salaries, our priorities appear not to be seen or understood. Perhaps we haven't adequately figured out what they are! Decremental planning for fewer dollars for fewer people to do fewer things will change all that. New relations will be established between "necessary" across-the-board needs, affirmative action and other inequities, merit, promotion, and other institutional objectives. Negotiations will become more complex and less charitable. Everyone will no longer want the same thing.
Priorities will be as crucial in decision making about salary dollars as they
will in all other categoriependiture.
An additional problem. in decremental planning is figuring out when to use across~the-board
reductions and when to proceed selectively. If priorities have not been sufficiently
built into the budg.ts to be cut, it may be desirable to proceed selectively.
Ockham's Razor, suggesting the desirability of the least complex action accomplishing
the objectives, may lead to an across-the- board reduction of all accounts. The
temptation to use across-the-board reductions should be resisted and used only
when you've already built priorities into budgets and only when you can't figure
out a better way to accomplish the objectives.
Faculty position reductions are another matter. When student enrollments are dropping
off rapidly in foreign languages, it makes little sense to begin non-renewal procedures
for professors in biology. Since many depart- ments, like Topsy, just "growed"
over the last decade, one might think that faculty reductions should fall across-the-
board. This College has taken the position that that would be an error. There
are three reasons for this. First, to a large extent system resources must follow
student in- terests. To maintain a twenty-person department no longer attracting
students is a waste of resources not tolerable in decremental planning. Second,
some programs are growing rapidly and need additional positions. Even if these
cannot be supplied as rapidly as needed, it makes no sense to cut growing programs
in an across-the-board sweep. Third, in small programs a reduction may place them
below a critical mass level. Where this must be done, thought should be given
to the relation- ship of the program's priorities and the institution's toward
the end of deciding whether to eliminate the program entirely. If the relationship
match is a good one, the program should be maintained and the reduction absorbed
elsewhere. If the match is poor, it might be better
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 54
to eliminate the program than to permit an across-the- board reduction to reduce it below a critical mass con- figuration.
What does all this have to do with the Plant Sciences? Two things are important. First, plant scientists and plant science departments will be caught up in the transition from incremental to decremental planning. Some will fare better than others. Second, plant scientists can win in a decremental planning arena if they are willing to do the hard mental work it will take to win. To win we must be able to understand and articulate our system of priorities and be willing to cut off more and more of the bottom half of the list to preserve the vitality of the top half. To win, we must be able to understand our institution's priorities and the priorities of the greater society they ref1ect and find ways to say yes to these priorities.
When hard arguments over conf1icting priorities are needed, aloofness can be very damaging. Lack of un- derstanding of the degree of match between our priorities and our institution's priorities can be deadly. In the days of incremental planning it may have been true that the loudest squeaking wheel got the grease. In decremental planning the tightest priorities with the best match to in- stitutional and societal priorities will get more than their share. They'll get part of someone else's share.
I am writing this note in the hope that more plant scientists will draw back momentarily,
examine their priorities and their institution's priorities and prepare to adjust
their activities accordingly. Plant Science can be so important to so many people
in so many ways that if its support structure breaks down we'll have ourselves
to blame. That shouldn't be allowed to happen. Decremental planning can work for
us rather than against us if we are alert to what's going on. Few of us are really
happy about the turn of events that forces decremental planning upon us. We must,
nonetheless, become skilled at this new challenge. Let's get with it!
Elwood B. Ehrle
Dean, School of Arts & Science
Mankato State College, Mankato, Mn.
OPINION/COMMENTARY
The Annual Meeting: Habit-Forming or Forming Habits?
Dating from at least the time of the formation of the Royal Society of London, it has been traditional that members of scientific societies gather yearly to present the results of their researches, to gain new insights into scien- tific concepts and to make contacts necessary for research and teaching. So deeply is this tradition rooted, that only an heretic would question it, but since I have been called just about everything else, I will raise the question of the utility of annual meetings of the Botanical Society of America.
Although not quite an elder scientist, I can remember the hey.day of funding when adequate-and sometimes more than adequate-money was available to support travel, housing, food and, if properly concealed, the price of a beer. Since attendance was frequently conditioned on
presenting a paper, contributed paper sessions were ex- tensive and the convenor
of a symposium had no trouble in getting participants. Irrespective of the quality
of the presentations,
attending scientists frequently had to make difficult choices as to which session
to go to. With reduc- tion in funding, recent meetings have necessarily been thin
and are bulked out with symposia that may fill up time without necessarily filling
one's intellectual belly. There is every reason to suspect that this financial
pinch will in- crease in the forseeable future. Indeed, we already see many institutions
imposing a one-paid-meeting-per-year rule.
Initially, frequent meetings served the need for rapid communication. Journals were few in number and even in the first half of the present century there were delays of over a year between acceptance and publication of a manuscript. More rapid communication now exists; pre- prints and even notices not much more detailed than laboratory notes are inexpensive thanks to Xerox, et al. and many areas of special interest have newsletters. In the past, there were relatively few scientific societies, a situation that no longer is true. The resulting fragmen- tation, whatever other advantages or disadvantages it might have, permits precisely that interchange that we all agree is an invaluable part of scientific activity. In short, we can see and hear each other several times a year.
And how the number of meetings have proliferated! International congresses vie for time and compete for exotic locales. The listings of meetings in Science are more formidable each month. And when you read the abstracts, you frequently find the same paper at two or three meetings. This may facilitate promotion, and this I begrudge no one, but redundancy doesn't advance Botany one whit. The annual meeting promotes duplication and we haven't the time, the energy or the money to per- petuate unproductive activities. Those of you who have had to come up with a fresh idea each year for a sym- posium can understand my thesis and so can those of you who have to listen to the same old stuff.
This past June, I proposed to the Council of the Botanical Society that we consider holding society meetings on alternate years. The motion was defeated with only one Yea vote (my own). "But how will we con- duct the business of the Society?" Well, there are relatively few members of the Council and not all attend each meeting. The Council could meet on the off year, make its recommendations and submit them to mail ballot, possibly via the Plant Science Bulletin. After all, attendance at the business meeting is pitifully small and a mail ballot would probably elicit more member response.
Think on it. The declining attendance at annual meetings may do more damage to our Society and our profession than anything else that we might do.
Richard M. Klein
Department of Botany
University of Vermont
Burlington, Vt. 05401
International
Symposium on the Biology and Management of Mangroves
Because of the increasing
amount of research on and utilization of mangroves throughout the tropics, a
symposium has been organized to bring together the in- terested people. The
symposium is designed to report on basic aspects of mangrove biology and utilization
of mangrove are.1S by man, and to provide a forum in which
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 55
conflicts
in use of mangroves can be considered.
The Symposium will be held at the East - West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii on
October 8 - 11, 1974. Program outline:
I. Biology:
A. General
Aspects
B. Biogeography
C. Geology and Soils
D. Morphology and Taxonomy
E. Physiology
F. Ecosystem Analysis
II. Management
A. Forestry
B. Shellfisheries
C. Finfisheries
D. Agriculture
III. Conflicts:
A. Natural vs. Social
Values
B. Methods for Resolution of Conflicts
All papers presented
at the Symposium will be published in the proceedings. In addition, manuscripts
of substantial content are solicited from authors unable to attend the Symposium.
At least partial travel support may be available to participants. Twenty minutes
is scheduled for presented papers.
Abstracts (200 - 400 words) of papers for publication should be sent to:
Dr. Gerald E. Walsh
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Gulf Breeze Environmental Research Laboratory
Gulf Breeze, Florida 32561
by April 1, 1974. It is anticipated that the final program will be arranged
and selection of manuscripts to be published will be completed by May 1, 1974.
The Organizing Committee cannot guarantee acceptance of every manuscript submitted
for publication. All accepted manuscripts must be received by September 1, 1974.
If you wish to attend the Symposium, present a paper, or publish a manuscript,
please contact Dr. Walsh as soon as possible.
The First
International Congress of Systematic and Evolutionary Biology
A common saying in
biology is that as science ad- vances, it becomes more and more difficult to
keep abreast of developments even within ones own specialty. It was with this
difficulty in mind that the First International Congress of Systematic and Evolutionary
Biology was organized. It was hoped that this congress would bring together
for the first time workers from diverse fields who shared an interest in problems
of systematics and evolution, and provide an enjoyable and concentrated summary
of current research. The week long meeting from August 4 to 12, 197:3 in Boulder,
Colorado, seems to have succeeded admirably in achieving this goal as well as
providing an opportunity for personal interactions. The need for this type of
meeting was evidenced by the over- whelming attendance at symposia such as those
on con- tinental drift and co-evolution which spanned several fields.
The week was organized with concurrent sessions of symposia and contributed
papers on Monday and Tuesday and again
from Thursday through Saturday. Wednesday was a free day during which almost
everyone took full ad- vantage of the fine weather and Boulder's proximity to
a variety of Rocky Mountain habitats and classical paleobotanical sites.
The major symposia consisted of a series of morning sessions devoted to various
aspects of the grassland, alpine, marine, desert and tropical biomes. The other
sym- posia, held during the afternoons, covered a wide range of topics from
the origin of the angiosperms to the intricacies of modern interactions between
plants and animals. In addition, of special interest to botanists, were also
the symposia on philosophies of systematics, the roles of numerical taxonomy
and computers in systematics, the evolutionary biology of populations, the evolutionary
significance of proteins, the ultrastructure, chemistry and genetics of fungi,
and the origin of the eukaryotic cell.
The contributed papers were grouped by topic and several of the sessions provided
a good balance between the current work by botanists and zoologists on similar
problems. Scattered throughout the week, there were numerous additional meetings
of special interest groups organized in advance by various participants. The
popularity of these informal get-togethers further em- phasized the need for
exchange between botanists and zoologists.
The papers presented in most of the major symposia will be published in diverse
journals. The places of publications of these papers, as well as a summary of
the meetings and a list of participants, will be sent this fall to all the registered
members. The preliminary tally of mem- bers is about 1500 official registrants
representing almost 40 countries. Unlike most congresses, the ICSEB was not
funded by any government aid but rather by grants and loans from smaller organizations
such as IAPT, SSZ, IUBS, and the ASZ. Treasurer Dr. Gilbert Daniels reports
that the congress will meet all its costs through a com- bination of direct
payment and the contribution of the various participating organiza tions.
In general, the local committee is to be commended for their organization, hospitality,
and the splendid all- congress banquet. In many instances the lecture rooms
were too small for the sessions held in them, but perhaps the distribution of
attendees can serve as a guide to the committee of the next congress. Although
the specific location of the second ICSEB is still in doubt, it is plan- ned
to be held in central Europe in 1978-79.
B.B.S.
PROFESSIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES
THE DEPARTMENT
OF BOTANY, NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY, Raleigh, N.C. 27607, is seeking
an Experimental Taxonomist - Biosystematist, Rank: Assistant Professor
of Botany, Permanent 12- month appointment beginning .July 1 or September 1,
1974. Resume should include a brief statement regarding area of special interest
for research and teaching, training in biosystematic techniques, and plant groups
of par- ticular interest and competence. Send resume, transcripts, and three
letters of recommendation to: Dr. .James W. Hardin, Chm., Search Committee -
Biosystematics, De- partment of Botany, North Carolina State University, Raleigh,
North Carolina 27607. Applications will be ac- cepted until March 15, 1974.
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 56
POMONA COLLEGE will have an opening for an ex- perienced Ph.D. in the Botany Department beginning
in the academic year 1974-7.5 to replace Dr. Lyman Benson who is retiring. Rank.
and salary' will depend' upon qualifications. The special field is plant taxonomy.
Interested pers()ns should write to: Dr. Edwin A. Phillips, Botany Department
Chairman, Pomona College, Claremont, California.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Department of Botany announces an open competition for two Newcombe
Fellowships to be awarded for the 1974-75 academic year. These fellowships,
restricted to students who plan to pursue graduate study in plant physiology,
physiological ecology, or cell biology, will provide a stipend of $2600 for
the academic year plus tuition.
Interested persons should apply by February 1, 1974, to Dr. Charles B. Beck,
Chairman, Department of Botany, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
48104.
EDITOR'S
NOTES
WHO IS A BOTANIST?
The American
Horticultural Society will soon establish a nationwide program of horticultural
cer- tification awarding special diplomas to all who can meet carefully-fixed
standards that demonstrate the art and skill of horticulture. The program came
about at the urging of the society's Presiderit David G. Leach. Mr. Leach appointed
a committee to look into establishing such a program and to determine what tangible
value such a certification program would have in the hor- ticultural job market.
It is believed certification could make the field of horticulture more attractive,
relevant, and rewarding and was not conceived to compete with the training in
schools and colleges. A committee was established that has been exploring the
methods for screening and examining candidates for establishing equitable standards
that would serve all parts of the coun- try.
Another of
our sister societies, The Ecological Society of America, has been concerned
with a similar program. Their President Dr. Robert Platt informed me that the
society is interested in establishing a register of professional ecologists.
The implication would be that those persons who are able to attain listing in
the register could properly call themselves ecologists.
When a botanist hears this kind of news, a number of questions come' to mind.
For instance, will the ecologist also be a plant ecologist? Will he perform
duties or carry out assignments that many botanists are better trained to do?
And the professional horticulturalist - will he also function as a professional
botanist? Will he be more likely to receive favorable treatment from governmental,
in- dustrial, or institutional agencies because he has been cer- tified while
botanists go uncertified? Should the Botanical Society of America also be studying
the desirability or feasibility of some kind of professional, official register
of botanists?
The question of "who is a botanist" can lead to some bizarre situations. A colleague
of mine here in Florida tells how a specialist in reptile taxonomy was approached
in regard to the problem of the taxonomy of Cannabis sativa (marijuana).
When the zoologist demurred the lawyer was
surprised to learn that he had the wrong kind of biologist!
Perhaps there is a need for a better way of defining and describing ourselves
to the outside world. At least two societies are going the route of certification
and "official register". Perhaps botanists should be thinking about this problem
too.
BOTANICAL
POTPOURRI
ALL BOTANISTS
SHOULD START PLANNING now to attend the 1974 AIBS Meeting, .June 16-21, at Arizona
State University, Tempe. Located in the heart of the Southwest, this is a region
of exceptional interest for students of plant and animal adaptation, of biogeography,
and of systematics and evolutionary processes. Three major biomes, grassland,
desert and montane coniferous forest, predominate in the huge area from western Texas to southern California
and from the central Mexican plateau North to southern Nevada, Utah and Colorado,
and locally there are numerous other minor edaphically and physiographically
determined ecosystems. The AIBS symposium at the Tempe meetings, under the theme,
"The Varied Environments of the Southwest" will examine some of these aspects
of this diverse and biogeographically fascinating region, where, within a few
miles, one may go from the desert floor, where every organism is adapted to
conserve and maximally utilize every drop of available water to deep coniferous
forest with cold mountain streams.
THE CHARTER
FLIGHTS COMMITTEE has mailed nearly 15,000 initial notices to members of plant
science societies. As of October 1, 197:3, approximately 1800 replies were received.
On this basis, the committee will conclude negotiations with an airline. The
contract will be based on the number of reservations accompanied by a deposit.
Once a contract is signed, it may not be possible to obtain additional planes
and more seats. Members who have indicated interest in charter flights are,
therefore, urged strongly to make their reservations.
THE SEVENTH JESSE M. GREENMAN AWARD will be presented at the 1974 annual banquet of the
Botanical Society of America at Tempe, Arizona. This Award of $200 is presented
each year by the Alumni Association of the Missouri Botanical Garden in recognition
of the best paper in plant systematics based on a doctoral disser- tation published
during the previous year. Papers published during 1973 are now being
considered. Reprints of such papers should be sent to ,Alwyn H. Gentry, Secretary,
Alumni Association, Missouri Botanical Gar- den, 2:315 Tower Grove Avenue, St.
Louis, Missouri 6:3110, before May 1, 1974.
William R. Anderson, New York Botanical Garden, is the recipient of the 1973
Award. The winning publication is his "A Monograph of the Genus Crusea (Rubiaceae)."
Mem. N.Y. Bot. Gard. 22 (4): 1-128. 1972.
AN EXHIBITION
ENTITLED "PLANT ILLUSTRA- TIONS FROM THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION" is open in
the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie-Mellon University.
The exhibition includes paintings and drawings by Frederick A. Walpole, a
noted turn-of-the-century botanical illustrator, and photographs by Dr. Edward
S. Ayensu, chairman of the Smithsonian's
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 57
department
of botany. Walpole, in his own lifetime, was considered to be the finest botanical
illustrator anywhere. Through use of an ink wash and a brush with only a few
sable hairs, Walpole created delicate drawings resembling etchings. As an artist
for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's department of botany, Walpole traveled
to many areas, but his most noted artistic-scientific ex- plorations were in
Alaska, where he was fascinated by the region's wildflowers and forests. The
Walpole works are complimented in the Hunt show by the nature photographs of
Dr. Ayensu, who holds degrees from Miami University, George Washington, and
the University of London and specializes in the study of plant anatomy.
The' two-man show may be viewed by the public at Hunt Institute in the penthouse
of Hunt Library Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., through February 28,
when it will move to Washington, D. C. for its first viewing at the Smithsonian.
A MILESTONE
IS BEING CELEBRATED by the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. As
the oldest botanical periodical "of this hemisphere," as the title page announces,
the Bulletin is now publishing volume 100, the first having been issued
in 1870. To mark this occasion, the Club sponsored the Torrey Symposium on Current
Aspects of Fungal Development at the annual meeting of the American Institute
of Biological Sciences in Amherst, Massachusetts in June. Another symposium,
on The Use of Electrophoresis in the Taxonomy of Algae and Fungi, was co-sponsored
by the Club, the Mycological Society of America, the Phycological Society of
America, and the Phytochemical, Phycological, and Systematic Sections of the
Botanical Society of America. Both these symposia will be published in volume
100 of the Bulletin.
THE "MARINE
FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES," a series of original, illustrated
manuals on the identification, classification,' and general biology of the coastal
marine plants and animals of the northeastern United States, is being published
by the National Marine Fisheries Service, Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
as "NOAA Technical Report NMFS CIRCULAHS".
Manuals are being prepared in collaboration with systematists from the United
States and abroad. To date seventy-five specialists are working on various groups.
The first manual to appear in print is "Annelida: Oligochaeta" by Drs. D.
G. Cook and R. O. Brinkhurst. Publication of "Protozoa:
Ciliophora" by Dr. A. C. Borror, and "Higher Plants of the Marine
Fringe of Southern New England" by Dr. E. T. Moul is expected in ,July
1974. Three ad- ditional manuals are in press, and two more aj'e being revised.
Manuals are available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Price of the first manual is thirty-five
cents.
RECENTLY SEVEHAL UNIVEHSITY LIBRAHIANS have told us they are looking critically at their
journal holdings. Continued budget cuts have caused them to make surveys of
their journal 'subscriptions with the thought of eliminating those that are
not important to the present staff. In order to avoid having libraries drop
their subscriptions to our journal, we would urge that you talk to your librarian
about the importance of the A.J.B.
This should help to preserve library subscriptions, and indeed may increase
them.
PERSONALIA
At the University
of Wyoming Department of Botany Dr. Daniel J Crawford, who joined the
faculty in 1969, was promoted to Associate Professor effective July 1, 1973.
Dr. Thomas S. Moore, Ph.D. Indiana University and for the past
three years a postdoctoral fellow in D~. Beever's lab, University of California
at Santa Cruz, has joined the faculty as Assistant Professor. Dr. H. T. Northen
retired and became Professor Emeritus on ,June 30 ~fter37 years of service.
Dr. Walter
H. Hodge has left the National Science Foundation to aCGept an appointment
as Senior Research Associate at the L. H. Bailey Hortorium of Cornell University.
Dr. Hodge' was associated with NSF since 1961, first as Special Consultant for
Tropical Biology, later as Program Director for Systematic Biology, and more
recently as Head of the Section of Ecology and Systematic Botany. From 1966-1970
he also served NSF in Tokyo, Japan as Head of the Science Liaison Staff for
the Foundation's Far Eastern office. At the Bailey Hor- torium, Dr. Hodge will
manage the final preparation of manuscript for Hortus III, the new edition
of this stand- ard work, to be published in 1975.
Dr. Louis C. Chadwick, Professor Emeritus, Division of Floriculture and Ornamental
Horticulture at the Ohio State University, was named winner of the LIBERTY HYDE
BAILEY MEDAL.
The Award
is the highest honor that is given in the field of American Horticulture.
Several young
botanists who have recently accepted positions include: Warren Abrahamson,
Dept. of Biology, Bucknell University; Rose Broom, Dept. of Botany,
University of Maryland; Thomas Lockwood, Dept. of Botany, Indiana University;
James Rodman, Dept. of Biology, Yale University; Lawrence Skog, Assoc.
Curator, Dept. of Botany, Smithsonian Institution; Norris Wil- liams, Dept.
of Biological Sciences, Florida State Uni- versity.
Notice
to Professors: When you have a student who accepts a position, drop a line
to Dr. Beryl Simpson, Department of Botany, Smithsonian Institution,
Wash- ington, D. C. 20560, for inclusion in the the Personalia column. This
courtesy is helpful to them and to their colleagues in the botanical community.
Adriance Sherwood
Foster (1901-1973) An Appreciation
With the death of Adriance Foster on May 1st, 1973, from complications arising
from an acute case of spinal osteomyelitis, plant morphology lost one of its
most dedicated practitioners and influential teachers. I think that it can be
said without exaggeration that Adriance Foster was one of the most significant
figures in structural botany of his generation. Not only did his numerous doc-
toral students go on to take posts at the most important institutions here and
abroad, but they continued to be productive in those positions and many have
had an
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 58
equivalent
influence on students of their own. The degree of independence that Adriance
inspired in his disciples can be measured both by their individual versatility
and their broad range of interests. Although most began with a specialization
in the fields of anatomy and morphology, many later radiated into a diversity
of allied disciplines, including morphogenesis, physiology, cell biology, systematic
anatomy, taxonomy and even biosystematics and evolutionary biology. As the first
plant anatomist in the Botany department of the University of California at
Berkeley, Adriance Foster singlehandedly established such a strong tradition
in structural botany that to this day it is difficult for many to believe that
he had had no predecessors in his position.
The inspiration that Adriance provided students at all educational levels stemmed
from his own, unim- peachable example. His keen, ever-questioning mind, his
desire for the highest levels of observation and work- manship, combined with
his remarkable ability to com- municate his findings with a unique clarity and
sense of style, established standards for morphological research that will never
be lost. Moreover, his tremendous personal love for his science and for plants
in general, coupled with his rare ability to communicate this enthusiasm to
others, provided an educational stimulus of immeasurable in- fluence.
For me, Adriance
Foster represents one of the true pioneers in botanical science, a fiercely
independent in- vestigator and trail blazer who was drawn to a particular research
problem because of his own insatiable curiosity rather than its potentially
fashionable nature. In each of his major areas of research (leaf differentiation;
growth and development of the shoot apex; idioblastic cell struc- ture and differentiation;
and leaf venation) he began his studies because of his deep interest and because
they were a natural outgrowth of a preceding line of investigation. Each time
he began a new area of inquiry there was vir- tually no one in the country who
was working on the problem, nor who had much interest in it. On more than one
occasion he confided to me that when he began a relatively untouched topic he
felt rather lonely because of the lack of interested colleagues to communicate
with. It was only after he had published his beautifully detailed, admirably
documented papers that the interest of others was stimulated.
His studies of the structure of shoot apical meristems furnish a particularly
good example of the independence and originality of his contributions and their
impact on the work of subsequent researchers. Prior to the time of Adriance's
studies, investigations of meristem architecture had been restricted largely
to the determination of the geometry of cell division and to the portrayal of
meristem cell lineages. The underlying assumption was that all cells of a meristem
were identical in their basic cytology. While studying bud scale development
in Ginkgo biloba, Adriance discovered that cells of the shoot apex of
Ginkgo exhibit a greater cytological heterogeneity than had hitherto
been appreciated. Hence while certain zones of the shoot apex consist of typical,
densely cytoplasmic, eumeristematic cells, other regions exhibit considerable
cell vacuolation and variations in wall thickness even close to the summit of
the apical dome. Because ~f this cellular heterogeneity and the lack of a clearly
defined pattern of cell lineages, Adriance turned to a study of the cytological
features and relative frequencies of cell division in order to characterize
the structure and growth of such gymnospermous
apices. It was precisely this more biological approach to the study of meristem
architecture that provided the basic change in orientation which set the stage
for today's more rigorous cell kinetic and biochemical studies of meristem behavior.
Adriance's pioneering nature was also expressed in the influencial textbooks
which he wrote in the fields of anatomy and morphology. Each in its own way
was a
departure from the way that the subject had been treated previously. For example,
although his compact, un illustrated Practical Plant Anatomy began in
its first edition as a simple laboratory manual, the textual in- troductions
in the later editions presented plant histology in a much more dynamic, developmental
vein and therefore represented a philosophical innovation. In fact his changes
in organization of the subject of plant anatomy were to be so important that
they have been emulated by many texts in use today. Furthermore, his emphasis
on the use of living material wherever possible in the anatomy laboratory proved
to be a welcome relief from the rather archaic and exclusive use of prepared
microscope slides. The concept of having students prepare their own sections
from living plant organs not only helped them to appreciate more readily the
relationship of internal structure to external morphology but it also stimulated
the students' interest in plant histology as a truly "vital" science.
His Comparative
Morphology of Vascular Plants, written with one of his former students,
Ernest Gifford, was also a unique contribution to the teaching of plant morphology.
By virtue of its novel introductory chapters the student became aware of morphology
as a truly com- parative discipline and for the first time was adequately introduced
to the philosophy and methodology of mor- phological research before attempting
to apply these prin- ciples to the evaluation of specific plant groups. The
book was also unusual because of its broader representation of morphological
evidence and its inclusion of fossil data in the solution of structural and
evolutionary problems. For- tunately, Adriance was able to complete the anxiously
awaited second edition of this work just before his death. I believe that this
book will stand as his personal testament and the embodiment of all that he
stood for in the field of plant morphology.
As with anyone who had strong opinions and represented an individualistic point
of view, Adriance Foster had his occasional critics as well as his supporters.
It was especially in the 1960's, when he was in the autum- nal phase of his
career, that some criticized him for not utilizing the newer techniques of electron
microscopy and plant tissue culture since these seemed to be such natural extensions
of the type of work that he had done. Un- doubtedly, had he been younger,Adriance
might well have adopted these newer procedures. However, the truth was that
he was near the end of his career when these techniques came upon the scene
and he simply did not wish to make such a marked shift in approach at that time.
This, together with the fact that he always wanted to do his own work and remain
a practitioner, meant he had to be limited to those skills with which he was
most familiar and confident, even though he knew that they restricted what he
ultimately could accomplish.
However, despite these limitations, I think that Adriance's rigorous sense of
scholarship and broad per- spective enabled him to transcend the level of mere
technicianship and to phrase his research in terms of more
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 59
significant
biological problems. In so doing, he helped to elevate the goals of structural
botany, thereby encouraging the plant anatomist to place his fine technical
resources at the service of biological questions instead of the reverse as so
often had been the tendency in the past.
Dr. A. S. Foster
Photograph
courtesy of Dr. Marion Cave
In the final
analysis, while Adriance Foster himself did not pursue the ultimate solutions
to all of the questions he raised, he nevertheless provided the impetus and
pointed the way for others who would follow. And even thougn all who knew him
are deeply saddened that we no longer have the advantages of his stimulation
and counsel, I think that his presence will continue to be felt through that
very special quality of human life, "the im- mortality of continuing influence."
Donald
R. Kaplan
Department of Botany
University of California, Berkeley
Frank D.
Kern (1883-1973 )
Dr. Frank
D. Kern, the first dean of the Graduate School at The Pennsylvania State University,
died at the age of 90.
Trustees of the University in 1971 named the new Kern Graduate Building for
him recognizing his 37 years of service, which included also appointments as
professor and head of the Department of Botany prior to his retirement with
emeritus rank in 1950.
Dr. Kern became professor and head of the Depart- ment of Botany at Penn State
in 1913, after serving as special agent for the Bureau of Plant Industry of the
U. S. Department of Agriculture, as botanist at the Agricultural Experiment Station
and instructor at Purdue University, and as research scholar at the New York Botanical
Garden.
Dr. Kern
received the bachelor of arts degree from the University of Iowa, the master
of science degree from Pur- due, and the doctor of philosophy degree from Columbia
University.
In 1922, when the Graduate School at Penn State was formally established, Dr.
Kern was named dean. During the next 28 years he directed the development of
graduate programs in numerous fields.
A noted botanist, Dr. Kern twice served one-year terms, in 1926-27 and 1933-34,
as acting dean of the University of Puerto Rico's Colleges of Agriculture and
Engineering while on leave of absence from Penn State. The University of Puerto
Rico conferred upon him the honorary degree of doctor of science in 1926.
Since his retirement, he has published more than 20 papers, and earlier this
year he published a new book to revise and update research he started 60 years
ago on a genus of fungi known as cedar apple rusts. His botanical research throughout
his career was concerned most notably with rusts and other fungus diseases in
plants and resulted in numerous articles and research papers.
Although an active researcher, Dr. Kern taught over the years 51 courses at
Penn State, primarily in elemen- tary botany and plant pathology.
He was a charter member of the American Phytopathological Society and a past
vice president of that organization; a past president of the Mycological Society
of America; a past president of the Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences; and a
past vice president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Dean Kern was honored in 1958 by the American Phytopathological Society on its
50th anniversary as a charter member and as author of the first scientific paper
published by the Society.
He also held membership in the Botanical Society of America and the Indiana
Academy of Science. From 1947 to 1951 he served as national president of Phi
Kappa Phi, general scholastic honor society, and he continued after his retirement
as an active participant in that honorary's activities.
He was a member of Sigma Xi, science honorary; Gamma Sigma Delta, agriculture
honorary; Phi Epsilon Phi, botany honorary; and Alpha Zeta, professional agricultural
fraternity; and also of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, State College.
Harry J.
Fuller * (1907-1973)
Dr. Fuller
had been a professor of botany at the University of Illinois from 1932 until
he became ill in 1958.
He was born Oct. 8, 1907, in St. Louis, the son of Henry Lyman and Lydia Nunsberg
Fuller. He received a bachelor's degree in 1929, a master's degree in 1930 and
a doctorate degree in 193:3 from Washington University in St. Louis.
Dr. Fuller served as a rubber specialist for the U.S. government from 1942 to 1945 in Venezuela
and British Guiana. He was elected vice president of the American
*An appropriate
statement regarding Dr. Fuller's contribution., to American Botany is in preparation..eu.
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 60
Association
for the Advancement of Science in 1957, and was the first editor of "Plant Science
Bulletin".
He was the author of "The Plant World" and "College Botany."
He was married
to Mary Eleanor Ledgerwood on Oct. 1, 1931, in Greenville. She died in 1967. Dr. Fuller leaves a daughter, Pamela
Rawles of Libertyville, and three grandchildren.
BOOK
REVIEWS
VALENTINE,
D. H., (ed.). Taxonomy, Phytogeography, and Evolution. Academic Press,
London and New York, 1972.431 pp.
A feeling that the geographical aspects of taxonomy and evolution have been somewhat neglected in recent symposia was responsible
for a conference sponsored by the Linnaean Society of London, the Botanical
Society of the British Isles and the International Organization of Plant Biosystematics.
The meeting was held at the University of Manchester in 1971 and this volume
is a result. The editor asks the reader to judge whether the conference was
timely and the contributions were well chosen and arranged. This reviewer feels
that for the most part the answer is yes. The symposium was timely, for it is
apparent that biosystematics has given a new dimension to plant geography and
we find that many of the par- ticipants make use of biosystematic data. The
contributors came from twelve different countries with the greatest number of
them, quite understandably, coming from the host country. Six speakers came
from the United States (H. G. Baker, G. W. Gillett, H. Lewis, P. H. Raven, O.
Solbrig, and G. L. StebbiI].s). The introductory section comprises remarks by
the editor and a paper, the longest in the book, by Stebbins, entitled, "Ecological
distribution of centers of major adaptive radiation in angiosperms." Stebbins
advances the principle of "genetic unifor- mitarianism" ("The processes of evolution
have operated in the past essentially as they do now, but on different phenotypes.")
and argues for a semi-xeric origin of angiosperm radiation. The second section
of the book deals with major geographical disjunctions in relation to evolution
and migration. Endemism is the concern of the third section. The fourth part
considers geographical evolution in selected genera and families. The fifth
section treats miscellaneous topics, which among other things in- cludes a discussion
of the migration of weeds (Baker) and computational methods in the study of
plant distribution (N. Jardine). The book concludes with a short paper by A.
R. Clapham, entitled "Questions answered and unan- swered." Since it was impracticable
to include the discussions following the individual contributrons, the final
paper deals with some of the questions that arose during the symposium. The
book, unlike some other recent symposia volumes, is well indexed which obviously
in- creases its usefulness.
Charles
B. Heiser, Jr.
Indiana University
MILLER, ORSON
K., JR. Mushrooms of North America. E. P. Dutton and Co., Inc., New York,
1972. 360 pp. $17.95. .
Mushrooms have long been of interest and a curiosity to man. Their value as food,
medicine, sources of dyes and other materials dates back for centuries. Toxic
and .hallucinogenic properties of mushrooms have a similar lengthy history. In
the past few decades the discoveries of ethnobotanists concerning mushroom use,
the increasing reports of plant pathologists and mycologists as to their role
as parasites or mycorrhizae with other plants, and the "nature food" fad by the
current environmentally con- scious generation have generated a tremendous interest
in fleshy fungi. Mushroom literature, especially field guides to poisonous and
edible species, is in great demand. Orson Miller's Mushrooms of North America
was designed to satisfy the needs of all types of users: the casual observer,
the ardent amateur mycologist, and the student of biology.
Several features of
this book will be appealing to many. For the amateur the simplified (}icture key
to major groups of fungi at the beginning will quickly orientate him as to the
group he is dealing with. It would have been con- venient to have the page numbers
on which these groups appear in the text, thus eliminating a trip to the index.
A full key to the major groups of fungi is combined with 72 keys to the families,
genera, and species. Unfamiliar terms are explained in the Glossary and in many
cases illustrated in an accompanying Illustrated Glossary. At least 280 species
are illustrated in color; by far some of the best color reproduction that I have
seen in a textbook. Most of these show the fungus in its natural habitat, ex-
posing useful diagnostic features. Each description in the text is numbered consecutively;
the same number appears next to the species in the key, and if there is a color
illustration, that number appears next to the plate.
In his introduction, the author discusses the role of fungi in nature, collecting
and studying mushrooms, names, microscopic characters, seasonal fruiting, edibility
and preparation, and mushroom toxins. Throughout the book efforts are made to
educate the amateur and the student. Mycological terminology used consistently
is parenthetically explained. Microscopic features are em- ployed to a much
larger extent than in most field guides. Pains are taken, however, to explain
that these features are necessary in order to distinguish confused data. Con-
siderably more information is provided for mushroom toxins than is included
in most field guides currently available.
Keys and descriptions are provided for 1:3 major groups of fleshy fungi. These
are treated under 4 chapters: Basidiomycetes (actually, only the. Hymenomycetes),
Gasteromycetes, Heterobasidiomycetes, and Ascomycetes. The keys should be relatively
easy to follow since the user is repeatedly referred to the Glossary for illustrations
or descriptions of features in question. Detailed descriptions of 422 species
are provided which usually include size, shape, texture and color of cap, stalk,
ring, veil and spores. Information about growth habit, chemical reac- tions,
edibility, hallucinogenic properties, frequency, distribution, special relationships,
seasonal occurrence, alternate names, related species, taster's experiences,
and cooking notes is also provided.
The 20th century has brought tremendous changes in the classification of mushrooms.
For those who had their taste of mycology a few years back, the recognition
of 14 families of gillecl mushrooms may come as a shock. The frequent use of
microscopic and microchemical features will often be disconcerting for those
without a microscope. Ample field characters and other data are usually provided
to enable an individual to determine if in faet he has a species in question.
For a general field guide, many
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 61
more species
of important genera are induded than is usually found in similar books. To mention
a few, Miller has included 15 species of Amanita; 19 of Hygrophorus;
23 of Lacterius; 11 of Russula; 6 each of Lepiota, Agaricus
and Coprinus; 17 of Boletus; and 11 of Suillus. Full
descriptions of 422 species are included; while more than 6S0 species are mentioned.
The Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. Tokyo has done a superb job in printing the
color illustrations. They are some of the best that I have seen in print. Unfortunately,
through an oversight of the author, publisher, or printer, a number of the photographs
are out of position, even though the plate numbers are correct for all but 10
illustrations. However, the printer has provided correc- tions for these captions
in the form of self-adhesive labels with instructions as to which captions they
are to be placed over. Another oversight that even the amateur will likely catch
is the cover illustration for the Gasteromycetes on page lS9 which is that of
Morchella! Otherwise, printing errors are at a minimum. Those which I
noticed are as follows: p. 154, third line from bottom in they key should be
11, not 10; p. 49, under species 4S, Russula is misspelled; p. 57, line
1, gree should be green; and p. 171, under 10-b of the key, western should be
eastern because Boletus frostii and B. luridus do occur in the
eastern U. S. Although keys and illustrations are given for four species of
Morchella, descriptions of individual species were omitted on pages 214
and 215. Descriptions of 41:3, Underwoodia; 414, Wynnea; 420,
Rhizinia; and 421, Sarcosoma are all of operculate Discomycetes
and should have been induded with Peziza and related species (p. 21S)
rather than with Earth Tongues and other Ascomycetes where inoperculates and
pyrenomycetes are discussed. Clathrus in the index should be 191 not
154.
A bibliography of approximately 50 references will be helpful for those who
want to dig deeper into the literature of particular groups. If you have never
had crab stuffed mushrooms, Hericium marinade, Chaterelle biscuits, Marasmius
cookies, or a mycological martini, you will certainly want to refer to the list
of :30 recipes for cooking, pickling, freezing, canning, and preserving mushrooms.
For those who buy the book after December :31, 1972, the price is $17.95, which
includes a 21 cm. plastic ruler! Printing is on a heavy, semigloss, high quality
paper, easy to read, with headings in bold print, and a standard for- mat throughout.
It has a durable, cloth-bound cover in burnt-orange. The 7 x 10 x 1-1/4 inch
book should fit com- fortably on most anyone's bookshelf. It's "shelf life"
should be long, even with frequent use.
The author, printer, and publisher are to be congratulated for producing a beautiful
book on mushrooms. It will be a valuable book for amateur mushroom hunters,
field botanists, and beginning mycologists. It should be an excellent book for
courses in field botany or mycology. Mycologists who are not specialists in
agarics and related fungi will find this a valuable reference book. I feel it
is currently the most satisfactory field guide to the identification and edibility
of North American fungi.
James
W Kimbrough
University of Florida
VOSS, EDWARD
G. Michigan Flora, Part 1. Gym- nosperms and Monocots. Cranbrook
Inst. of Sci. Eull. 55, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. 1972. xv + 488 pp. $7.50.
"This Flora
is intended to help any interested person, whether a visitor in one of our state
parks or a botanist studying problems of plant geography, in an un- derstanding
of the plants around him: what is known about their kinds, their identification
and their distribution:-" and the author has succeeded well in fulfilling his
stated intention during the years this volume has been in preparation. The introductory
section includes discussions of data sources, of Michigan post-glacial history,
the use of keys, basic nomenclature, mor- phological variation within populations,
as well as in- formation on habitats and distribution patterns. These thirty-eight
pages of introductory material serve well for those who need them in explaining
some of the traditional and often obscure reasons as to why floristic practices
are as they are. The quantity of material discussed may seem excessive but the
material will be in proportion at com- pletion of the projected three volume
flora, of which this is the first part.
The taxonomic section includes original keys and county distribution maps based
on the SO,OOO herbarium specimens examined by the author (20,000 in Carex!)
and short texts accompanying each species giving habitat, range and comparisons
with similar taxa. Descriptive in- formation is largely confined to the keys
and species descriptions are eliminated in the text. At least one species in
each genus is illustrated by a line drawing. Colored illustrations include the
frontispiece and 8 plates, the latter with illustrations of one or more members
of each family included in the volume. Glossary and index complete this volume
which is appropriately dedicated to the late Dale J. Hagenah, long a student
of the Michigan flora and an individual who enthusiastically shared his knowledge
of the flora with others. A handsome dust jacket and modest price in no way
detract from the book. Two additional volumes treating the dicotyledons are
planned to follow this auspicious beginning.
Warren Stoutamire
University of Akron
PREECE, T.
F. and C. H. DICKINSON (eds.). Ecology of Leaf Surface Micro-organisms, 640
pp., Academic Press, 1971, $26.00.
As one might suspect by the origin of the volume, it suffers, as do many published symposia, from a certain lack of unity and direction.
A more appropriate title might have been" A Collection of Papers on the Ecology
of Leaf Surface Micro-organisms."
This volume represents a collection of 47 papers presented in a symposium convened
to examine in the broadest sense the "Phylloplane microflora". The sym- posium,
held at the University of Newcastle at Tyne, was attended by 64 scientists representing
12 countries.
The papers are organized into 5 sections each dealing, more or less, with a
single aspect of microbe-leaf in- teraction. The topics and number of papers
per section are as follows: Section I, Characteristics of Leaf Surfaces, 6 papers;
Section II, Saprophytes on the Leaf Surface, 9 papers; Section III, Pathogens
on Leaf Surfaces, 16 papers; Section IV, Microbiology of Senescing Leaves, 6
papers; and Section V, Interactions on the Leaf Surface, 10 papers.
In addition, there is variation in the manner in which the information is presented
in that some papers are far more theorical than others, and some sections tend
to be more unified. For example, I felt Section I presented a
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 62
relatively
thorough view of fhe physical and chemical nature of the leaf surface, methodology
in working with it, and some excellent electron micrographs of it.
The topics covered in sections II through V were con- siderably less complete,
but then were considerably more complex.
All aspects considered, the book is of tremendous value in bringing together
information on leaf micro- organism and their environment. Also, by the nature
of the papers the reader is provided with indepth knowledge and an appreciation
of the present state of affairs of the ecology of leaf surface micro-organisms.
Frederick I. Eilers
University of South Florida
MILBORROW, B. V. (ed.)
Biosynthesis and its Control in Plants. Ninth Symposium of the Phytochemical
Society. ,Academic Press, N. Y. and London. 1973. L8.00.
Whether one
reviews books to get free copies, to add to a bibliography or out of a sense of noblesse oblige, there is considerable
rehictance to report on symposium volumes. In the limited book:review space,
one can either catalogue the papers, noting those that' are of interest to the
reviewer, or attempt the impossible by evaluating the thrust of the symposium
and the relevance of the papers to that thrust.
The volume under
consideration is neither better or
worse than the run of syffiposia. The contributions vary from those that are
strictly biochemical and virtually in- dependent of the starting organism to
those that are primarily or exclusively plant related, i.e., gibberellin
biosynthesis, synthesis of chloroplast enzymes, car- bohydrate metabolism in
germinating grains. Not unex- pectedly, the Holy Trinity of DNA-RNA-Protein
come in for a fair share of attention.
With the scorn that the biochemist has been heaping on the morphologist and
taxonomist during the past ten years for being little more than a "stamp collector,"
it is interesting to note that only three papers in this book at- tempt to go
beyond descriptive biochemistry into the more difficult and exciting realm of
control of biosynthesis. One gets the impression that the biochemical knight
on the white molecular charger has blunted his lance on the same obscure foe
that the more classical botanist has been struggling with for these many years.
This volume will, like others, be useful for about a year or two.
Richard
M. Klein
University of Vermont
ROBERTS, DANIEL A., and CARL W. BOOTHROYD.
Fundamentals of Plant Pathology. W. H. Freeman Co., San Francisco; 402
pp, 1972. $15.00.
According to the authors, this book has been written primarily for use by those undergraduate students who are taking their first
course in plant pathology. In order to use, this book successfully, no prior
knowledge of the. field is necessary except for a very general understanding
of ~otany: The book is divided into two almost equal sections ~ the first covering
the basic principles of plant pathology" and the second covering examples of
those principles in the form of descriptions of specific diseases. T~e two sections
are intended to be used simultaneously with cycles and descriptions of diseases
in the second sec- tion used to illustrate the princil)!es outlined in the first
section. Two short chapters at the end of the book deal with the techniques
for diagnosis of plant diseases and the use of the"literature of plant pathology.
The text is followed by an excellent glossary so necessary' to a good introductory
text and so often missing.
The first
section of the book is divided into nine chap- ters which cover topics such
as Morphological Symptoms of Diseased Plants, Production and Dispersal of Inocula,
and The Prevention of Disease in Plants. These nine chap- ters provide a well-organized
introduction of plant pathology to the beginning student, and the use in the
text of boldfaced type for new or difficult words which appear in the glossary
is a great aid to the development of vocabulary.
The second section, consisting of 14 chapters, is organized more or less according
to the type of impaired physiology involved in diseases rather than according
to the more commonly used organization according to causal agent. Typical chapter
headings are: Diseases Affecting Breakdown and Utilization of Stored Food Materials,
Diseases Affecting Water Conduction, Diseases Affecting Photosynthesis, and
so on. Each chapter contains in- formation concerning the etiology, epidemiology,
and prevention of a few specific diseases chosen to illustrate the particular
type of impaired physiology covered in that chapter. Because the diseases included
in this book have been chosen as specific examples, certain classic 'diseases
commonly found in general plant pathology texts are missing. For that reason,
one should not rely heavily on the text as a reference book. The' diseases that
are in- cluded, however, are well covered and the disease cycle diagrams that
accompany some of the disease descriptions are among the best available.
In general, this book is professionally written and seems to have very few technical
errors for a first edition. There are, however, three major factors which considerably
detract from the value of the book - these are
listed in increasing order of importance.
Some of the photographs, especially in the first sec- tion, are amazingly bad.
One has to look closely at a pic- ture of southern leaf blight of corn to determine
that the plant is corn. This problem should be easily remedied in future editions
by replacing some of the photographs with better ones which should be readily
available.
The second problem concerns the organization of Section II according to the
type of impaired physiology rather than according to causal agents. The authors
state in their preface that they have organized this part of the book according,
to, ". . . th,e physiological activities of the plant that are adversely affected
by the disease in question." This approach to plant pathology is unquestionably
superior to the causal agent approach, provided that the student has enough
background in physiology to appreciate abnormal physiological activities in
the diseased plant. Advanced texts have used this approach very effectively.
In fact, however, the beginning student can ap- preciate little of the physiology
of disease and is much bet- ter prepared to begin learning about plant diseases
by classifying them according to morphological symptoms which can be easily
seen, and by causal agents which have probably been learned in a previous course
in general botany. The authors wisely perceive this problem and although they
arrange the diseases according to im- pairment of physiology, there is very
little actual discussion of physiology in the text. In fact much of the description
of each disease conce'rns the causal agent.
The most serious flaw in this book, however, is the fact that it is hopelessly
outdated. The average date of the literature cited in' Section I is 1937, and
in Section II, it is 1944. Although it may be argued that a general text should
contain an historical account of the science in or- der to orient the beginning
student to the present situation, the student is more. likely to erroneously
con-
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 63
clude that
little progress has been made during the past 30 years. More importantly, however,
many of the statements made in the book are no longer true. The classification
of fungi, for example, includes the class, "Phycomycetes", even though this
class has not been generally recognized by mycologists for several years. The
presentation of circumstantial climatic data from the 1930's to suggest that
rust uredospores are blown from Mexico to the North American wheat belt seems
archaic in view of the fact that high flying plants regularly demon- strate
the presence of these spores in the upper at- mosphere, and that the paths of
these spores across the country have been mapped. Perhaps the best example of
this book's being outdated is contained in the short paragraph covering protoplasmic
resistance. One of the most rapidly growing and most exciting areas in plant
pathology is summed up by the statement, "The biochemical nature of protoplasmic
resistance is not un- derstood." The authors allow one exception to this statement; the demonstration
by Link et al. around 1930 that
protocatechnic acid and catechol cause disease resistance in onions.
W L. Klarman
University of Maryland
MILLER, LAWRENCE P. (editor). Phytochemistry Volume
I. The Process and Products of Photosyn- thesis. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.
1972. $22.50.
The first few chapters deal with the structure of
chloroplasts and the carbon reduction cycle of photosyn- thesis. However, the
main thrust of the book is with what the editor considers to be the products
of photosynthesis. Other aspects of photosynthetic products are covered in remaining
volumes of this series. The book is multiauthored and as a result suffers from
some of the traits of this kind of work. Little correlation is made from one
chapter to another and as a result the book has minimal integration among the
various topics. The book is without doubt authoritative and quite technical
in many respects. The first few chapters are of a more general nature that would
be suitable for undergraduate text material, but the remiander of the book is
obviously prepared for the investigator who is intimate with the sub- ject matter.
It is for this reason that the book, as a whole, probably would not be suitable
for undergraduate courses and would be viewed as most appropriate for specialized
graduate courses or for the researcher. Also, the price of the book would probably
limit the extent of its market. The chapters are smoothly written, but the description
of one compound after another in several of the chapters made these somewhat
less interesting than those which deal also with the metabolism and physiology
of the com- pounds in question. There seemed to be more printing errors than
one generally finds in a book of this nature.
The introductory chapter (L. P. Miller) is of a general nature and deals with
such subjects as the problems of chemical taxonomy, pollution by plants, plants
as food and toxin-producing agents, oils and odoriferous com- pounds, compounds
which cause psychic effects, the origin of photosynthesis, and photosynthesis
in relation to man. Chapter 2 (J. J. Wolken) concentrates on the chemistry and
structure of the chloroplast in Euglena. Less at- tention is paid to
the higher-plant chloroplast and to the more modern models of chloroplast structure.
The book is weak in terms of a discussion concerning the physical phenomena
of photosynthesis. The chapter also reflects the author's interest in chloroplastin.
Chapter 3 (J. A. Bassham) emphasizes the fact that photosynthesis is erroneously
described as a process which produces only simple carbohydrates. Rather, in
the light, the photosynthetic products may be used directly to synthesize
many compounds without having to be stored first as simple car- bohydrates.
The carbon reduction cycle as well as some aspects of the regulation of photosynthesis
are considered. Chapter 4 (0. T. G. Jones) treats in some detail the biosynthesis
of chlorophylls as well as the spectroscopy of the chlorophylls. This chapter
begins the portion of the book that is written at a higher level. Chapter 5
(T. W. Goodwin) deals with the carotenoids and the develop- mental changes of
carotenoids in plant organs. The biosynthesis and functions of the carotenoids
are also briefly discussed. Chapter 6 (L. P. Miller) is primarily a
catalog of the plant mono- and oligosaccharides - their structures and where they
are found. The lack of linkage numbers in the chemical names is a bit disconcerting
and, in general, the metabolic aspects are largely ignored. Chapter 7 (D. J. Manners)
is complete in that it covers many aspects of starch and inulin. The structures
of starch, especially, and inulin as well as the metabolism, enzymology, and physiology
of these compounds are discussed. The section on inulin is very limited as compared
to that on starch. Chapter 8 (G. A. Towle and R. L. Whistler) describes the structure
and biological localization of the hemicelluloses as well as the com- position
and economic utilization of gums. Chapter 9 (J. Teng and R. L. Whistler) concentrates,
especially, on the structures and physical and optical properties of cellulose.
The properties of chitin are only briefly treated. Chapter 10 (J. J. Doesburg)
considers the nature of pectic com- pounds and especially considers the jelling
properties of these substances. Some aspects of enzymology and biosyn- thesis
in reference to these compounds are discussed. Chapter 11 (L. P. Miller) is a
little more comprehensive than some of the others and is mainly a discussion of
the structure and location of glycosides. Some metabolic aspects of these compounds
are briefly considered.
In general the book should be of use to the in- vestigator who does not have
on hand a general review of these compounds which are discussed. Some sections
may serve as text material.
David
W Newman
Miami University
DOBZHANSKY, TH., M. K. HECHT, and W. C.
STEERE (eds.). Evolutionary Biology, Vol. 6, Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York. 1973.
This volume of Evolutionary Biology is dedicated to
George Gaylord Simpson on the occasion of his 70th birth- day. Appropriately,
most of the 16 papers included in this collection focus on problems associated
with vertebrates. Among these are five papers dealing with human evolution contributed
by Washburn, Neel and Schull, Lewontin, Lerner, and Dobzhansky.
Although none of the included papers focuses on plants per. se, .the
systematist will find the paper by Schaeffer, Hecht, and Eldredge to be of interest.
These authors, analyzing the relevance of paleontological data to the construction
of phylogenies, conclude that the tem- poral sequence of fossils should have
little, if any, input to the initial determination of a set of relationships
among taxa. In their view, biostratigraphic data properly enter only after the
selection of one of the several possible phylogenetic trees to serve as a "best
fit" estimate of relationships. Thus temporal data are relegated to the analysis
of evolutionary patterns and rates.
Another -paper of particularly broad mterest is that by E. E. Williams, who
attempts to reconstruct ecological
December
1973
Plant Science Bulletin
Page 64
processes
by which anoline lizards have become fitted together in coadapted species complexes
in Puerto Rico. Using "ecological rules" derived from studies of con- temporary
assemblages, Williams shows how it is possible to rationally speculate on the
origin of ecologically com- plex interrelationships of the mature fauna.
Although the orientation of this volume is not botanical, many botanists will
undoubtedly find several of the papers to be both stimulating and relevant to
their research interests.
Charles E. King
University of South Florida
GOODWIN,
T. W. and E. I. MERCER. Introduction to Plant Biochemistry. Pergamon
Press, New York. 1972. VII + 359 pp.
This volume deals with fundamental biochemical
processes which are characteristic of many organisms but strongly emphasizes
information obtained from plant systems. Thus more than one-third of the text
is devoted to bio-energetics, enzyme kinetics, respiration and basic metabolism.
Additional chapters provide excellent in- troductions to the biochemistry of
the plant cell wall and photosynthesis. The chapter on photosynthesis contains
such useful material as a discussion of various reagents which are frequently
used in experimental studies and a consideration of primary photochemistry.
Related topics including a good discussion of redox potentials and a sum- mary
of porphyrin biosynthesis are covered in other chap- ters. In keeping with the
primary orientation towards more general topics, terpenes and terpenoids, alkaloids,
and flavonoids and related compounds are briefly sur- veyed. These chapters
do, however, contain numerous structural formulae illustrating the diversity
of com- pounds which can be synthesized by plants.
Unique features of the format adopted for this text are the inclusion of systematic
nomenclature for specific enzymes at the end of each chapter and the use of
a num- ber of fold-out pages which provide clear illustrations of chemical structures
and metabolic pathways. Each of 15 chapters is outlined and appropriately subdivided
into specific topics.
The author's attempts to maintain a moderate size volume have resulted in several
less desirable features. Only limited material on proteins and protein synthesis
is included and from a personal point of view, metabolic regulation
is insufficiently covered. Most' of the text material is presented at a level
which assumes that the reader has completed a comprehensive course in biochemisty.
In the section on enzyme kinetics, for exam- ple, the listed uses of Km could
be misleading in absence of knowledge gained elsewhere. Similarly, the reader
is alerted to the potential lack of accuracy of Lineweaver- Burk plots but alternative
transformations are not men- tioned. In contrast, a somewhat elementary consideration
of plant cell structure and function is provided in Chapter 3 to aid biochemists
less familiar with plants. Never- theless, the occasional use of terms such
as "Photosyn- thetic unit" without definition could be confusing and reference
to the cell wall as a "tough membrane" is inap- propriate.
Given that this volume is not intended as an in- troductory biochemistry text,
its most severe limitation is the complete omission of original literature citations.
Although a few specialized texts and general review ar- ticles are cited at
the end of each chapter, readers should anticipate some minor frustration engendered
by being unable to easily clarify such apparently conflicting statements as:
"In plant mitochondria. .. little or no cytochrome Cl is present. . ." (p. 119)
and ". .. a cytochrome of the Cl type has recently been demonstrated . . . in
the mitochondria of higher plants. . ." (p. 125). Furthermore, experimental
results which tend to support specific concepts are mentioned with reasonable
frequency. This is highly desirable but such results should be accessible to
the reader for critical examination. Ap- parent references such as "Lucy (1964)
proposed. . . "are sometimes included in the text but not cited in the bibliography.
On balance, the authors have made a useful con- tribution to the source material
for teachers and students of biochemistry and plant physiology. With supplemental
reading, less chemically oriented students should be able to obtain a valuable
overview of many aspects of plant biochemistry from this volume. Although the
lack of reference material is clearly detrimental, this limitation is partially
compensated by the readability of the text and the orientation towards both
the unity and diversity of biochemical processes which are manifested by plants.
J. K. Bryan
Syracuse University
PLANT SCIENCE
BULLETIN
LIFE SCIENCE BUILDING UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA TAMPA, FLORIDA 33620
Plant
Science Bulletin
Robert W.
Long, Editor Life Science Bldg. 174 University of South Florida Tampa,
Florida 33620 Editorial Board Elwood B. Ehrle, Man/wto State College Adolph
Hecht, Washington State University Donald R. Kaplan, University of
California (Berkeley) Richard M. Klein, University of Vermont Beryl
Simpson, Smithsonian Institution
December
1973
Volume Nineteen
Number Four
Changes
of Address: Notify the Treasurer of the Botanical Society of America, Inc.
Dr. C. Ritchie Bell, Department of Botany, University of North Carolina, Chapel
Hill, North Carolina, 26514:
Subscriptions for libraries and persons not members of the Botanical Society
of America are obtainable at the rate of $4.00 a year. Send orders with checks
payable to "Botanical Society of America, Inc." to the Treasurer.
Manuscripts intended for publicntion in PLANT SCIENCE BULLETIN should
be ad. dressed to Dr. Robert W. Long, editor, Life Science Bldg. 174, University
of South Florida, Tampa, Florida 33620. Announcements, notes, short scientific
articles of general interest to the members of the Botanical Society of America
and the botanical community. at large will be considered for publication to
the extent that the limited space of the publication permits. Line illustrations
and good, glossy. black and white photographs to accompany such papers are invited.
Authors may order extracted reprints without change in pagination at the time
proof is submitted.
Material submitted for publication should be typewritten, doublespaced,
and sent in duplicate to the Editor. Copy should follow the style of recent issues
of the Bulletin. Microfilms of Plant Science Bulletin are available from
University Microfilm, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106.
The Plant Science Bulletin is published quarterly at the University of South Florida,
4202 Fowler Ave., Tampa, Fla. 33620. Second class postage paid at Tampa, Florida.