LEADER 03816nam 2200505 450 001 9910154347103321 005 20210125114017.0 010 $a0-226-22449-X 024 7 $a10.7208/9780226224497 035 $a(CKB)3710000000971464 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC4437789 035 $a(DE-B1597)568043 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780226224497 035 $a(OCoLC)1233040694 035 $a(EXLCZ)993710000000971464 100 $a20170109h20162016 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcnu|||||||| 181 $2rdacontent 182 $2rdamedia 183 $2rdacarrier 200 10$aSeeds $ea natural history /$fCarolyn Fry 210 1$aChicago, [Illinois] :$cThe University of Chicago Press,$d2016. 210 4$dİ2016 215 $a1 online resource (193 pages) 311 $a0-226-22435-X 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 327 $tFrontmatter -- $tCONTENTS -- $tSeed Banks Around the World -- $tIntroduction -- $tCHAPTER 1. The Importance of Seeds to Humanity -- $tCHAPTER 2. How Plants Evolved on Planet Earth -- $tCHAPTER 3. How Seed Plants Reproduce -- $tCHAPTER 4. Dispersal Takes Seeds to New Pastures -- $tCHAPTER 5. Germination Brings Plants Back to Life -- $tCHAPTER 6. Using Seeds to Ensure Humanity?s Survival -- $tGlossary -- $tFurther Reading -- $tPicture Credits -- $tIndex -- $tAcknowledgments 330 $aFrom the magnificence of a towering redwood to the simple elegance of a tiny dandelion, seed-bearing plants abound on planet Earth. The sheer diversity of plants thriving today is largely thanks to the evolution of the seed, as this made plants resilient to environmental changes by enabling them to await optimum conditions for growth before springing to life. In a time of declining biodiversity, studying seeds is now helping scientists preserve this plant diversity for future generations. With Seeds, Carolyn Fry offers a celebration of these vital but unassuming packages of life. She begins with a sweeping tour through human history, designed to help us understand why we should appreciate and respect these floral parcels. Wheat, corn, and rice, she reminds us, supply the foundations of meals eaten by people around the world. Countless medicines, oils, clothing materials, and building supplies are available only because of the versatility and variety of seed-bearing plants. Fry then provides a comprehensive history of the evolution of seeds, explaining the myriad ways that they have adapted, survived, and thrived across the globe. Delving deeper into the science of seeds, she reveals the fascinating processes of dormancy, reproduction, germination, and dispersal, and showcases the estimable work conservationists are doing today to gather and bank seeds in order to prevent species from going extinct. Enriched by a stunning array of full-color images, Seeds offers a comprehensive exploration of some of the most enduring and essential players in the natural world. 606 $aSeeds$vPopular works 606 $aBotany$vPopular works 606 $aNatural history$vPopular works 610 $abiodiversity, plants, nature, wildlife, flora, science, ecosystem, nonfiction, environment, environmentalism, redwood, agriculture, invasive species, dandelion, flowers, conservation, preservation, seeds, wheat, corn, rice, grains, adaptation, dispersal, germination, reproduction, dormancy, botany, plant physiology, seed banks, algae, angiosperms, anatomy, farming, food, natural history. 615 0$aSeeds 615 0$aBotany 615 0$aNatural history 676 $a581.4/67 700 $aFry$b Carolyn$c(Science writer),$0899173 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910154347103321 996 $aSeeds$92008854 997 $aUNINA