Plants: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Timothy Walker
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 019163400X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 152

Book Description
Plants form a fundamental element of the biosphere, and the evolution of plants has directly affected the evolution of animal life and the evolution of the Earth's climate. Plants have also become essential to humans not only in the form of cereal crops, fruit, and vegetables, but in their many other uses in wood and paper, and in providing medicines. Their aesthetic importance too in our parks and gardens as well as in wildflower meadows and great forests should not be underestimated. In this Very Short Introduction Timothy Walker, Director of the Botanical Gardens in Oxford, provides a concise account of the nature of plants, their variety, their evolution, and their importance and uses, stressing the need and efforts for their conservation for future generations. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Plants: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Timothy Walker
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199584060
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 145

Book Description
Plants are a fundamental part of the biosphere and their evolution has directly affected animal life, and the Earth's climate. This Very Short Introduction provides a concise account of the nature of plants, their variety, their evolution, and their importance and uses, stressing the importance of conservation for the future.

Viruses

Author: Dorothy H. Crawford
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198811713
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 177

Book Description
Viruses are big news. From pandemics such as HIV, swine flu, and SARS, we are constantly being bombarded with information about new lethal infections. In this Very Short Introduction, Dorothy Crawford demonstrates from their discovery and the unravelling of their intricate structures, how clever these entities really are.

Colonial America

Author: Alan Taylor
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199766231
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 168

Book Description
In this Very Short Introduction, Alan Taylor presents the current scholarly understanding of colonial America to a broader audience. He focuses on the transatlantic and a transcontinental perspective, examining the interplay of Europe, Africa, and the Americas through the flows of goods, people, plants, animals, capital, and ideas.

Developmental Biology: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Lewis Wolpert
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199601194
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 153

Book Description
"A concise account of what we know about development discusses the first vital steps of growth and explores one of the liveliest areas of scientific research."--P. [2] of cover.

Nuclear Power: A Very Short Introduction

Author: John Maxwell Irvine
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199584974
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 161

Book Description
Following the increasing cost of fossil fuels and concerns about the security of their future supply. However, the term 'nuclear power' causes anxiety in many people and there is confusion concerning the nature and extent of the associated risks.

Marine Biology

Author: Philip V. Mladenov
Publisher:
ISBN: 019884171X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Book Description
Philip Mladenov provides a comprehensive overview of marine biology, providing a tour of marine life and marine processes that ranges from the polar oceans to tropical coral reefs; and from the intertidal to the hydrothermal vents of the deep sea.

Ecology

Author: Jaboury Ghazoul
Publisher:
ISBN: 0198831013
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 185

Book Description
Ecology is the science of how organisms interact with each other and with their environment to form communities and ecosystems. This book explains the principles of ecological thinking, how ecology affects our everyday lives, and how it guides environmental policy, especially in the light of current and future environmental challenges.

Forests

Author: Jaboury Ghazoul
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0198706170
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 169

Book Description
Forests have been entwined with human development and cultural history for centuries. In this Very Short Introduction Jaboury Ghazoul explores their origins, dynamics, and the range of goods and services they provide to human society, as well as looking at issues of deforestation, reforestation, and the effects of climate change.

Fungi: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Nicholas P. Money
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0191002593
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 144

Book Description
The variety of the mycological world is far greater than most people imagine. Tens of thousands of fungal species have been described and many more are known only from the abundance of their genes in soil and water. Fungi are hugely important as agents of wood decay in forests, and, as parasites, they have caused the deaths of millions of people by ravaging crops and reshaping natural ecosystems. Fungi perform a variety of essential functions in ecosystems, and are important to both agriculture and biotechnology. Their importance is now becoming better appreciated among scientists, though there is much still to be understood concerning their taxonomy and evolution. This Very Short Introduction highlights the variety and extraordinary natures of fungi, revealing the remarkable facts of fungal biology and the global significance of these enchanting organisms. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.