From Galileo, who used the hollow stalks of grass to demonstrate the idea that peripherally located construction materials provide most of grass' resistance to bending forces, to Leonardo da Vinci, whose illustrations of the parachute are alleged to be based on his study of the dandelion's pappus and the maple tree's samara, many of our greatest physicists, mathematicians, and engineers have learned much from their collaborations with botanists, and vice versa. This symbiotic relationship continues today, as is revealed in "Plant Physics". The result of a long-term collaboration between plant evolutionary biologist Karl J. Niklas and physicist Hanns-Christof Spatz, "Plant Physics" presents a detailed account of the principles of classical physics, evolutionary theory, and plant biology in order to explain the complex interrelationships among plant form, function, environment, and evolutionary history. Covering a wide range of topics - from the development and evolution of the basic plant body and the ecology of aquatic unicellular plants to mathematical treatments of light attenuation through tree canopies and the movement of water through plants' roots, stems, and leaves - "Plant Physics" is destined to inspire students and professionals alike to traverse disciplinary membranes.

About the Author
Karl J. Niklas is the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Plant Biology in the Department of Plant Biology at Cornell University. He is the author of Plant Biomechanics, Plant Allometry, and The Evolutionary Biology of Plants, all published by the University of Chicago Press. Hanns-Christof Spatz is professor emeritus of biophysics in the Faculty of Biology at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg in Germany.

Reviews
"Here's the physical world of plants in all its splendor - and multidimensionality - brought to bear on the rich diversity of both extant and extinct forms. Karl J. Niklas and Hanns-Christof Spatz's theme, which deserves attention, is that since plants (and animals, of course) cannot change physics, physical laws and processes must bear strongly on the course of their evolution." (Steven Vogel, Duke University)"



Book Information
ISBN 9780226586328
Author Karl J. Niklas
Format Hardback
Page Count 448
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 851g
Dimensions(mm) 24mm * 15mm * 3mm