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Preface

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

Mary Allessio Leck
Affiliation:
Emeritus Professor of Biology, Rider University, USA
V. Thomas Parker
Affiliation:
Professor of Biology, San Francisco State University, USA
Robert L. Simpson
Affiliation:
Professor of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Michigan – Dearborn, USA
Mary Allessio Leck
Affiliation:
Rider University, New Jersey
V. Thomas Parker
Affiliation:
San Francisco State University
Robert L. Simpson
Affiliation:
University of Michigan, Dearborn
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Summary

Interest in developing this multiauthored book grew from our work with seeds and seed-bank ecology. While seed production and seed-bank dynamics are critical stages, what happens to seedlings is also fundamental to explaining field observations of vegetation dynamics and recruitment. Although several recent books discuss seedlings, indicating their importance to plant regeneration (Fenner, 2000) and to seed ecology (Fenner & Thompson, 2005), only one, Swaine (1996), focuses on seedling ecology; it, however, deals exclusively with tropical forest seedlings and is now more than 10 years old. A fourth volume, Forget et al. (2005), is primarily about seed predation and dispersal. Seedling Ecology and Evolution will complement these works and provide a more all-encompassing discussion. Moreover, it bridges the life-cycle gap following seeds (e.g. Baskin & Baskin, 1998) and seed banks (e.g. Leck et al., 1989). Additional information about regeneration strategies may be found in Harper (1977), Grubb (1977, 1998), and Grime (2001).

We acknowledge the importance of understanding seedling biology in agriculture and horticulture; however, seedlings are well studied in these settings, whereas in natural systems, seedlings are less studied, and the literature is more diffuse. This book explores seedling adaptations and constraints to regeneration in natural and disturbed systems, where a better understanding of seedlings would stimulate study and development of theory regarding this dynamic and often neglected part of the plant life cycle.

After seeds, seedlings typically suffer the highest mortality rate of any life history stage and, therefore, are important in the selection and evolution of species.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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References

Baskin, C. C. & Baskin, J. M. (1998). Seed Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination. San Diego: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Fenner, M., ed. (2000). Seeds: the Ecology of Regeneration in Plant Communities. Wallingford: CAB International.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fenner, M. and Thompson, K. (2005). The Ecology of Seeds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forget, P.-M., Lambert, J. E., Hulme, P. E., & Vander Wall, S. B., ed. (2005). Seed Fate: Predation, Dispersal and Seedling Establishment. Wallingford: CAB International.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grime, J. P. (2001). Plant Strategies, Vegetation Processes, and Ecosystem Processes. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Grubb, P. J. (1977). The maintenance of species-richness in plant communities: the importance of the regeneration niche. Biological Reviews, 52, 107–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grubb, P. J. (1998). A reassessment of the strategies of plants which cope with shortages of resources. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 1, 3–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harper, J. L. (1977). Population Biology of Plants. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Leck, M. A., Parker, V. T., & Simpson, R. L., ed. (1989). Ecology of Soil Seed Banks. San Diego: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Swaine, M. D., ed. (1996). Ecology of Tropical Forest Seedlings, Man and the Biosphere Series, Vol. 17. Carnforth: UNESCO & The Parthenon Publishing Group.Google Scholar

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  • Preface
  • Edited by Mary Allessio Leck, Rider University, New Jersey, V. Thomas Parker, San Francisco State University, Robert L. Simpson, University of Michigan, Dearborn
  • Book: Seedling Ecology and Evolution
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815133.002
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  • Preface
  • Edited by Mary Allessio Leck, Rider University, New Jersey, V. Thomas Parker, San Francisco State University, Robert L. Simpson, University of Michigan, Dearborn
  • Book: Seedling Ecology and Evolution
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815133.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Preface
  • Edited by Mary Allessio Leck, Rider University, New Jersey, V. Thomas Parker, San Francisco State University, Robert L. Simpson, University of Michigan, Dearborn
  • Book: Seedling Ecology and Evolution
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511815133.002
Available formats
×