Steyermark's Flora of Missouri Vol. 1 by G. YatskievychReview by: J. Ch.Folia Geobotanica, Vol. 37, No. 3 (Sep., 2002), pp. 362-363Published by: SpringerStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25133930 .

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362 Bookreviews

overlooked by biogeoprahical textbooks). The author has written an introductory textbook with special

emphasis on geography students in North America, and proceeds from the description of physical environments

and distribution patterns of biota to dynamic processes of dispersal, colonization, evolution and speciation and

the effect of man on the life on Earth. The concluding part deals with theoretical principles of description and the

interpretation of patterns, sustaining biological diversity and conservation issues. A must for North American

biography students, and maybe teachers everywhere, too. (PeP)

R. Wisskirchen & H. Haeupler: Standardliste der Farn- und Bliitenpflanzen Deutschlands; Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim), 1998, 768pp. Price EUR 79.90, ISBN3-8001-3360-1.

- The new synonymized checklist lists in alphabetical order adopted names and synonyms of ca. 4,200 species and infrageneric taxa

within 777 genera, altogether about 15,000 names. It consists ofthe main body (a "true" checklist), information

about the floristical status given in the left narrow column, and of synoptical view of taxonomic treatment of all

listed taxa in seven most important recent reference books covering the territory of Germany. In the main body, the adopted name is followed by the German name and by a list of synonyms; all names are provided with place of publication, and generic ones and few others with type information. The indication of bibliographic checking

(marked with asterisk) proves valuable. Concerning taxonomic judgement, the authors follow in general terms

the taxonomic line accepted by the group around "Liste der Gefasspflanzen Mitteleuropas" in Vienna. Deviating taxonomical decisions are explained in the text. Aside from the alphabetical checklist, an inventory of all

chromosome counts published since 1950 for German (or generally central European) populations, including new hitherto unpublished chromosome counts, is provided in the second half of the volume. Worth of mention

are new combinations and typifications given in the alphabetical checklist and summarized in the introductory

part. Although many checklists have appeared recently, the value of the present one is increased by the

taxonomical notes present. It will with no doubt become a common basis for presentation of floristic and

mapping projects and for communication among people from various basic and applied fields of botany. (JCh)

H. Haeupler & T. Muer: Bildatlas der Farn- und Blutenpflanzen Deutschlands; Verlag Eugen Ulmer,

Stuttgart (Hohenheim), 2000, 760pp. Price EUR 79.90, ISBN3-8001-3364-4. - The book covers 4145 species,

subspecies, varieties, apomictic taxa and hybrids of native and alien vascular plants. The taxonomic concept and

nomenclature follows "Standardliste" (see above). The most important part of the volume are the excellent

photographs of nearly all treated taxa. Black & white drawings show selected details or (in the genus Oenothera) the whole plants, as well. The main authors obtained the help of great many of their colleagues for special

groups. Of great value are the comprehensive treatments of such critical groups as, Alchemilla, Sorbus, Rubus,

Hieracium, where photographs are provided for nearly all recognized taxa. On the other hand, only photographs of selected species (1-6, as a rule the most common ones) of particular sections of some genera (e.g. Taraxacum) are given. A short entry is provided for each taxon. It starts with Latin and German names; synonyms are not

included. Furthermore, one can determine by means of a set of abbreviations whether the taxon is endemic to

either Germany or Central Europe, whether it is native or alien (eight groups of alien flora are distinguished). Other characteristics are as follows: life form (modified Raunkiaer's classification), phenological phase

(whenever available, according to Dierschke), flower type, distribution in Germany (in general terms),

conservation status, economic use, and ecology (habitat classification summarized by Pott is used). The

abbreviations are followed by a brief morphological description focused on the characters that are most

important for proper determination. Notes on variation, possibilities of misidentification, and the origin of

selected alien species (neophytes) complete the account. The three volumes (Standardliste, Bildatlas and

Verbreitungsatlas, which is in preparation) crown long-term effort to provide comprehensive account of

German vascular plants. They will undoubtedly serve as a clearly written and easily understandable source of

information for both botanists and experts in nature protection, agriculture, forestry etc. (JCh)

G. Yatskievych: Steyermark's Flora of Missouri, revised edition, vol. 1; The Missouri Department of

Conservation, Jefferson City, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, 1999, 991 pp. Price USD 38.-,

ISBN 1-887247-19-X. - This is the first volume ofthe thoroughly revised Steyermark's Flora of Missouri,

originally published in 1963. It contains treatments of 801 species of ferns, fern allies, conifers and monocots.

The series of introductory chapters brings an overview of the history of floristic botany in Missouri, and

summarizes the geology, climate, and vegetation. Attention is also paid to vegetation changes after the

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Bookreviews 363

colonization of Missouri by European immigrants, and to the origin and affinities ofthe flora. Determination

keys for the "main groups" (Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Angiosperms -

Dicots, and Monocots), families,

genera, species and infraspecific taxa are provided. Each species entry includes adopted name, synonyms, a

description, comments on the ecology and distribution in the area, and (wherever relevant) notes on variation,

determination, etc. This is accompanied by line drawings and distribution maps indicating presence or absence

for particular counties. The volume is concluded by a glossary of morphological terms and an extensive list of

references. (JCh)

M. Pigliucci: Phenotypic plasticity. Beyond nature and nurture; The Johns Hopkins University Press,

Baltimore and London, 2001, 328pp. Price USD 75.-, ISBN 0-8018-6788-6. - The book starts a new series of

synthetic works focused on the fields of ecology and evolution. It addresses the central and topical subject in

evolutionary biology -

phenotypic plasticity. In the first part, basic concepts related to phenotypic plasticity

(e.g., genotype-phenotype mapping function, reaction norms, relations between plasticity and heritability) are

introduced and the scope of plasticity studies is discussed. Some of the major milestones of past research on

phenotypic plasticity are highlighted and discussed in the following part. The middle part of the book discusses

various genetic models of phenotypic plasticity, the molecular basis of plasticity, the plasticity of development, the ecology of plastic responses; the last chapters are focused on the role of costs and constraints in the evolution

of plasticity. I appreciate the style of the book - theory, discussion, and plentiful examples from both zoology

and botany are well balanced making the text understandable for a wide audience of readers. It is a very good contribution to the understanding of genotype-environment interactions and can be recommended to both

students and professionals in evolutionary biology, ecology and genetics. (JCh)

Annual review of ecology and systematics, vol. 32; Palo Alto, California, USA, 2001, 614 pp. Price not given, ISSN 0066-4162, ISBN 0-8243-1432-8. -

The papers in the present volume fall rather outside the field that

concern most FG readers. However, some contributions are strongly recommended to the botanical audience.

A.K. Sakai et al. summarize various aspects of the biology of invasive species; another excellent paper is that

about the family Araucariaceae by P. Kershaw and B. Wagstaff. The authors emphasize the importance of

Araucariaceae in elucidating patterns of vegetation, climate and tectonic changes in the southern hemisphere

(of similar importance is e.g. the genus Nothofagus); in the study they examine recent information on ecology and phylogeny and on pollen and macrofossil assemblages to assess the history and present-day status of the

family and its potential for refinement of past environmental conditions. The third paper, I would like to

recommend, deals with mistletoes (families Vitaceae and Loranthaceae). D.M. Watson here summarizes the

research of mistletoe biology and synthetizes results from studies of mistletoe-animal interactions. The volume

follows the high standard ofthe series and can be recommended to both professionals and students in biological sciences. (JCh)

A. Zajac & M. Zajac (eds.): Atlas rozmieszczenia roslin naczyniowych w Polsce. Distribution atlas of

vascular plants in Poland; Instytut Botaniki Uniwersytetu Jagiellonskiego, Krakow, 2001, 716 pp. ISBN

83-915161-1-3. - The history of the "Atlas" goes back to the 1970s, when the authors' team was set up and a

methodology was developed. Since that time, a vast body of floristic records was collected (about 4,5 million!),

mostly especially for the purposes of the Atlas. The atlas contains 2303 distribution maps, the basic unit of the

cartogramme is 10 X10 km2. It covers about 90% of Polish native and naturalized species of vascular plants. For

some of the rare taxa, the stations were differentiated into existing, extinct, and those for which no current

information is available. The volume is concluded with comments on selected species (they mostly include

references to earlier published distribution maps) and with an extensive list of references. Of high value are

overlay maps printed on transparent foil, presenting a cartogramme grid of 10 x 10 km2, administrative units of

Poland, and the main climatic parameters. Nomenclature generally follows the Polish Checklist (MlREK et al., Vascular Plants ofPoland. A Checklist. Polish Bot. Stud. Guidebook Series 15: 1-308,1995), supplemented by material for its second revised edition (it will appear towards the end of 2002). From the beginning of collecting and processing data the authors decided to use computer-aided techniques. Changes in data processing from

large computers that required punch cards or punched paper tapes to PC's are briefly described in the

introductory part. It is a peculiar example of problems connected with data elaboration in the time of the

computer revolution... To sum up, Polish botanists can be proud of this excellent work. (Jch)

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