Plants and Society

Overview

This introductory, one quarter/one-semester text takes a multidisciplinary approach to studying the relationship between plants and people. The authors strive to stimulate interest in plant science and encourage students to further their studies in botany. Also, by exposing students to society's historical connection to plants, Levetin and McMahon hope to instill a greater appreciation for the botanical world. Plants and Society covers basic principles of botany with strong emphasis on the economic aspects and social implications of plants and fungi.

Table of contents

I Plants and Society: The Botanical Connections to Our Lives1 Plants in Our LivesII Introduction to Plant Life: Botanical Principles2 The Plant Cell3 The Plant Body4 Plant Physiology5 Plant Life Cycle: Flowers6 Plant Life Cycle: Fruits and Seeds7 Genetics8 Plant Systematics and Evolution9 Diversity of Plant LifeIII Plants as a Source of Food10 Human Nutrition11 Origins of Agriculture12 The Grasses13 Legumes14 Starchy Staples15 Feeding a Hungry WorldIV Commercial Products Derived from Plants16 Stimulating Beverages17 Herbs and Spices18 Materials: Cloth, Wood, and PaperV Plants and Human Health19 Medicinal Plants20 Psychoactive Plants21 Poisonous and Allergy PlantsVI Algae and Fungi: The Impact of Algae and Fungi on Human Affairs22 The Algae23 Fungi in the Natural Environment24 Beverages and Foods from Fungi25 Fungi that Affect Human HealthVII Plants and the Environment26 Plant EcologyAppendix A Metric SystemAppendix B Classification of Plants