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Achieving Environmental Literacy: E Pluribus Unum Making Peace with the Planet by Barry Commoner; The Environment in Question: Ethics and Global Issues by David E. Cooper; Joy A. Palmer; Toward Unity among Environmentalists by Bryan G. Norton; Global Biodiversity Strategy: Guidelines for Action to Save, Study, and Use Earth's Biotic Wealth Sustainably and Equitably Review by: Patricia A. Marsteller Ecology, Vol. 73, No. 6 (Dec., 1992), pp. 2335-2337 Published by: Ecological Society of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1941482 . Accessed: 08/12/2014 07:37 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . Ecological Society of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Ecology. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.235.251.160 on Mon, 8 Dec 2014 07:37:39 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

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Achieving Environmental Literacy: E Pluribus UnumMaking Peace with the Planet by Barry Commoner; The Environment in Question: Ethics andGlobal Issues by David E. Cooper; Joy A. Palmer; Toward Unity among Environmentalists byBryan G. Norton; Global Biodiversity Strategy: Guidelines for Action to Save, Study, and UseEarth's Biotic Wealth Sustainably and EquitablyReview by: Patricia A. MarstellerEcology, Vol. 73, No. 6 (Dec., 1992), pp. 2335-2337Published by: Ecological Society of AmericaStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1941482 .

Accessed: 08/12/2014 07:37

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

Ecological Society of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Ecology.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 128.235.251.160 on Mon, 8 Dec 2014 07:37:39 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Page 2: Achieving Environmental Literacy: E Pluribus Unum

December 1992 December 1992

Falconer) rather than newer revisions, whereas in other cases textbooks are cited in place of original sources for important concepts (e.g., reproductive value). In addition to these flaws, we often lost the conceptual thread that Cockburn presumably intended us to follow.

Overall, this book reminded us of walks taken with biol- ogist friends, where chance encounters with nifty bugs, birds, or plants lead discussions from topic to topic. The result is enjoyable and stimulating in the case of a stroll, but in a

Falconer) rather than newer revisions, whereas in other cases textbooks are cited in place of original sources for important concepts (e.g., reproductive value). In addition to these flaws, we often lost the conceptual thread that Cockburn presumably intended us to follow.

Overall, this book reminded us of walks taken with biol- ogist friends, where chance encounters with nifty bugs, birds, or plants lead discussions from topic to topic. The result is enjoyable and stimulating in the case of a stroll, but in a

textbook sets a poor example for scholarship and can lead to confusion and frustration. For this reason, we would hesitate to use Cockburn's book in our own classes.

MARY V. PRICE NICKOLAS M. WASER

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

Department of Biology Riverside, California 92521

textbook sets a poor example for scholarship and can lead to confusion and frustration. For this reason, we would hesitate to use Cockburn's book in our own classes.

MARY V. PRICE NICKOLAS M. WASER

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

Department of Biology Riverside, California 92521

EcologIy 73(6), 1992. pp. 2335-2337 © 1992 by the Ecological Society of America

ACHIEVING ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY: E PLURIBUS UNUM?

EcologIy 73(6), 1992. pp. 2335-2337 © 1992 by the Ecological Society of America

ACHIEVING ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY: E PLURIBUS UNUM?

Commoner, Barry. 1992. Making peace with the planet. The New Press, New York. xi + 293 p. $11.95, ISBN: 1-56584- 012-7.

Cooper, David E., and Joy A. Palmer (eds.). 1992. The environment in question: ethics and global issues. Routledge, New York. xii + 256 p. $51.95 (cloth), $65.50 (cloth, Canada), ISBN: 0-415-04967-9; $16.95 (paper), $21.50 (paper, Cana- da), ISBN: 0-415-04968-7.

Norton, Bryan G. 1991. Toward unity among environmen- talists. Oxford University Press, New York. xi + 287 p. $29.95, ISBN: 0-19-506112-8 (acid-free paper).

World Resources Institute, The World Conservation Union, and United Nations Environment Programme. 1992. Glob- al biodiversity strategy: guidelines for action to save, study, and use Earth's biotic wealth sustainably and equitably. World Resources Institute, The World Conservation Union, and United Nations Environment Programme, Washington, D.C. vi + 244 p. ISBN: 0-915825-74-0.

Commoner, Barry. 1992. Making peace with the planet. The New Press, New York. xi + 293 p. $11.95, ISBN: 1-56584- 012-7.

Cooper, David E., and Joy A. Palmer (eds.). 1992. The environment in question: ethics and global issues. Routledge, New York. xii + 256 p. $51.95 (cloth), $65.50 (cloth, Canada), ISBN: 0-415-04967-9; $16.95 (paper), $21.50 (paper, Cana- da), ISBN: 0-415-04968-7.

Norton, Bryan G. 1991. Toward unity among environmen- talists. Oxford University Press, New York. xi + 287 p. $29.95, ISBN: 0-19-506112-8 (acid-free paper).

World Resources Institute, The World Conservation Union, and United Nations Environment Programme. 1992. Glob- al biodiversity strategy: guidelines for action to save, study, and use Earth's biotic wealth sustainably and equitably. World Resources Institute, The World Conservation Union, and United Nations Environment Programme, Washington, D.C. vi + 244 p. ISBN: 0-915825-74-0.

We, as ecologists, are often asked to teach or design courses on environmental issues for diverse audiences. We also want the ecology segment of our introductory courses for biology majors to cause students to develop their analytical and prob- lem-solving skills, rather than to merely recite characteristics of biomes and communities. One of our goals, if we are to achieve a sustainable biosphere initiative, must be developing a program for environmental and ecological literacy for all citizens.

Suppose you wanted to develop such a program for current and future legislators, business leaders, environmentalists, and citizens, with the primary goal that they will recognize and define environmental problems, explore alternative solutions, evaluate short-term and long-term consequences of the pro- posals, choose ethically, and act wisely-would the books listed above be valuable components?

War and Peace

Barry Commoner's Making peace with the planet presents a lucid, accessible account of the crises created by the clash between the ecosphere and the technosphere. He reviews the impact of two decades of effort to control the environmental and human casualties of our war against the planet: escalating damage. In a critical analysis of twenty years (and billions of dollars) of effort to make peace with the planet, Commoner

We, as ecologists, are often asked to teach or design courses on environmental issues for diverse audiences. We also want the ecology segment of our introductory courses for biology majors to cause students to develop their analytical and prob- lem-solving skills, rather than to merely recite characteristics of biomes and communities. One of our goals, if we are to achieve a sustainable biosphere initiative, must be developing a program for environmental and ecological literacy for all citizens.

Suppose you wanted to develop such a program for current and future legislators, business leaders, environmentalists, and citizens, with the primary goal that they will recognize and define environmental problems, explore alternative solutions, evaluate short-term and long-term consequences of the pro- posals, choose ethically, and act wisely-would the books listed above be valuable components?

War and Peace

Barry Commoner's Making peace with the planet presents a lucid, accessible account of the crises created by the clash between the ecosphere and the technosphere. He reviews the impact of two decades of effort to control the environmental and human casualties of our war against the planet: escalating damage. In a critical analysis of twenty years (and billions of dollars) of effort to make peace with the planet, Commoner

concludes that the strategies and policies failed miserably be- cause the objective was control and regulation. Only by re- designing production to prevent pollution and environmental degradation can we hope to achieve a lasting peace. He ad- dresses the moral and political consequences of issues that complicate the cost-benefit analysis approach to regulation resulting in "poor public policy disguised as science and poor science disguised as policy." Commoner concludes that only by transforming industry, agriculture, transportation, and en- ergy systems and simultaneously defeating the crushing pov- erty and exploitation of many of the world's people, will we win the war. He declares that extant, ecologically sound tech- nology can facilitate the transition if consumers and govern- ment policy makers use their power to speed the transfor- mation. If, for example, the U.S. government decided to spend its annual 7 billion dollar vehicle budget only for electric cars, the reluctance of the automotive industry to change its pro- duction model would dissipate.

Commoner documents his case convincingly, with a wealth of technical detail, clear examples, and persuasive prose. Like his previous books, this book will leave an indelible imprint on the public consciousness. I am ready to send copies (pas- sages highlighted) to my congressional representatives and all presidential candidates. Yet there are some problems. Even if business leaders and economists were convinced by his arguments on profitability of ecologically sound pollution pre- vention alternatives, most will ignore his plea for redistri- bution of wealth to the Southern hemisphere. Though decry- ing simplistic technological quick fixes to complex political, social, and economic problems, Commoner downplays the impact on environmental problems of population growth and individual responsibility for consumption. The ghost of Mencken rises up: Every problem has a solution: "neat, plau- sible, and wrong."

However, for an environmental issues class, this book would be an excellent provocateur in conjunction with a text such as William Cunningham and Barbara Saigo's Environmental science: a global concern (1990. Wm. C. Brown, New York) or with other more comprehensive readers to spark debate regarding which other approaches to join with Commoner's in order to achieve sustainable planetary peace.

E Pluribus Unum?

Bryan Norton's Toward unity among environmentalists fo- cuses more directly on the moral dilemmas and consequent

concludes that the strategies and policies failed miserably be- cause the objective was control and regulation. Only by re- designing production to prevent pollution and environmental degradation can we hope to achieve a lasting peace. He ad- dresses the moral and political consequences of issues that complicate the cost-benefit analysis approach to regulation resulting in "poor public policy disguised as science and poor science disguised as policy." Commoner concludes that only by transforming industry, agriculture, transportation, and en- ergy systems and simultaneously defeating the crushing pov- erty and exploitation of many of the world's people, will we win the war. He declares that extant, ecologically sound tech- nology can facilitate the transition if consumers and govern- ment policy makers use their power to speed the transfor- mation. If, for example, the U.S. government decided to spend its annual 7 billion dollar vehicle budget only for electric cars, the reluctance of the automotive industry to change its pro- duction model would dissipate.

Commoner documents his case convincingly, with a wealth of technical detail, clear examples, and persuasive prose. Like his previous books, this book will leave an indelible imprint on the public consciousness. I am ready to send copies (pas- sages highlighted) to my congressional representatives and all presidential candidates. Yet there are some problems. Even if business leaders and economists were convinced by his arguments on profitability of ecologically sound pollution pre- vention alternatives, most will ignore his plea for redistri- bution of wealth to the Southern hemisphere. Though decry- ing simplistic technological quick fixes to complex political, social, and economic problems, Commoner downplays the impact on environmental problems of population growth and individual responsibility for consumption. The ghost of Mencken rises up: Every problem has a solution: "neat, plau- sible, and wrong."

However, for an environmental issues class, this book would be an excellent provocateur in conjunction with a text such as William Cunningham and Barbara Saigo's Environmental science: a global concern (1990. Wm. C. Brown, New York) or with other more comprehensive readers to spark debate regarding which other approaches to join with Commoner's in order to achieve sustainable planetary peace.

E Pluribus Unum?

Bryan Norton's Toward unity among environmentalists fo- cuses more directly on the moral dilemmas and consequent

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Page 3: Achieving Environmental Literacy: E Pluribus Unum

Ecology, Vol. 73, No. 6

ethical issues that may hamper environmental action. Nor- ton's goal is no less than to propose an integrated theory of environmental management by exploring environmental ac- tion-past, present, and future-and the values and motives that dictate the agendas proclaimed by the cacophony of voic- es that claim the environmentalist label. He examines the historical, linguistic, and philosophical differences that have led to a lack of unifying vision in the environmental move- ment.

Beneath the rhetoric of seemingly polarized worldviews, Norton discerns in the actions of diverse groups a unifying perspective: the ability to perceive multiple contexts and scales; to "think like a mountain" or a sand dollar; to pay attention to the hierarchy of rhythms and scales that influence the fleet- ing behavior of individuals, the andante rhythms of popu- lations, the almost imperceptible evolutionary tempo.

Norton sees environmentalists as more than Janus-faced observers at the juncture of past and future, or agents at the interface of disciplines or value systems. He focuses not on the divisive polarity of our rhetoric but on the unifying in- tegrity of actions. Multiple world views, multiple value sys- tems, can coexist if the focus is action within context: policy consensus.

Woven early into this elegant treatise are recurring stories, shining threads that bind-a little girl gathering sand dollars on the beach . .. what arguments will convince her to conserve the sand dollars, not to kill them and bleach them for trinkets? Will we use utilitarian cost-benefit analysis, species rights, moral suasion? Revisited in the final chapter, we see that the emphasis on the context of human actions may lead us out of our dilemma. We can convince the little girl by educating her about the place of the sand dollar in the tapestry of life. An action is wrong if it is inappropriate in context. We value the lowly sand dollar not in its own right, but as part of the concert of nature in its magnificent complexity and across all its movements' individual ecological and evolutionary har- monies.

This is a thoughtful and provocative book. I wish I could find as much coherence in the actions of environmentalists, as much ability to place human action in context, as much appreciation of the temporal scales of mountains or even of sand dollars. I'd recommend this book for every teacher of environmental science or ecology; perhaps in concert we can convince the next generation of business and policy leaders, and of citizens, to look at temporal scales beyond this year's profits or next year's election-to see the spatial impacts be- yond their own backyard. Students in advanced courses in ecology, environmental conservation, and environmental philosophy would also profit from the history of environ- mentalism and the vision of unification.

Other Voices

Environmental issues have many facets and complexities. Multiple perspectives and value conflicts deter efforts to pro- pose and defend coherent policies and practices. Even adroit analysts can sometimes be swayed from one course of action to another by persuasive arguments. Most students and per- haps their instructors, too, need practice in dissecting argu- ments, detecting biases, and evaluating values in the contexts of environmental decision making. The environment in ques- tion, edited by David Cooper and Joy Palmer, aims to be a tool for students of environmental science, philosophy, ecol- ogy, or teacher education that will enable them to enter the environmental debate. Like Bryan Norton's book, Cooper and

Palmer focus on philosophical and ethical issues. The col- lected essays address specific problems, such as air pollution and rain forest destruction, and wider philosophical ques- tions, such as moral obligations to future generations and the

poor. As the editors state, the contributions vary in scope, topic, and approach. They also vary considerably in reada-

bility, clarity, and style. Many of the essays would be useful

adjuncts to specific topics for discussion, but the book as a whole stands in need of supplemental material if it is to be useful. If the editors added study questions, overviews of the

issues, and guides to the philosophical jargon, the book would have more utility.

The first four essays are confusing and seem out of place. Although perhaps intended as an overview of the ethical and moral stances employed in the discussion, they are tortured and intricate in their presentation, abstract, and jargon-filled. I nearly stopped reading in dismay. Chapter 11 would be a better overview and introduction. In it, C. A. Hooker provides a guide to the complex landscape of ethics and environmental responsibility. Two essays on sustainable futures, one by Joy Palmer and one by Vandana Shiva, should be on everyone's list. Mark Sagoffs overview of risk assessment is a gem that I will not only add to my "issues" syllabus, but will encourage all my colleagues to read. Rosemary Stevenson's contribution, which frighteningly addresses the difficulty in altering pre- conceptions and beliefs, should also be read by a broader audience. Although many of the essays are excellent and useful with instructor guidance, the organization and the lack of

overviews, linkages, and guide questions undermine its utility as a text. For beginning students, Theodore Goldfarb's Taking sides: clashing views on controversial environmental issues

(1991. Duskin Publishing Group, Guilford, CT) or Julie Bach and Lynn Hall's The environmental crisis: opposing viewpoints (1986. Greenhaven Press, St. Paul, MN) would be a better choice.

Global Conservation Strategy and Guidelines for Action

The previous books all stop short at the precipice: a con- certed strategic plan for action. Global biodiversity strategy, edited by James Gustave Speth, Martin W. Holdgate, and Mostafa K. Tolba, after briefly reviewing the data on loss of

biodiversity and its causes, systematically proposes a master

plan for winning the conservation war. Unlike the previous texts, the primary focus is not to convince and persuade that a problem exists; the emphasis instead is on 85 political, social, and economic actions that comprise a unified strategy to conserve biodiversity. The approach is sweeping, recog- nizing complexity and multicausality. This agenda proposes multiple, interconnected solutions, calling for actions from

governments and international organizations to implement and develop each specific recommendation.

Perhaps the long list of contributors to this volume (in- volving six consultations, six workshops, and more than 500 individuals) supports Bryan Norton's view of an emerging consensus for action from the cacophony of conservation voices. Surely all the global community is represented here. The proposed actions seem well-reasoned and timely. Why am I left with doubts? The volume, beautifully crafted, ap- pears to be "preaching to the choir." And, although a master

plan for all conservation organizations is urgently needed, our more urgent task as educators remains to convince the general citizenry that it's essential to wage and win the war for peace with the planet. We must move citizens to take the necessary

2336 REVIEWS

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Page 4: Achieving Environmental Literacy: E Pluribus Unum

December 1992 December 1992

action, even if it constrains their freedom of choice. Is this volume aimed only at conservation organizations? If you sent it to your congressional representative or president, would it have an effect? What would be the effects on students new to the issues? I'm afraid that students (my primary concern) would see little they could do to effect even one of the 85 actions.

None of these books stand alone as a reader or a text for introductory environmental science courses, interdisciplinary issues courses, or environmental philosophy, although all would be valuable reading for the instructors. Representing a diversity of voices and purposes, each can contribute to our environmental literacy program. The perfect text, guiding stu- dents from considering concrete problems through the morass

action, even if it constrains their freedom of choice. Is this volume aimed only at conservation organizations? If you sent it to your congressional representative or president, would it have an effect? What would be the effects on students new to the issues? I'm afraid that students (my primary concern) would see little they could do to effect even one of the 85 actions.

None of these books stand alone as a reader or a text for introductory environmental science courses, interdisciplinary issues courses, or environmental philosophy, although all would be valuable reading for the instructors. Representing a diversity of voices and purposes, each can contribute to our environmental literacy program. The perfect text, guiding stu- dents from considering concrete problems through the morass

of philosophical perspectives to the most complex global is- sues, does not yet (and may never) exist. What is missing from all of these books is room for students to take action. To be effective environmental citizens, they must be able to under- stand the moral and scientific complexities without sinking into depressive inaction. They must think globally, yet trans- late their understanding into local action. Perhaps it is our job as ecologists to facilitate that essential transition.

PATRICIA A. MARSTELLER

EMORY UNIVERSITY Hughes Programs in Biology Atlanta, Georgia 30322

of philosophical perspectives to the most complex global is- sues, does not yet (and may never) exist. What is missing from all of these books is room for students to take action. To be effective environmental citizens, they must be able to under- stand the moral and scientific complexities without sinking into depressive inaction. They must think globally, yet trans- late their understanding into local action. Perhaps it is our job as ecologists to facilitate that essential transition.

PATRICIA A. MARSTELLER

EMORY UNIVERSITY Hughes Programs in Biology Atlanta, Georgia 30322

Ecology. 73(6), 1992, pp. 2337-2338 © 1992 by the Ecological Society of America

AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON CLIMBING PLANTS

Ecology. 73(6), 1992, pp. 2337-2338 © 1992 by the Ecological Society of America

AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON CLIMBING PLANTS

Putz, Francis E., and Harold A. Mooney (eds.). 1991. The biology of vines. Cambridge University Press, New York. xv + 526 p. $75.00 (cloth), ISBN: 0-521-39250-0.

Among growth forms of plants, vines are potentially the most interesting, yet the least understood. Early investigators tended to treat them as curiosities, and possibly because few are of economic importance to western civilization, they have received relatively little scientific attention. The biology of vines, edited by Putz and Mooney, is largely an ecological approach to what is known about vines and what research is needed. The book is an edited volume comprising 18 chapters by 25 noted vine researchers, several of whom gathered at the Estaci6n de Biologia Chamela, Jalisco, Mexico in 1988 to explore current and future directions of vine research. The goal of the editors is to provide "a solid foundation upon which future studies will be based." In our opinion, the book meets this goal well. It is broad in scope, with topics ranging from biogeography to development. In amassing a disparate literature into a single authoritative volume, the editors suc- ceed in drawing attention to the functional and taxonomic diversity of climbing plants and their ecological significance.

The book is divided into 5 sections, but unfortunately in- dividual sections are not introduced. We are left to infer the logic behind the organization of the sections from brief com- ments in the preface. The first section consists of a single chapter by A. H. Gentry intended to serve as an introduction to the remainder of the book. Although Gentry provides an extensive compendium of biogeographical and taxonomic in- formation, this chapter focuses primarily on lianas and does little to introduce general unique or defining features of climb- ing plants. The second section of the book consists of two chapters on stem structure and one on biomechanics. This section seems an odd mix of topics, particularly since the depth of treatment of the topics is uneven. The second chapter by S. Carlquist describes highly interesting and unique fea- tures of stem anatomical organization and cell structure of climbing plants with secondary growth. Lacking illustrations, this chapter would be challenging to readers unfamiliar with

Putz, Francis E., and Harold A. Mooney (eds.). 1991. The biology of vines. Cambridge University Press, New York. xv + 526 p. $75.00 (cloth), ISBN: 0-521-39250-0.

Among growth forms of plants, vines are potentially the most interesting, yet the least understood. Early investigators tended to treat them as curiosities, and possibly because few are of economic importance to western civilization, they have received relatively little scientific attention. The biology of vines, edited by Putz and Mooney, is largely an ecological approach to what is known about vines and what research is needed. The book is an edited volume comprising 18 chapters by 25 noted vine researchers, several of whom gathered at the Estaci6n de Biologia Chamela, Jalisco, Mexico in 1988 to explore current and future directions of vine research. The goal of the editors is to provide "a solid foundation upon which future studies will be based." In our opinion, the book meets this goal well. It is broad in scope, with topics ranging from biogeography to development. In amassing a disparate literature into a single authoritative volume, the editors suc- ceed in drawing attention to the functional and taxonomic diversity of climbing plants and their ecological significance.

The book is divided into 5 sections, but unfortunately in- dividual sections are not introduced. We are left to infer the logic behind the organization of the sections from brief com- ments in the preface. The first section consists of a single chapter by A. H. Gentry intended to serve as an introduction to the remainder of the book. Although Gentry provides an extensive compendium of biogeographical and taxonomic in- formation, this chapter focuses primarily on lianas and does little to introduce general unique or defining features of climb- ing plants. The second section of the book consists of two chapters on stem structure and one on biomechanics. This section seems an odd mix of topics, particularly since the depth of treatment of the topics is uneven. The second chapter by S. Carlquist describes highly interesting and unique fea- tures of stem anatomical organization and cell structure of climbing plants with secondary growth. Lacking illustrations, this chapter would be challenging to readers unfamiliar with

anatomical terminology. In contrast, the fourth chapter, on structural responses to stem injury by J. B. Fisher and F. W. Ewers, provides a general, basic review of both functional significance and types of anomalous stem structure. Sand- wiched in between is an intriguing chapter by F. E. Putz and N. M. Holbrook on biomechanics of vines. Because the climb- ing habit requires unique biomechanical solutions and the presence of supports, pairing this chapter with a later chapter on vine-host interactions might have strengthened the book's presentation of unique problems and attributes of climbing plants.

The third section of the book is a collection of 6 chapters entitled "Vine physiology and development." The chapters on physiology cover water flux and xylem structure, the re- serve carbohydrate economy of vines, and biomass allocation and growth rates in North American vines. A. E. Castellanos provides an excellent, up to date, and comprehensive syn- thesis of photosynthesis, gas exchange, and leaf level carbon

gain in vines. Two other loosely connected chapters are also included in this section. In the only chapter considering de- velopment, D. W. Lee and J. H. Richards focus on heter- oblasty (change in leaf shape along the shoot) from a synthetic perspective of developmental morphology, physiology, and ecology. A useful addition to this and earlier structural chap- ters would have been a more general treatment of develop- mental principles that give rise to the unique morphologies of climbing plants. The last chapter of the section provides a concise description of the rich array of secondary chemicals with defensive functions found in climbing plants.

The fourth section consists of 5 chapters covering a smat-

tering of topics in community ecology. The first two chapters in this section consider the ecology of climbing plants in forest communities and in arid regions. These chapters reveal that very little is known about the ecology of vines in arid relative to forested ecosystems. E. E. Hegarty's chapter presents a detailed account of how vines climb, but offers only a brief consideration of ways that support plants prevent vine at- tachment. The treatment of phenology by P. A. Opler, H. G. Baker, and G. W. Frankie is based primarily on original data from one tropical forest site, but is placed in broader per-

anatomical terminology. In contrast, the fourth chapter, on structural responses to stem injury by J. B. Fisher and F. W. Ewers, provides a general, basic review of both functional significance and types of anomalous stem structure. Sand- wiched in between is an intriguing chapter by F. E. Putz and N. M. Holbrook on biomechanics of vines. Because the climb- ing habit requires unique biomechanical solutions and the presence of supports, pairing this chapter with a later chapter on vine-host interactions might have strengthened the book's presentation of unique problems and attributes of climbing plants.

The third section of the book is a collection of 6 chapters entitled "Vine physiology and development." The chapters on physiology cover water flux and xylem structure, the re- serve carbohydrate economy of vines, and biomass allocation and growth rates in North American vines. A. E. Castellanos provides an excellent, up to date, and comprehensive syn- thesis of photosynthesis, gas exchange, and leaf level carbon

gain in vines. Two other loosely connected chapters are also included in this section. In the only chapter considering de- velopment, D. W. Lee and J. H. Richards focus on heter- oblasty (change in leaf shape along the shoot) from a synthetic perspective of developmental morphology, physiology, and ecology. A useful addition to this and earlier structural chap- ters would have been a more general treatment of develop- mental principles that give rise to the unique morphologies of climbing plants. The last chapter of the section provides a concise description of the rich array of secondary chemicals with defensive functions found in climbing plants.

The fourth section consists of 5 chapters covering a smat-

tering of topics in community ecology. The first two chapters in this section consider the ecology of climbing plants in forest communities and in arid regions. These chapters reveal that very little is known about the ecology of vines in arid relative to forested ecosystems. E. E. Hegarty's chapter presents a detailed account of how vines climb, but offers only a brief consideration of ways that support plants prevent vine at- tachment. The treatment of phenology by P. A. Opler, H. G. Baker, and G. W. Frankie is based primarily on original data from one tropical forest site, but is placed in broader per-

REVIEWS REVIEWS 2337 2337

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