The Anther: Form, Function and Phylogeny

Front Cover
Cambridge University Press, Mar 7, 1996 - Nature - 351 pages
The stamen, and its fertile pollen-bearing part, and anther, have received relatively little scientific attention, in spite of their fundamental role in the reproductive cycle of flowering plants, and their importance in interpreting plant evolution. To help begin to redress this shortcoming the contributions in this volume give an indication of the kinds of studies now being undertaken with a view to stimulating further work on this neglected plant organ. Summaries of traditional and current concepts of stamen construction, function, and terminology are accompanied by new evidence, drawn from the fossil record, for the evolution of the anther and of anther-bearing plants. Current studies of growth and structure, including detailed studies of several families, help explain the dynamics of stamen evolution. New and striking illustrations of many plant structures aid our understanding of these concepts. An exhaustive bibliography and details of techniques for investigating the anther are also included. Emerging agreement can be seen on the nature of structures and functions of anthers, but the scope of some definitions and some features of the stamen and its evolution await consensus.
 

Contents

The fossil history of stamens
25
The origin and early evolution of angiosperm stamens
58
Diversity and evolutionary trends in angiosperm
92
Are stamens and carpels homologous?
111
Heterochrony in the anther
118
Diversity of endothecial patterns in the angiosperms
136
The calcium oxalate package or socalled resorption
159
Anther adaptations in animal pollination
192
Anther differentiation in the Asclepiadaceae
221
Stamen structure and development in legumes with
236
a review of methods
255
A bibliography of stamen morphology and anatomy
272
Index
337
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