The database for the world biogeography of seed dormancy has been expanded from 3,580 to about 13,600 species. New insights are presented on seed dormancy and germination ecology of species with specialized life cycles or habitat requirements such as orchids, parasitic, aquatics and halophytes. Information from various fields of science has been combined with seed dormancy data to increase our understanding of the evolutionary/phylogenetic origins and relationships of the various kinds of seed dormancy (and nondormancy) and the conditions under which each may have evolved. This comprehensive synthesis of information on the ecology, biogeography and evolution of seeds provides a thorough overview of whole-seed biology that will facilitate and help focus research efforts.

Most wide-ranging and thorough account of whole-seed dormancy available

Contains information on dormancy and germination of more than 14,000 species from all the continents - even the two angiosperm species native to the Antarctica continent

Includes a taxonomic index so researchers can quickly find information on their study organism(s) and

Provides a dichotomous key for the kinds of seed dormancy

Topics range from fossil evidence of seed dormancy to molecular biology of seed dormancy

Much attention is given to the evolution of kinds of seed dormancy

Includes chapters on the basics of how to do seed dormancy studies; on special groups of plants, for example orchids, parasites, aquatics, halophytes; and one chapter devoted to soil seed banks

Contains a revised, up-dated classification scheme of seed dormancy, including a formula for each kind of dormancy

Detailed attention is given to physiological dormancy, the most common kind of dormancy on earth

Download