From Galileo, who used the hollow stalks of grass to demonstrate the
idea that peripherally located construction materials provide most of
the resistance to bending forces, to Leonardo da Vinci, whose
illustrations of the parachute are alleged to be based on his study of
the dandelion's pappus and the maple tree's samara, many of our greatest
physicists, mathematicians, and engineers have learned much from
studying plants.
A symbiotic relationship between botany and the fields of physics,
mathematics, engineering, and chemistry continues today, as is revealed
in Plant Physics. The result of a long-term collaboration between
plant evolutionary biologist Karl J. Niklas and physicist Hanns-Christof
Spatz, Plant Physics presents a detailed account of the principles of
classical physics, evolutionary theory, and plant biology in order to
explain the complex interrelationships among plant form, function,
environment, and evolutionary history. Covering a wide range of
topics-from the development and evolution of the basic plant body and
the ecology of aquatic unicellular plants to mathematical treatments of
light attenuation through tree canopies and the movement of water
through plants' roots, stems, and leaves-Plant Physics is destined to
inspire students and professionals alike to traverse disciplinary
membranes.
