| Description |
xv, 158 pages : color illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Contents |
Pioneers, combatants, and veterans. The pioneers of Surtsey Island ; The combatants of Chernobyl ; The Hibakujumoku, or the Veterans of the atomic bomb -- Fugitives and conquerors. From island to island ; Beautiful abyssinian ; Hippopotami in Louisiana -- Captains Courageous. Coconut, fruit divine ; The Callipygian palm -- Time travelers. The seeds of Jan Teerlink ; The date palm of Masada ; The seed that came in from the cold -- Solitary trees. The spruce tree of Campbell Island ; The acacia of Tenere ; The tree of life in Bahrain -- Anachronistic, like an encyclopedia. Sure do miss those mastodons ; The Dodo and the Tambalacoque |
| Summary |
"In this richly illustrated volume, a leading neurobiologist presents fascinating stories of plant migration that reveal unexpected connections between nature and culture. When we talk about migrations, we should study plants to understand that these phenomena are unstoppable. In the many different ways plants move, we can see the incessant action and drive to spread life that has led plants to colonize every possible environment on earth. The history of this relentless expansion is unknown to most people, but we can begin our exploration with these surprising tales, engagingly told by Stefano Mancuso. Generation after generation, using spores, seeds, or any other means available, plants move in the world to conquer new spaces. They release huge quantities of spores that can be transported thousands of miles. The number and variety of tools through which seeds spread is astonishing: we have seeds dispersed by wind, by rolling on the ground, by animals, by water, or by a simple fall from the plant, which can happen thanks to propulsive mechanisms, the swaying of the mother plant, the drying of the fruit, and much more. In this accessible, absorbing overview, Mancuso considers how plants convince animals to transport them around the world, and how some plants need particular animals to spread; how they have been able to grow in places so inaccessible and inhospitable as to remain isolated; how they resisted the atomic bomb and the Chernobyl disaster; how they are able to bring life to sterile islands; how they can travel through the ages, as they sail around the world"-- Provided by publisher |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references |
| Subject |
Plants -- Migration
|
| Genre/Form |
Informational works.
|
|
Informational works.
|
| Author |
Fischer, Grisha, illustrator
|
|
Conti, Gregory, 1952- translator
|
|
Translation of: Mancuso, Stefano.
Incredibile viaggio delle piante
|
| LC no. |
2019027763 |
| ISBN |
9781635429916 hardcover |
|
1635429919 hardcover |
|
electronic book |
|
