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Reproductive biology is the basis of species improvement and a thorough understanding of this is needed for plant improvement, whether by conventional or biotechnological methods. This book presents an up to date and comprehensive description of reproduction in lower plants, gymnosperms and higher plants. It covers general plant biology, pollination, pollen-pistil interaction, post-fertilization changes, and seed dormancy.

This book aims to set the record straight by placing the wealth of data that have been collected on plants into the unifying framework of game theory. This allows a test of the theory of natural selection in some cases, while in other cases highlighting the need for additional data collection and theoretical development.

Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. The significance of seed size and its relation to habitat conditions. 3. The viability of seeds from plants of diverse vigour. 4. Methods and terminology. 5. The influence of soil and climate on seed output. 6. The influence of competition on reproduction. 7. The relation between seed number per capsule and number of capsules per plant. 8. The comparative study of seed output and reproductive capacity. 9. Reproduction by seeds in relation to life span. 10. The seed production of parasites, saprophytes and semiparasites. 11. The reproductive capacity of terrestrial orchids. 12. Reproduction in the genus hypericum (St. John’s worts). 13. Reproduction in the gentianaceae. 14. The genus linaria (toadflax). 15. The genus verbascum (Mulleins). 16. Reproduction in relation to habitat and conditions of colonization. 17. Vegetative multiplication in relation to competition. Appendix. Summary. Bibliography. Index.