Reviews

5 Pages·1999·0.59 MB·English

by  Van Reine, W F Prud’Homme

496 BLUMEA Vol. 44, No. 2, 1999
Reviews
J. KOMAREK & K. ANAGNOSTIDIS: Cyanoprokaryota. 1. Theil: Chroococcales.
SiifiwasserfloravonMitteleuropa 19/1.GustavFischerVerlag, Jena,Germany, 1998.
ISBN3-437-35408-6.Price: DEM228.
Thisimportant book, writteninsomewhatbaroque andnot always clearEnglish,
provides awealthofinformationforallthose studying or working with Cyanopro-
karyotes. That are theorganisms usually known as Cyanobacteria or stilljustblue-
greenalgae. Amodernbookon identification, butonly ontheunicellularor colonial
members, not on theimportant filamentousgroups. Twoparts willfollow later.Al-
though inthe ‘AnschriftderAuthoren’itis indicatedthatProfessorAnagnostidis has
died,nofurther informationis given aboutthat sad event.
Theintroductionis very important forusers andreviewers. Theeditorsprinted in
bold“Please,readthischapter” andthey areright. Withoutreading thisno-onewould
know thatthebookcontains“areviewofallCyanoprokaryotic taxonomicunits,regis-
tered and recognisable from European naturalbiotopes, including marine coasts.”
Andthat “non-European species andspecies withvaguetaxonomic descriptions are
listedundertheappropriate genera.”Thebookwaswrittenforidentificationandstan-
dardisationofmorphologically andecologically distinguishable European Cyanopro-
karyotes, thathavebeendescribedfromnaturalpopulations. Thekeysandtaxonomic
descriptions inthebookpermit identificationofnaturalpopulations and someculture
material;however,theyareless suitableforidentificationofnon-European specimens.
Moreover,according totheauthors, “identificationofstrainswithoutprevious knowl-
edge ofnatural materialneeds to be studied with special care, because only a few
Cyanoprokaryotes keep theirtypical formin culture.”Theauthors strongly dissuade
theuseoftaxonnames toincludespecimens or strainsthat deviatefromfeaturesthat
are characteristic for “any higher taxon”.And they warn: “Iftheincorrect nameis
accepted,all theinformationaboutanygiven population or strainis apriori wrong.”
And “Identificationofany species is correct only ifyourmaterialcorresponds fully
(inallcharacteristics, includingecology) withthedescription. Thevariabilityofspecies
canbebroaderthandescribedinthebook,butyoumustbeconvincedofthetaxonomic
identity ofyourmaterial.”
The introductionconcludes with thewish "Good luck in research on Cyanopro-
karyota." Well, this good luck is really necessary. In the first place the taxonomic
axiomaoftheauthorsis highly debatable.Ifoneonly canuse names formaterialthat
corresponds fully with a description, then this opens the gates for descriptions of
multitudesofnewtaxa whichare infactjustaberrant specimens andnot normaltaxa
withnormalvariabilityanddefinedaccordingtothetype-method. Itis true,theauthors
dissuadetotry to designate allspecies or toidentifyallsamples.Andtheyrecommend
theuseofindicationslike'cf.' or 'aff.'toindicatedoubt.Theyalso statethat"popula-
tionsdeveloping undersuboptimal conditionsusuallypossess wideplasticity, forming
numerous morphological deviationsofnotaxonomicsignificance." Theusers ofthe
bookareasked(bytheauthors) toavoid describing suchmorphological deviationsas
newtaxonomicunits.However, users ofthebookwill normally search fornames for
their material, thus most ofthese recommendations will not have much impact. A
serious difficultyforusers ofthebookis thatakey tothefamiliesis lacking. Thereis,
indeed, apictorial key in Table4,butthisoftendoesnot help enough. Moreover,the
Reviews 497
family Gloeobacteraceaeis not included inthatkey. In some cases one willhave to
checkseveraloftheothertenfamiliestokey out thecorrectname.Thefurthercontents
ofthebooklookmarvellousandtheformalidentificationofblue-green algaeinEurope
has certainly got animportant push in theright direction.The authorsrightly state:
"Theinvestigation ofCyanoprokaryotes is stillfarfromsatisfactory.Thereviewcom-
piledinthisbook isamanualfortheidentificationofallknown species andshouldbe
usedas a basis forfurtherresearch."
Pleaseuse thisbook toidentifymany samples. Maybe onemaythensubsequently
forget several parts oftheintroduction.
W.F. Prud’homme+van+Reine
R. HALL & J.D. HOLLOWAY (eds.): Biogeography and geological evolutionofSE
Asia. Backhuys Publishers, Oegstgeest, The Netherlands, 1998. vi +422 pp., 167
fig., 26 tables, 12colourplates. ISBN90-7334897-8.Price: NLG280, USD 156.
A two-day meeting ofbiologists, geologists, and palaeontologists atthe Natural
HistoryMuseum(London) inMarch 1996resultedinthisbeautifulbook.Themeeting
was more or less asequel to anearlier meeting in 1994. In the 1994 meeting most
presentations weregiven by geologists; duringthe 1996meeting it were mainly the
biologists whoshowed theirresults. The contents isroughly divided intotwo parts,
theearly, PalaeozoicandMesozoic geologyandbiogeography, andthelater, Cenozoic
torecent geology andbiogeography. Thesecondpart isby farthelargest, whichis not
surprising, becausemostplantandanimaldistributionshavebeenmainly influenced
by themorerecent geological andclimatological changes.
The geological chapters show the latestreconstructions of thevery complex geo-
logical historyoftheMalay Archipelago andSEAsia.Thecollisionofseveral major
tectonic plates (Eurasian, Indian, IndianOcean,Australian, Pacific, andPhilippine)
witheachotherandthepresenceofmanymicroplates havecausedvery intricategeo-
logical and biogeographical patterns. In theirendeavour to unravel the geological
past ofthe region, geologists tend toconcentrate on thehardfacts provided by,e.g.,
palaeo-magnetism, stratigraphy, palaeontology, andthey have farless need for the
historicalbiogeographic patternsbasedonphylogenetic analyses ofpresent-day species.
Quite afewbiological chapters indeedprovethat biologists havemore to gain from
the geological datathangeologists fromthebiological data.The editors discuss that
newhistorical biogeographical methodslikeparalogy freesubtreepruning mightim-
prove the biological data. However, I am afraid that the latter method is not very
suitable,becauseitmakesmanyaprioriassumptions anditmainlyaimstofindpatterns,
not toprovide explanations ofdistributions(N.B. paralogy freeisjustasynonymfor
what usedto be calledredundantinformationin assumptions 1 and2 ofNelson &
Platnick). Theeditorsalso discuss anotherpossible futuredevelopment, thetopic of
modelling. Modelsshouldbebuiltwhichsimulateprocesseslike dispersal, vicariance,
etc.andwhichthenmayexplain present-day distributions.Suchmodelswillbewonder-
ful,butIguessthatthey willbeextremely complexandprobably neverabletoprovide
100%correct simulateddistributions, because detailedexaminationofdistributions
show that no two taxa have thesamedistribution(symbionts and parasites perhaps
excepted). Thislack ofexactly similardistributionsis not surprising, becausealltaxa
are unique, they havetheirownniches, theirownreactionsto changes,andtheirown
interactionswithother taxa.
498 BLUMEA Vol. 44, No. 2, 1999
The topic ofthebook is complex, but mostchapters are wellwrittenandeasy to
read. Unfortunately, a detaileddiscussion ofall novel insights presented is beyond
the scope of thisreview. Many more new facts are presented, the reconstructions
show more detailthan ever, and competing hypotheses are evolving towardseach
other. All chapters are well illustrated, though some ofthe illustrations are very
complex. Especially the geological reconstructions show a wealthofdetail, which
takesmorethana quick scantofully comprehend them.Particularly thecolourplates
withgeological informationareimpressive.Forthoseofyou whoareunabletoobtain
thebook,mostplates canbe seenon theInternet(www.gl.rhbnc.ac.uk/seasia/html/
landseamaps.html).
P.C. vanWelzen
H.C.F.HOPKINS,C.R. HUXLEY,C.M.PANNELL, G.T.PRANCE&F. WHITE:TheBio-
logical Monograph. The importance offieldstudies and functionalsyndromes
for taxonomy and evolutionoftropical plants. A festschrift for Frank White.
Royal BotanicGardens, Kew, 1998.236pp.ISBN 1-90034-7180(paperback). Price:
USD 42.
"Withoutecological understanding taxonomyislifelessanddull,andtaxonomically
importantinformationgoesundetected."This quotation remarkably is themottoofa
bookpublished by the RBGKew in 1998.Itis a collectionofpapersdedicatedtothe
late DrFrank White,whois responsible forthestatementabove. Thecore chapters,
2 to6,dealwith:PollinationanddispersalinneotropicalLecythidaceae; Batpollination
and taxonomyinParkia; Taxonomy, ecology andreproductive biology ofAglaia; The
tuberous epiphytic Rubiaceae- the Hydnophitinae; andThe vegetative structure of
African Ebenaceaeand the evolutionofrheophytes and ring species, successively.
Thiswealthoftopics makesthebookabitofa hotchpotch, butalltopics are presented
orderly andscholarly by specialists intheplanttaxa involved. Theauthorsalso con-
vincingly demonstratetheessentialroleofecological fieldworkinunderstanding the
taxonomy oftheir study group(and vice versa). Foreach ofthegroups particular
characters, likefruitor flowertype,are discussedinrelationtofunctionalsyndromes
aswellas inasystematic context.Theremainderofthebookconsistsofshortchapters
ontopicsasgeneral asco-evolutionorbiodiversity conservationand discussthelight
thatis shedonthemby thestudiespreviously presented. Itis anunusualway ofstruc-
turing a bookand it makes good reading in this way. However, some ofthetopics
treated,likethechapters onConservationofBiodiversity orComplementarityoftaxon-
omicmethodcould do with a more critical andbroader perspective. In thepresent
formareaderwho chooses tostart reading any ofthelater chapters first,might find
themunsatisfying discussionsofthetopic mentionedinthetitle. They do,however,
show once more that monographic studies that includeextensive field work yield
interesting results with regard to many differentaspects ofsystematic biology. The
bookis illustratedwith some beautifulphotographs andafew nice colourpaintings
(byRosemary Wise). Theseare unfortunately notintegrated inthetextliketheblack-
and-whitepictures, butfoundattheendaftertheindex.TheISBNfoundontheback
cover is wrong,thecorrect oneis citedabove.
ArjanStroo
Reviews 499
F.WEBERLING&W.TROLL:DieInfloreszenzen.TypologieundStellungimAufbau
desVegetationskorpers. Band II.Teil2.G.Fischer, Jena,Germany, 1998.483 pp.,
illus. ISBN3-437-35436-1.Price:DEM 238.
Thepresentbookcompletes aset offour volumesby W.TrollandF. Weberling,
treating thecomparative morphology ofinflorescences.Ashort guideruns asfollows:
1. W.Troll: DieInfloreszenzen.Typologie und Stellung imAufbaudesVegetations-
korpers. BandI.G.Fischer, Jena, 1964.
2. W.Troll: DieInfloreszenzen.Typologie und Stellung imAufbaudesVegetations-
korpers. BandII, Teil 1.G.Fischer, Jena, 1969.
3. W. Troll& F. Weberling: Infloreszenz-Untersuchungen an monotelenFamilien.
G.Fischer, Stuttgart, 1989.
4. F. Weberling& W. Troll:as citedabove.
IntheEnglish language thesubject ispresented inWeberling's textbook'Morphol-
ogy of flowers andinflorescences' (University Press, Cambridge, 1989), whichin-
cludesa glossary.
Thefourthbookpresentstheanalysisoffivemoremonotelicfamiliesamongwhich
RubiaceaeandCampanulaceae, andalsofourpolytelic familieswiththeLeguminosae
as themostinterestingone. Ineachfamily thebasic schemeis given firstandthenthe
morphology ofspecial taxa is derivedby impact of anumberofsimilar variations.
Themain differencebetween monotelicandpolytelic inflorescences is again dealt
with (see p.250). Most families are either wholly monotelicor wholly polytelic.
However,insomepolytelicfamiliessometaxa aremonotelic,forinstancetheCaesal-
pinieae intheLeguminosae. Inthesamewaysomemonotelicfamiliesshowtransitions
topolytely, forinstancetheRanunculaceae.Weberling holdsmonotely asfundamental.
Thebookisrichly illustrated, provided withreferences,andendswithalarge taxon
index.
Willem+A.van Heel
L.P.A.OYEN & NGUYEN XUAN DUNG (eds.): Essential-oilplants. PROSEA Vol-
ume19.Hardboundedition:Backhuys Publishers,Oegstgeest, TheNetherlands, 1999.
277pp., illus.ISBN 90-5782-010-2.Price: c. USD85, NLG 150.[Paperback (from
2001): c. NLG65.] Paperback edition(for developing countries): PROSEA, Bogor,
1999.ISBN979-8316-00-2.Price:USD 12.
Plant Resources ofSouth-EastAsia (PROSEA) is amultivolumehandbookthat
aimstosummariseknowledge aboutusefulplantsfromthisgeographicarea forworkers
ineducation,research andindustry. Previoustitles includePulses, EdibleFruits and
Nuts, TimberTrees,Rattans, Bamboos,MedicinalandPoisonousPlants, Spices, etc.
Thepresent volumedealswith essentialoilsandtheplants they arederivedfrom.
Anessentialoilisamixtureoffragrant,volatilecompounds, namedafterandalways
derived from a single species or variety ofplants. However, a single species may
yield severalessentialoils, becauseitmayconsistofseveralgeneticallydefinedchemo-
types. Weowe the term 'essential' to Paracelsus (1493-1541) whoexpounded the
theoryofthe 'quintaessentia', believing thatthis quintessence was thetrulyeffective
elementinamedicinalpreparation. Thisinformationis given in thecomprehensive
introductionofthisbeautifully produced book.Awiderangeofaspects ofessential
500 BLUMEA Vol. 44, No. 2, 1999
oils are describedinthisintroduction,including theirhistory, uses, production, prop-
erties, chemistry, distributionin plants, ecology, agronomy,andbreeding.Economic
trends are discussed, such as the current revival ofinterestin 'natural' plant-based
materials, whichapplies strongly toaromatherapy andtoflavourandfragrance pro-
ducts, whereas inthefoodindustry, naturalproducts areenjoying astrong consumer
preference. Ofinterestisalso thedevelopment ofnewuses,e.g.controlling pests and
diseases ofcropplants by meansof plant-derived essentialoils, becausemany have
activity against insectsand micro-organisms.
Inthemain section ofthebookshortmonographs (2-6 pagesperentry) aregiven
on39majoressentialoilplantssuch as speciesofBlumea,Cymbopogon andLavandula.
Thesemonographs havebeenwrittenby aninternationalteamofsomethirty different
scientists, includingbotanists, agronomists, chemistsandrepresentatives oftheperfume
industry, manyofwhom arefrom South-EastAsia.Despite themultitudeofauthors,
theentries give a very homogeneous impression as ifthey hadbeen written byjust
oneperson,andthisis a creditto theeditors.Each monograph is accompanied by an
attractiveillustrationshowing morphological detailsoftheplantfromwhichtheessen-
tialoilis derived. Theliteraturereferencesare very up-to-date andmorethan halfof
themareless than 10years old, whichis unusualinthis typeofbook.Iwasespecially
interestedreading theentries ofessentialoilplants Ihave investigated myself. Inall
casesthedescriptions appeared tobeaccurate andthorough, whichgivesme confidence
thattheentrieson the species less familiartomeareofthesamehigh standard.
Inadditiontothe descriptions ofthemajoressentialoil plants, another 31minor
essential oil species are briefly described(on average less thanhalfapage). This is
followedby a long list ofspecies whichhasas a heading "Essentialoil plants with
other primary use".However, thistitleis misleading as manyoftheplants inthislist
are grownprimarilyfortheiressentialoils.Forinstance, theprimaryuse ofanumber
ofMenthaspecies, including M. xpiperita was said tobe 'medicinalandpoisonous
plants', whereasinreality they areprincipally essentialoilplants (theestimatedworld-
wide production ofMenthaoils is 12,000tons per year)whereas theirsecond most
important use is as culinary herbs.Furthermore, Menthaspecies are medicinal, but
notpoisonous. Ocimumbasilicumwas listedasa'spice', whereasagainthisisprimarily
anessentialoilplant, whichalso hasanimportant functionas aculinary herbandan
insecticidal plant. Obviously, theheading ofthislistshouldhavebeen"Essential oil
plants which were includedin previous PROSEA books", forthatis what this list
seems to be. The fact that manyessential oil plants had already been described in
previous volumesofPROSEA,was explained intheintroduction,butthiswouldnot
havebeen obvioustopeople justbrowsing throughthebook,andmayleadto wrong
conclusionsand quotations.
Apart fromthis minorcriticism, Ihavenothing but praiseforthis volumeand can
recommenditthoroughlytoallbotanistsandotherscientists interestedintheeconomic
uses ofplants.Noknowledge ofchemistry is neededtoappreciatethebook;thereare
only eightpagesshowing chemicalstructures,andthese canbeskipped easily. How-
ever,thevolumealso gives plenty ofinformationtothosewhoaimtolearnsomething
aboutthechemistryofessentialoils.Finally, anespecially praiseworthy featureis the
low-priced editionavailable in developing countries.
RenéeGrayer-Barkmeijer