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BOOKREVIEWS Recent floras Flora of North America Editorial Committee [N.M. Morin (Convening Editor)]: FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA NORTH OF MEXICO. Vol. 1.; Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford, 1993, 372 pp., Figs. and Tabs. Price USD 55.-, ISBN 0-19-505713-9 Volume 1 of Flora of North America north of Mexico represents the beginning of a monumental botanical project covering all the vascular plants and bryophytes growing in the continental United States (including the Florida Keys and Aleutian Islands), Canada, Greenland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon. This synoptic floristic account is intended to serve both as an identification key to North American plants and as a systematic conspectus of the flora within the region. The Flora is the result of enormous effort and enthusiasm of many scientists forming the Editorial Committee. Twenty-four vascular plant taxonomists and eleven bryologists from many American and Canadian institutions are taking part in the project covering all the taxonomic groups as well as all the regions. There are Special Pteridophyte Editors, a Special Gymnosperm Editor, a Special Bibliographic Editor, a Nomenclatural Advisor, and eleven Regional Coordinators in the Editorial Committee. The Convening Editor of the Flora is Nancy R. Morin from the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri, which is the organizational center from where the project is coordinated. The work on the Flora started at this institution in spring 1982 and was designed there by the established Editorial Committee. Over the years the committee has been remarkably stable and has changed only very slightly, except for the addition of several bryologists when bryophytes were added to the project in 1991. Almost all of the descriptions will be written by specialists in the particular groups. The emphasis will be on the identification keys available for all ranks if two or more taxa are described. Morphological descriptions, directly comparable in related taxa, as well as synonymies, lists of habitats in which the taxa usually grow, range of their occurrence together with their distribution maps, chromosome numbers and phenological information will be provided for all the native taxa. Unfortunately, only one third of taxa will be illustrated (one illustration per genus). Waifs or cultivated plants will be described only when they are found frequently, otherwise they will be mentioned only in discussions. Hybrids will be characterized following one of the putative parents. Descriptions are intended to reflect current knowledge of the taxa in the world; different opinions about the classifications will be mentioned in the discussion of particular taxa. No nomenclatural changes will be published in the Flora; all new names or combinations will have been previously published. The discussions at the end of each taxon will provide a short outline of its economic uses, weediness, special patterns of its endemism, toxicity, etc. The editors will supply each volume with a special bibliography and comprehensive bibliography will be published in the last volume. Some special selected references will appear at the end of some taxa descriptions. A special computerized database was established at the Missouri Botanical Garden using the TROPICOS system developed there. The database will eventually contain all the information concerning the North American Flora in more detail than that employed in the Flora of North America north of Mexico. In total, 14 volumes are expected to be published in future: Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume

1 Introduction 2 Pteridophytes and gymnosperms 3 Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae

4 Caryophyllidae 5 DiUeniidae 6 Rosidae: Rosales and Fabales 7 Rosidae except Rosales and Fabales 8 Asteridae: Gentianales, Solanales, Larniales, Callitrichales, Plantaginales 9 Asteridae: Scrophulariales, Campanulales, Rubiales, Dipsacales, Calycerales 10 Asteridae: Asterales 11 Liliopsida except Poaceae 12 Liliopsida: Poaceae 13 Bryophytes 14 Comprehensive Bibliography and Index

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Volume 1 - Introduction was edited by T.M. Barcley, L. Brouillet and R.W. Spellenberg. The first chapter of this introductory volume describes the intriguing history of the project. The rest of the book, dealing with the physical settings and general botanical basics, is divided into five parts. Part I leads the readers through a detailed description of the climate, geographical, geological and pedological characteristics of North America. Each section is provided with clear and instructive drawings depicting North American airstream routes, climatic regions, physiographic regions, maps of tectonics, deglaciation, surficial and bedrock geology, permafrost distribution and soil orders. Part II deals with the paleobotany and history of the vegetation of North America since the late Upper Cretaceous epoch. Fossil plants, as well as pollen types, found within the region are reported in the historical succession. Representative fossil specimens are portrayed in black & white photographs. Paleovegetation maps depicting the changes in vegetation patterns during glacial-interglacial periods are the most important figures in the late quaternary paleobotanical section. Part III describes the vegetation and phytogeography of North America. Specific vegetation types are characterized in detail, together with a map of their distribution and black & white photographs. In the phytogeographical section, fioristic regions of North America are discussed. The text is accompanied by excellent artistic pen-and-ink drawings from the last-century of diagnostic species. The map depicting the numbers of plant families by state and province (p. 134) is particularly interesting. Part IV summarizes human approaches to plants. Firstly, the history of American plant taxonomy and floristics is presented followed by a discussion of weeds and plant invasions. The next chapter, concerning economic botany, demonstrates edible and medical plants of the American Flora. Finally, plant conservation is described in the light of the degradation of the natural environment and the losses of plant diversity. Part V is an overview of the taxonomical concept of the project. It deals with the problems of defining and delimiting species, recombinant species, polyploidy and apomixis. Special chapters describe the biology of pteridophytes and gymnosperms. Finally, a commentary on the general system of plant classification discusses the differences between dicots and monocots and the delimitation of the plant subclasses. As far as the basic concept of the Flora of North America north of Mexico is concerned, some critical remarks should be expressed: (1) The exclusion of the Hawaiian Islands from the project is understandable because they are remarkably distant and their flora is very different. On the other hand, it should be noted with a little disappointment that the Mexican and Cuban Flora, and even the Flora of Porto Rico (U.S.A.), were not covered. This failure will create an even deeper disproportion between the knowledge of the plants growing in the continental United States and Canada, and in Mexico and the Caribbean region, respectively. The explanation of this decision, that the scope of the project was the temperate North American Flora, is not acceptable because southernmost Florida and the Florida Keys are an integral part of the Caribbean Floristic region (TAKHTAJAN1986). In contrast, the inclusion of the Greenland Flora (of course, negligible in comparison with Mexican and Caribbean Flora) is a very good approach in this sense. (2) The lack of a dictionary of morphological terms is a distinct disadvantage. It should have been an integral part of volume 1. Referring to the publication "A guide for contributors to Flora of North America, Part II: An outline and glossary of terms for morphological and habitat description" (D.M. PORTERet al. 1973 or its newer revision) is not appropriate for such a complex project as Flora of North America north of Mexico undoubtedly is. (3) The absence of illustrations of two thirds (!) of North American native plants are particularly painful. They are essential for identification purposes, especially for nonbotanists. Moreover, most illustrations were drawn from herbarium specimens, not from living material. This fact could cause errors in the final appearance of some plant illustrations. The Flora of North America north of Mexico is a very good, gigantic synthesis of information published separately in individual taxonomical monographs and regional floras, that are now easily accessible to both botanists and laymen throughout the world. This is the most important fact for us European botanists, so we will anticipate the publication of the next volumes with considerable interest.

Bohdan ~koda

1 O0

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Flora of North America Editorial Committee [N.M. Morin (Convening Editor)]: FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA NORTH OF MEXICO. Vol. 2. Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms; Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford, 1993, 475 pp., 66 Figs. and 12 Reticulograms. Price USD 55.-, ISBN 0-19-508242-7 The excellent compendium Flora of North America North of Mexico continues with Volume 2 covering pteridophytes and gymnosperms. The first part (Pteridophyta) was edited by Special Pteridophyte Editors Alan R. Smith (University of California) and Warren H. Wagner Jr. (University of Michigan). Gymnosperms were edited by Special Gymnosperm Editor James E. Eckenwalder (University of Toronto) and by John W. Thieret (Northern Kentucky University). Their work was precise and all groups are treated very homogeneously. In total, 55 specialists contributed to this volume. After a short introduction by the Convening Editor Nancy M. Morin, which describes briefly the concept of the Flora (see my review of Volume I), the taxonomical part begins with the division Psilotophyta. (To be a little bit punctilious, this group is introduced under its family name only, higher taxonomical categories (divisions) are mentioned only on the front page and in the Contents.) The family is represented by the only species PsiIotum nudum (L.) E BEAUV., which can be found also in Spain. Lycopodiophyta are treated as 3 families, 9 genera and 90 species. The taxonomical approach is very modern here. The broad Linnaean genus Lycopodium, used in almost all regional American floras, is divided according to European taxonomists (Holub, Franco & Vasconcellos) into 7 genera. Recently described species (from the eighties and nineties, even from 1992) were accepted in the genera Huperzia BERNH. and Lycopodiella HOLUB, now forming most of their members. In contrast, spike-mosses are represented by a single genus Selaginella P. BEAUV. and individual groups are treated as subgenera only. Four recently described species (1991, 1992) are presented in the genus IsoO'tes L. Horsetails are presented in a single genus Equisetum L. with 11 species and 4 important hybrids. The distinct group with sunken stomates in single lines and with pointed cone apexes (Hippochaete MILDE)is evaluated as a subgenus only. The biggest pteridophyte division Polypodiophyta is not divided into any classes or orders, so it accommodates 20 families, 66 genera and 343 species. It means that the broad family Polypodiaceae, formerly covering almost all terrestrial ferns and widely used in older American regional floras, is narrowed down to polypodies only, and several smaller families are included. One of them, Pteridaceae, is understood in its broader sense, but the narrower families Cryptogrammaceae or Sinopteridaceae were not accepted. The broader family Aspidiaceae, used in the last Canadian pteridophyte monograph (CODY & BRII"rON 1989), is divided into two families - Thelypteridaceae and Dryopteridaceae. On the other hand, the next step, separation of the even narrower families Athyriaceae, Woodsiaceae or Lomariopsidaceae from Dryopteridaceae was not accepted. The family Aspleniaceae is monotypic because the members of the genera Ceterach BERNH., Phyllitis HILL, and Camptosorus LINK were incorporated into the genus Asplenium L. Water ferns from the genera Salvinia SI~G. and Azolla LAM. are described in separate families. Botrychium SW. and Thelypteris SCHMIDEL persist as single broad genera with several subgenera, whereas polypodies are divided into seven genera. The genus Pteridium SCOP. is kept monotypic with four intraspecific taxa assumed to be varieties only. Gymnosperms begin with cycads, represented by the only species, Zamia integrifolia AITON,growing in Florida, Georgia and in the West Indies. Ginkgophyta follow with its well-known single species. Coniferophyta are treated as 3 families, 17 genera and 101 species. Native conifers only are described in the Flora. Even the most commonly cultivated species from the families Pinaeeae and Cupressaceae are just mentioned in the forewords to particular families and genera. (On the other hand, Ginkgo biloba L., with its special taxonomic status, covers two pages.). The family Cupressaeeae is used in its broader sense fused with Taxodiaceae according to ECKENWALDER (Madrofio 23: 237-256, 1976). In the large genus Pinus L., subgenus Strobus LEMMON is mentioned in the key only without the authors names. Two standard groups within the genus Juniperus L. are treated as sections. The last taxonomical part describes 12 Ephedra species occurring mostly on arid soils and dry rocky slopes of southern and southwestern U.S.A. Volume 2 is then completed by the list of cited literature, by the list of French names, and by a comprehensive Index. In spite of some inaccuracies which are mostly infrequent, sometimes marginal, the Flora of North America north of Mexico is indisputably exemplary. It must be stressed that the elaboration of the Flora is much better than the similar continental Flora Europaea (TUTIN et al. 1964-1993). This European compendium lacks illustrations, literature citations of the names of families with their authors' names, literature citations of generic

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names and of all basionyms and synonyms. It does not give generic synonyms at all, synonyms of species are very scarce and world ranges and distribution maps are not provided. In this sense, three supraregional floras excel above all others - European "Illustrierte flora von Mitteleuropa" [Illustrated flora of Central Europe] by HEGI and his followers (1906 onwards) and American vascular plants of the Pacific Northwest by HITCHCOCK et al. (1969) and Intermountain flora by CRONQUISTet al. (1972). These floras include admirable illustrations of all described species and cover, in an excellent manner, most of the aspects missing in Flora Europaea [except literature citations of the names of families and genera, generic synonyms and distribution maps in the case of CRONQUISTet at. (1972) and HITCHCOCK et al. (1969), and except for literature citations of family names with their authors' names, e.g. in the third edition of the first part of the Illustrated flora of Central Europe (HEGI 1984)]. Moreover, complete sets of synonyms are included with their literature citations in all these floras. In some aspects, Flora of North America north of Mexico does not reach the quality of these floras, as well. In spite of these reservations, the Flora is an excellent synthesis, accumulating and critically sorting large amounts of botanical information. It will undoubtedly become the most valuable reference compendium of the North American Flora for all American, European as well as all the other botanists. I am really looking forward to the publication of the next volumes.

Bohdan Skoda J.M. Lock & J. Head: LEGUMES OF INDO-CHINA. A check-list; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 1994, 164 pp. Price not given, ISBN 0-947643-66-4 G.P. Yakovlev, A.K. Sytin & Yu.R. Roskov: LEGUMES OF NORTHERN EURASIA. A c h e c k - l i s t ; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 1996, 724 pp. Price not given, ISBN 0-947643-97-4 The books reviewed belong to the series of Leguminosae check-lists published in co-operation of the ILDIS (International Legume Database and Information Service) and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, U.K. Apart from these, two other check-lists, namely "Legumes of Africa" and "Legumes of West Asia", have been published in this series (LOCK 1989, LOCK & SIMPSON 1991). ILDIS is dedicated to the study of the plant family Leguminosae, which contains just under a twelfth of the world's flowering plants many of which are of economical importance. The project started in 1985 and its aim is to provide a service to legume specialists and users of legumes and legume products world-wide. ILDIS is a collaborative organisation involving experts and institutions all over the world. ILDIS regional datasets have been created, or are in preparation, by a network of regional centres at Kew, St. Petersburg, Lucknow, Guangzhou, Lincoln NZ, Canberra and Missouri. These datasets are combined into the World Database and, once in the World Database, the entries are edited by a world-wide network of taxonomic specialists. The ILDIS project is co-ordinated by Dr E A_ Bisby (University of Southampton), Dr R.M. Polhill (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) and Dr J.L. Zarucchi (Missouri Botanic Garden). The co-ordinating centre is housed in the School of Biological Sciences of the University of Southampton. The first check-list covers the area of Cambodia (Kampuchea), Laos, Thailand and Vietnam (the term "Indo-china" is used here solely for convenience without any other connotations). In addition, serious attempt has been made to include all records from contiguous countries - Malaysia, Burma and China. Data for Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Nepal are also included as often as possible. The area covered by the second check-list is the former Soviet Union and Mongolia. The information in both check-lists is given in the following data categories: nomenclature (accepted names, synonyms, suspected synonyms and misapplied names); characteristics (habit and lifespan of plants, data on stem features); geography (including the status within countries, as native, introduced by man, alien or uncertain); habitat; economic importance to man and conservation status; vernacular names; literature pointers (references to good descriptions, good illustrations of the whole plants, and to the maps of distribution of species in large areas); notes. In addition citations of the data on chromosome numbers are provided in the "Legumes of Northern Eurasia". There are, however, some differences in the amount of information provided by the two check-lists for individual categories of data mostly reflecting the different amount of information which is available for given regions. In the check-list of Indochina (CHI), in general only those synonyms which have been in use either in standard works or in herbaria since 1940, as well as basionyms, are included, whereas the Northern Eurasia

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check-list (CHNE) attempts to give as complete a list of synonyms as possible. The information concerning distribution is given in much more detail in the CHNE, down to the regions ("oblasti") of the former Soviet Union and "aimag" in Mongolia. This is the result of the compilation of data from the literature as well as a floristic revision done by 73 botanists from the 63 institutions from the countries of the former Soviet Union and Mongolia. While the compilers of the CHI admitted no field experience in the area, and thus the information concerning the habitat and vegetation types in which different taxa occur is very limited, the CHNE provides rather detailed information about the vegetation types, macrorelief and the substrate. Only a few vernacular names are given for the taxa in the CHI. A convention within ILDIS is that only those vernacular names a r e included which have achieved some international currency and only few such names are available for the region of CHI. The CHNE provides vernacular names for most of the taxa. The same holds for the data on conservation status. Only very limited information is available for the area of Indo-china: In respect to the bibliography, the CHNE attempts to provide a complete data set of Russian-language sources. One might discuss if the transliteration method chosen is the best one (authors did not follow completely the ISO recommendations), but the bibliographic sources included in CHNE will be very important, especially for those specialists outside of the former Soviet Union. The CHNE differs from the other ones also in respect of taxonomy. The Russian school tends to recognise taxa at higher levels than is normally the case elsewhere and, as J.M. Lock points in the introduction, no attempt has been made to alter this. The two reviewed check-lists, together with the check-lists of the legumes of Africa and West Asia, as well as the ILDIS database itself, represent not only very useful source of data about legumes, but also a very important example of wide international co-operation which ought to be followed in other groups of plants.

REFERENCES LOCK J. M. (1989): Legumes of Africa: a check-list. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. LOCK J. M. & SIMPSON K. (1991): Legumes of West Asia: a check-list. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Further information about the ILDIS project can be found on the WWW page http://molbiol.soton.ac.uk/~ildis.

Karol Marhold J.A. Roberts, C.R. Beale, J.C. Benseler, H.N. McGough & D.C. Zappi (eds.): CITES ORCHID CHECKLIST. Voi. 1; Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, 1995, 136 pp. Price GBP 7.50, ISBN 0-947643-87-7 Good checklist and reference handbooks for names are usually very useful and in demand. There are two main requirements: they should be scientifically accurate with respect to latest taxonomical and nomenclatorical knowledge, and they should place this knowledge at the disposal of non-specialists in plant taxonomy (e.g. ecologists, gardeners, conservationists or government officials) in a simple way for practical purposes. Recently, I came across a similar problem two times. First, there is no satisfactory checklist of the Czech flora for the purposes of the Monitoring Program of the Czech Institute of Nature Conservation. Second, a database of plant names for the TURBOVEG is one of the hardest problems which my colleagues involved have to solve. The booklet under review is the first of the CITES orchid checklist series. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was signed in 1975. The aim of the convention is to control and register international trade in species of animals and plants whose existence is threatened with extinction resulting from commercial exploitation. So far, 128 countries have joined the convention. In two appendices, it contains lists of species and higher taxa in which trade is either prohibited (wild plants from the first of the appendices) or allowed subject to licensing (artificially propagated plants from the first of appendices and all the taxa from the second one). The orchid family is one of the largest plant taxa included in the CITES appendices. Even people who are not familiar with orchids know of the large number of taxa within the family, their taxonomical difficulty, and related nomenclatorical complications. Because.of this, it is very hard to monitor the trade if similar plants are traded under various names either by accident or deliberately to avoid controls. This is one of the reasons why the CITES secretariat ordered the preparation of a standard reference for selected Orchidaceae in 1993. The first volume, issued in 1995, contains the following genera: Cattleya, Cypripedium, Laelia, Paphilopedilum, Phalaenopsis, Phragmipedium, Pleione, Sophronites, Constantia, Paraphalaenopsis, and Sophronitella. The book is based on a database resulting from the compilation of selected literature. Preliminary reports for each

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genus were distributed to a group of orchid experts established for this purpose. Improvements sent by the specialists were incorporated into the database, and this sequence was repeated. Subsequently, the book was prepared for publication. For someone who will probably never make use of this checklist, the preamble of the book is the most interesting chapter, There is a lot of useful information about the preparation of the book including computer aspects, compilation procedures, instruction for use and bibliography. The first chapter contains binomials in current use, ordered alphabetically by names of the genera. The accepted names are printed in boldtype, synonyms in italics. The second part of the book is arranged by genera and accepted names. The synonyms are printed below in italics. The geographical distribution is given for each taxon. Country checklists are contained in the third part, ranging from Argentina to the former Yugoslavia. As Annex I, a copy of the recently approved IUCN Red List Categories is reproduced. Some closing remarks: there are 380 accepted names and 969 synonyms given in the book; thus the number of synonyms exceeds the number of accepted taxa by about 2.5 times. It is surprisingly less for orchids because in higher plants about 4 is given as average. It is interesting for continental taxonomists that the rank of variety is favoured by orchid experts to the detriment of subspecies (not one accepted in the book). The Tokyo Code recommends indicating hybrid by the multiplication sign (with no space) as the first "letter" of the epithet, but the traditional way was chosen by the compilers. The hybrid formula is the one thing some users could find wanting in the handbook. Nevertheless, the book seems to have all the properties which are necessary for it to meet its targets.

Ji~i Danihelka L. Bertovd & K. Golia.~ovd (eds.): FLORA SLOVENSKA V/1. Boraginales, Lamiales, Solanales; Veda, vydavatel'stvo SA V, Bratislava, 1993, 504 p p Price not given, ISBN 80-224-0349-0 The volume of "Flora of Slovakia" under review deals taxonomically with Boraginales, Lamiales and Sotanates. The team of twenty-one authors also included seven Czech botanists, some of whom had contributed to the preceding volumes. None of the latter, however, was entrusted with treating the whole genus or family and mentioned as the sole author. The basic scheme of this volume is identical with that of the previous parts. The description of each family is followed by an identification genera key. Similarly, the description of a genus is followed by a species key. The description of species which are autochthonous or more commonly introduced, cultivated or escaped, usually contains chromosome numbers, as found in the Slovak plants (including quotation of sources) as well as frequent synonyms, and data on variability. One paragraph mentions biology, ecology and cenology. As needed, taxonomical or nomenclatural comments are included. The total geographical distribution is shown only for a few species. Occasionally, the discussion of some species is accompanied by paragraphs on phytopathology (formation of galls, damage due to fungi, etc.). The final part of each chapter discussing a genus includes the most important and relevant bibliography. For the first time this volume aIso includes an English translation of determination keys as a supplement; this should increase the usefulness of the publication to foreign readers abroad. The habitus of selected plants with some details is demonstrated on forty full-page pen drawings. The distribution of plants in Slovakia is indicated by description, for some rarer species also by enumeration of phytogeographical districts and localities (usually with reference to literature or herbaria). The volume includes sixty point or grid maps which indicate the distribution of selected species evidenced in Slovakia. Some maps show two or more taxa. The grid maps are sometimes printed as full-page plates or as smaller but well-arranged half-page maps. A brief account is given of taxa which have been introduced or are cultivated only sporadically, which are assumed to exist in Slovakia but have not yet been found, to hybrids and species evidenced in Slovakia only on the basis misinterpretation. Some minor inconsistencies and inaccuracies, have not been avoided, but do not, however, impair its value and importance. For example, among synonyms of Ajuga reptans L. there are Bugula reptans SCOR and Teucrium reptans CRANTZ;in both cases the author's name of the epitheton (L.) has been omitted. The same omission occurs in several other instances. Chamaepitys chia subsp, glabra (C. PRESL) DOSTAL Nov~. Kv~tena CSSR 2: 854, 1989 is nom. nud.; if the combination has not been published elsewhere, it should read Ch. chia subsp, glabra (C. PRESL) KME'[-OV.~ FI. Slovenska V/I: 190. Lithospermum officinale: lateral veins, typical

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for this species, are also visible on the upper side of some larger leaves (not drawn on Tab. 1); this reliable distinctive marker was not applied in the key nor stressed in the text. Origanum vulgare subsp, prismaticum: the footnote about its use most probably refers also to subsp, vulgare. The bibliography for the genus Glechoma could be enlarged by more recent and longer papers (for example NINOVA et al. Fitologia 24: 3-28, 25: 13-39, 26:3-59 or ~UKOVSKIJFragm. Florist. Geobot. 28: 341-362, 1982). Hyoscyamus bohemicus EW. SCHMIDT is hardly identical with H. pallidus WALDST. et KIT. H. pallidus, which is classified merely as a subspecies, was also collected at foot of the Kov~i~ovsk6 kopce Hills (1932 HROBAP, PR). Solanum nitidibaccatum recorded as a species to be expected in Slovakia has already been evidenced (1988 JEHLIK). The volume of "Fl6ra Slovenska V/I" under review provides elementary information about the Slovak flora and will prove to be great use not only to professional botanists and experts engaged in the conservation of nature but also to a large variety of other readers. It is pleasant to notice that the volumes of the Flora are published at short intervals. Scientists who are not fluent in the Slovak language will welcome the enclosed maps showing the distribution of selected taxa and also the English translation of identification keys. This should also accompany future volumes.

Karel Kubat Benjamin s & Kirsten Kind: SCANDINAVIAN FERNS; Rhodos, International Science and Art Publisher, Copenhagen, 1993, 317 pp., 114 colour plates, and 103 pen-and-ink drawings. Price DKK 425.-, ISBN 87-7245-532-2 It is not so frequent nowadays to see such a showy pteridophyte monograph as Scandinavian ferns by B. r and K. Kind. Excellent, spectacular, full-colour illustrations revoke illustrations of the best plant illustrators of last century. The compact and precise text describes 72 pteridophyte species of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The book begins with an introduction in which the geographical and climatic conditions of Scandinavia are characterized, and pteridophytes morphology, life cycles, chromosomes, hybrids and higher taxa delimitation are described. The following systematic section comprises family descriptions, generic keys, generic descriptions, species keys and descriptions. Each species is first characterized morphologically, followed by precise detail its reproduction, variations and relationship, distribution, ecology, etymology of its name, and sometimes also the uses of each particular species. Unfortunately only some synonyms are given. Distribution maps, literature citations of generic and specific names, and of all basionyms and synonyms are not presented. On the other hand, very clear pen-and-ink drawings are often used to depict special morphological characters, as well as subspecific taxa and hybrids. Clubmosses are treated within the only family Lycopodiaceae (family Huperziaceae was not accepted). All the alpine-arctic taxa are treated as subspecies (Huperzia selago subsp, arctica, Lycopodium clavatum subsp. monostachyon, and Lycopodium annotinum subsp, alpestre, and Lycopodium complanatum subsp, monteUii). It is a pity that these interesting taxa were not treated in separate descriptions. The genus Diphasiastrum should have been treated independently like the genus Lycopodiella. The text about quiUworts is accompanied by excellent pen-and-ink drawings of macrospores and microspores, Horsetails are presented in a single genus Equiseturn, the distinct group with sunken stomates in single lines and with pointed cone apexes (Hippochaete) is evaluated as a subgenus only. The hybrids are depicted in very clear pen-and-ink drawings. The biggest pteridophyte division Polypodiophyta is divided into 13 families, 22 genera and 54 species. The genus Botrychium persists as a single broad genus. As far as the genus Polypodium is concerned, the very notable pen-and-ink drawings of sporangia and spores should be mentioned. The genus Oreopteris was accepted for O. limbosperma. The family Aspleniaceae is used as monotypic because the members of the genera Ceterach and Phyllitis were incorporated into the genus Asplenium based on their relative facility of hybridization with species of "proper" Asplenium. Again, I have to stress that intergeneric hybrids exist throughout the plant kingdom and it is still not a reason for fusing such genera. We do not have to seek for them too far, e.g. Polystichum lonchitis • D~opteris goldiana (• singulare). Is it possible to imagine the fusion of these two genera? Simple tough blades, cordate at the base and much larger in comparison with the other species (Phyllitis), and

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thick pinnatifid blades mostly with densely scaly laminas (Ceterach) are quite satisfactory characters approving segregation of these genera. The section of colour plates is outstanding. These magnificent plates show not only the species and its morphological details, but also its original habit with other surrounding plants. The text is completed by the Glossary of botanical terms, by the list of cited literature and by a comprehensive Index. There are some inaccuracies within the text, but these are infrequent (e.g. no author's names are given for Lycopodiella inurutata and Equisetum arvense; the author's names do not always follow everywhere the abbreviated names according to BRUMMITI"& POWELL (1992): Authors of plant names, Royal Bot. Garden Kew, Kew, e.g. Holub vs. J. Holub; the correct author of the name Equisetum variegatum is SCHLEICHER only, of Cryptogramma crispa (L.) HOOKER). In spite of some taxonomic conservativenesses, the monograph "Scandinavian ferns" is indisputably exemplary within European pteridophyte monographs and it will undoubtedly become the most valuable reference compendium of Scandinavian pteridophytes not only to pteridologists.

Bohdan ~>koda Pierre Delforge: GUIDE DES ORCHIDI~ES D'EUROPE, D'AFRIQUE DU NORD ET DU

PROCHE-ORIENT; Delachaux et Niestl~ S.A., Lausanne, Paris, 1994, 480 pp., 812 photos. Price FRF 50.-, ISBN 2-603-00929-X This book is intended especially for the many lovers of terrestrial European and Mediterranean orchids, while offering merely a quick reference aid for professional botanists. It is one more book of the type published during the last twenty years. Delforge's book, however, is outstanding in one respect - its wide scope covers almost the complete number microspecies of orchids whose habitat is Europe and the Mediterranean areas of Africa, the Near East and Asia Minor. The general texts in the opening and final chapters together fill less than 40 pages, i.e. only about 8 percent of the book, but nevertheless they provide systematic general information that can help even beginners to become familiar with European orchids. Apart from the usual chapters on the morphology and biology of terrestrial orchids, they include information on processes of speciation and photographs of plants in their natural environment, as well as outlines of the basic principles of botanical nomenclature. The best part of the book, however, is devoted to colour photographs in the size of 5.5 • 8.5 cm, most often laid out on double pages. For each taxon one shot is usually a general shot of the plant, while the other is a close-up of an inflorescence, or a part of one, or of a single flower. By the side of each pair of photographs there is a text, giving not only a detailed morphological description including information on variability, but also notes on such points as the etymology of scientific epithets, the origins of the nomenclatural type, synonymy, period of flowerage, brief characteristics of habitat and distribution, including a list of abbreviations of countries with a proved occurrence of the pertinent taxon. All photographs are provided with useful information on the date and the locality of the shot. Each related group is provided with a brief dichotomic key and occasionally there is a simple pen-and-ink drawing of a detail of a flower with diacritical characteristics. It is especially important to emphasize the high quality of the photographs, mostly taken by the author himself, particularly the technically difficult close-ups with details proving an outstanding depth of focus achieved by sensitive use of a double flash with T I L Flash system, which gives the shots a natural look. A slight reservation may be made as to the quality of the general shots and to the choice of suitable individuals of some less attractive species. For example: Listera cordata, Spiranthes spiralis, Goodyera repens, Liparis loeselii, Herminium monorchis or Gymnadenia odoratissima. There could also have been more full shots of plants of the genus Ophrys. The lack of any maps of geographical distribution of species is a significant disadvantage of the book. It would have been very helpful, for example, to give maps showing the distribution of selected related groups, particularly the aggregate species, where the area of distribution of the respective microspecies might have been pointed out, too. Each genus with a small number of species could have been presented on one general map. This would have made the non-synoptic columns with abbreviations of countries of origin attached to each microspecies superfluous. It is also a certain shortcoming that the book omits the European part of the

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Russian Federation, so that some species with wide distribution in Asia overlapping to Eastern Europe, such as Cypripedium macranthum or C. guttutum, are missing. As far as Delforge's taxonomical conception of species is concerned, it is obvious that the author prefers to classify as many taxa as possible in specific rank practically omitting the category of subspecies. Although the concept of microspecies, often also circumscribed cytologically, is in keeping with the current taxonomical trend, classification respecting subspecific rank would be preferable for some taxonomic groups. As an example we may mention the genus Dactylorhiza or Orchis, where subspecific classifications for some groups are well-founded. There is also a certain disharmony in the extent of elaboration of large genera - Mediterranean species seem to be given more detailed study than species from the central and northeastern parts of Europe. For example the elaboration of the genus Ophrys: an inadequate number of taxa are classified m specific rank. Another example: there are differences between the taxonomic conception of the Mediterranean taxa of the genus Dactylorhiza and its northern taxa. For this genus, especially with respect to the synonymy presented, it is obvious that the author does not know and maybe therefore does not accept or incorrectly classifies several taxa from Centra! Europe and further to the north and east, such as Dactylorhiza russowii, D. bohernica, D. ruthei, D. majalis subsp, turfosa, D. fuchsii subsp, sooana, D. fuchsii subsp, psychrophila versus D. sudetica, etc,

In spite of all these disadvantages, Delforge's book will certainly be a useful handbook for those interested in European and Mediterranean orchids, full of concentrated up-to-date information on what is probably the most endangered group of plants in this area.

Roman Businsk~ J.-P. Lebrun & A.L. Stork: ENUMt~RATION DES PLANTES /~, FLEURS D'AFRIQUE TROPICALE. Vol, I. GdndraUtds et Annonaceae a Pandaceae. Vol. II. Chrysobalanaceae Apiaceae; Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques Gen~ve, PubL Hors-s~rie, No. 7a. Price not given. Vol. L 249 pp., 2 Tabs., 4 Maps, 1 photo, 1 pen drawing. ISBN 2-8277-0108-1. VoL IL 257 pp., 1 photo, 3 pen drawings. ISBN 2-8277-0109-X In a part of world where so relatively little floristic synthesis has been made, the appearance of these notable books is of great importance. This large project governed by recognized authorities from Gen~ve cover an area of more than 22 mil. sq. km; approximately twice more plant species than in Europe is reported (or expected) to occur here. The decision to publish a checklist, not surprisingly, is a consensus - it is not possible to accomplish an extensive Flora of tropical Africa now~ The first volume begins with a general part. The introductory chapters contain an overview of bota~ica/ research in tropical Africa. They take the reader from the time of first discoveries and earliest composite works on flora and vegetation through ENGLER's"Die Vegetation der Erde" (vol. 5, 1915) to the present day. Important contribution to the knowledge of the flora of tropical Africa was made, e.g. by M. Adanson (many specimens from Senegal, middle of 18th century), Palisot de Beauvois (first regional flora of tropical Africa), E Welwitsch (collection from Angola), J. Hutchinson and J.M. Dalziel (authors of Flora of west tropical Africa, 1927-1936, first modern regional flora), D Polhill (Flora of tropical east Africa, since 1952). Nevertheless, one must be aware that at least 1/3 of tropical Africa is still very poorly explored (Chapter 3). This is followed by the comparison of species richness in some countries or areas, respectively (Chapter 4). For each family selected bibliography and alphabetical list of constituent genera is given. List of species (sometimes infraspecific taxa are recognized, too) and, if there is available, special literalure is given for the genera (Chapter 6). The families and genera are arranged according to "Flora of west tropical Africa" (by Hutchinson & Dalziel), The first volume includes (with complements mentioned in the first two volumes) some 102 native families with 722 genera and 6 145 species. To the largest ones belong Euphorbiaceae (97 genera), Annonaceae (38), Amaranthaceae (36), Cucurbitaceae (32), Flacourtiaceae and Brassicaceae (both 29). Volume 2 treats 48 families with 592 genera and 5 425 species. The largest families are Apiaceae (43 genera), Sapindaceae (33), Mimosaceae (26), Loranthaceae (18), Hippocrateaceae (17). The books will be undoubtedly widely read and serving to attract the botanists to the tropical Africa.

V~iclav Zelen~

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Other books D.G. Fautin, D.J. Futuyma & F.C. James (eds.): ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY AND SYSTEMATICS, Volume 25; Annual Reviews Inc., Palo Alto, 1994, 686pp. Price USD 4Z- (USA), USD 52.- (elsewhere), ISBN 0-8243-1425-5 The reviewed volume of the Annual review of ecology and ~ystematics (ARES) contains 25 articles: they are of the "usual" standard and most of them make fascinating reading for people able to look outside their own field. In comparison with previous volumes, the present one was enlarged, which is the main reason for the large number of articles. It is not possible to review all papers in other than in a superficial way and I prefer to concentrate more on those papers which should be of special interest to general readers of Folio. It is my strong feeling that future volumes will contain more and more papers using data from molecular biology. This field will certainly influence different biological fields, as is shown in this volume of ARES. The paper by Mitton (Molecular approaches to population biology) shows the situation when molecular data are successfully used, not only in the field of population biology, but also in evolutionary studies with direct implications for biosystematics. The results presented show the great potential of molecular techniques for the solution of many different, unanswered questions. However, the increasing amount of data clearly shows that, as some questions are answered, at the same time new questions appear. There are an increasing number of results showing the discordant patterns obtained by different methods. The possibilities for the detection of gene flow, namely with a possibility to separate nuclear genome from that uniparentally inherited (mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA) seems extremely promising. The volume reviewed presents a number of examples showing molecular techniques used at very different scales: "Phylogeny of the legume family" (by J.J. Doyle) is an example of the use of results of molecular techniques to explain relationships within this important group together with an understanding of the origins of nodulation, a feature unique to the whole family and making it one of the most important groups not only for human civilization. However, in my opinion the potential of molecular methods is best shown in the paper by A.J. Leigh Brown and E.C. Holmes ("Evolutionary biology of human immunodeficiency virus"). The detailed results are a reflection of the problems which HIV places on human supercivilization. It is incredible to look at a world almost unknown 20 years ago. There is another achievement from the extensive study of HIV: even some "not important" organisms, such as viruses on some rare monkeys, may be an important source of information. I am certain that without the pandemic of AIDS the studies of these viruses would receive only marginal attention from e.g. financing bodies. I was fascinated to read of e.g. the evolution of viruses in one infected person and of the network of individual strains in some localities. As a botanist I read with great interest the paper "Unisexual fish: model system for studying ecology and evolution" (R.C. Vrijenhoek). In spite of differences from apomictic plants, it is interesting to compare the ecological success of unisexual fish with the success of apomictic plants. In addition to the problems of the Leguminosae (legume family) mentioned above, one other group was mentioned with respect to its systematics and evolution. "Diversification in an arid world: The Mesembryanthemaceae" is the name of an article by H.-D. Ihlenfeldt. This paper presents "classical" views of a family which is extremely diverse within a relatively very small area. The paper is based mainly on the results of comparative studies and presents a number of hypotheses which could be tested by the molecular approach, e.g. hypotheses on the hybrid origin of some genera or other possibilities of hybridization. Ecological aspects are dealt with in several papers. One of them ("A day in the life of a seed: Movements and fates of seeds and their implications for natural and managed systems" by LC. Chambers and J.A. MacMahon) tries to separate different stages of seed fate after release from the mother plant. They distinguished phase I (movement of seed from the parent to the soil surface) and phase II involving other vertical and horizontal movements. The authors stressed the importance of seed morphology for their subsequent fate. The knowledge of the fate of seeds is necessary for the successful conservation or the prevention of undesired invasions. The comparison of results obtained in different habitat types clearly shows the lack of systematically collected data about seed bank dynamics. E.-D. Schulze et al. touched on a topic seen as important with respect to carbon dioxide emmision and possible climatic change: "Relationships among maximum stomatal conductance, ecosystem surface conductance, carbon assimilation rate, and plant nitrogen nutrition: A global ecology scaling exercise". They built a model and used data from different and natural systems to test it. Carbon assimilation is dependent on

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the nutrient (mainly nitrogen) levels. It is shown how complex relationships exists between rooting depth, water loss and soil water storage, length of growing season ... Some ecosystems behave in a different way: it is necessary to consider these facts in future predictions. As with other volumes of ARES it is well done.

Frantiiek Krahulec P. Eggleton & R. Vane-Wright (eds.): PHYLOGENETICS AND ECOLOGY; Academic Press, London, etc., 1994. Price GBP 48.-, ISBN 0-12-232990-2 This volume presents of 15 papers delivered at a joint symposium of the Natural History Museum (London) and the Linnean Society, and a concluding chapter written by the editors, who briefly review some principles of phylogenetic methodology. The book is concerned with the recent interfacing of phylogenetics ("systematics") and ecology (including behavior). The first seven papers discuss the theoretical bases and possible application of two competing approaches in evolutionary ecology, namely, the homology and convergence approaches (see below). Chapter 8 (by Thorpe et al.) is of great interest since it deals not with phylogenetic (supraspecific) but with microevolutionary, intraspecific data. According to Friday (Chapter 9), adaptation itself may be used to reconstruct phylogeny ("... as well as emerging from those reconstructions", p. 207), a viewpoint with a high risk of a priori reasoning. The following chapters (10-14) explore particular cases where comparative approaches have been employed. The general shortage of robust phylogenetic hypotheses is obvious here - four chapters (t0-11, 13-14) use Sibley & Ahlquist's avian phylogeny to explore hypotheses of ecological changes during evolution, although the tree itself (and the DNA-DNA hybridization methodology in general) is controversial. However, so far there is no other extensive phylogeny. Although communication between systematists and ecologists seems to have been established (or "re-established" according to Brooks & McLennan, p. I), there are two opposed approaches to the evolution of ecological/behavioral traits and ecological associations. The ecologists emphasize the "convergence approach" according to which the ecological, functional, value of a character (its adaptive value) is recognized primarily by several independent origins during the evolution of unrelated groups. On the contrary, the systematists' "homology approach" defines adaptation as an evolutionary novelty that may be (reasonably) hypothesized to have been evolved via natural selection, and dismisses the mere convergent origin as evidence of adaptation - developmental constraints are also known to produce the same phenotypes several times "convergently" (or "in parallel"; these two terms cannot be distinguished operationally). The distinction between homoplasy (= convergence + parallelism) arising from several independent parallel adaptations and that produced by constraints is almost alwa3/s based on our preconceived ideas about the "usual" course of evolution; we are, therefore, unable .to distinguish "good" (adaptive) homoplasies from "bad" ones (based on design limitation) and to use only the former in evolutionary ecological studies. Moreover, there are no methods according to homologists, of course - of methods distinguishing homological and homoplastic characters prior to the formulation of a phylogenetic hypothesis. After its formulation, the hypotheses of homologies are established, homoplasies are recognized - but they are no further necessary for adaptation studies because we can compare any single species with its direct (hypothesized) ancestors. On the other hand, the functionalist convergent approach is a search for a small number of general evolutionary processes, not for unique histories. My personal attitude is much more homologist than functionalist; I suspect that the functionalist approach is simply premature and aphoristic: we do not know anything about the course of phylogeny except for what has been derived from hypotheses about unique phylogenies, and there is no reason to expect the existence of general phylogenetic rules. The risk of misinformation is in my view much more important than the risk of lacking information. However, you may not (and several authors of the reviewed book actually do not) share my scepticism concerning general evolutionary models; perhaps there is indeed something more than unique historical contingence. (Of course, there are "general mechanisms" of evolution like selection or drift, but they can hardly be used to explain specific phylogeny.). What is, perhaps, even more important from ihe methodological viewpoint, but somewhat correlated with the above "convergence/homology" distinction, is the gap between two basic evolutionary world views: between logic-based (Popperian) and probability-based (statistic) ways of reasoning. It is, from the theoretical viewpoint, clear (or so I hope) that statistical models are not appropriate for historically unique events. Let us take any unique event, either phylogenetic (origin of magnoliophytes) or historical sensu stricto ("William defeated

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Harold at Hastings in 1066", a case of Wenzel & Carpenter, p. 82). There is no population of events from which repeated samples may be drawn to evaluate by statistic tests; such an event has either "probability" P=0 or P=I, it either did not happen or it happened. Whether our phylogenetic (historical) hypothesis is sufficiently robust to work only with P=0 and P=I, or not, is another (however more practical) question. Again, you will find also the opposite, statistics-derived approach in several papers in the book reviewed here; its great value is just in confrontation of studies applying different methods. This theoretical contribution of the book is fundamental; however, the individual case studies are also intriguing, and especially those on the evolutionary ecology of Eucalyptus (Chapter 7) and on the bird-pollination syndrome of Australian legumes (Chapter 13) should be of special interest to botanists.

CONTENTS (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

Historical ecology as a research programme: scope, limitations, and the future (Brooks & McLennan) The adaptionist wager (Pagel) The role of homology and convergence in studies of adaptation (Coddington) Comparing methods: adaptive traits and tests of adaptation (Wenzel & Carpenter) Phylogeny, evolutionary models and comparative methods: a simulation study (Gittleman & Luh) Investigating the origins of performance advantage: adaptation, exaptation and lineage effects (Arnold) Distinguishing phylogenetic effects in multivariate models relating Eucalyptus convergent morphology to environment (Faith & Belbin) (8) Testing ecological and phylogenetic hypotheses in microevolutionary studies (Thorpe et al.) (9) Adaptation and phylogenetic inference (Friday) (10) Comparing real with expected patterns from molecular phylogenies (Harvey & Nee) (11) Biological and algorithmic correlates of phenetic tree pattern (Mooers et al.) (12) Sexual size dimorphism and comparative methods (Nylin & Weddell) (13) Evolution of bird-pollination in some Australian legumes (Fabaceae) (Crisp) (14) On the use of discrete characters in phylogenetic trees with special reference to the evolution of avian mating systems (Sillrn-Tullberg & Temrin) (15) The evolution of feeding strategies (Gilbert et al.) (16) Some principles of phylogenetics and their implications for comparative biology (Eggleton & Vane-Wright).

Jan Zrzav~ P.R. Sauter: KRYOKONSERVIERUNG VON LEMNACEAE; Veraffentlichungen des Geobotanischen Institutes ETH, Stiftung Riibel, Ziirich, 1993, 112. Heft, 134 pp., 46 Figs., 14 Tabs. Price SFR 48.-, USD 37.-, ISSN 0254-9433 This publication is a PhD-thesis supervised by Prof. E. Landolt. Cryopreservation, as a progressive and low-cost method, has been used for long-term storage of a variety of plants and/or plant organs (e.g. algae, protoplasts, meristems, seeds). The aim of this work was to develop a method for the cryopreservation of Lemnaceae (duckweeds), the whole collection of which could be stored easily for long-term use in the future. Twenty-four duckweed species were tested. Generally, intact vegetative fronds were used, while on occasion turions and seeds were employed. Successful cryopreservation of duckweeds, at a temperature of -196 ~ in liquid nitrogen, requires optimalization of several processes: dehydration of fronds by a cryoprotectant before freezing, gradual cooling and freezing to -150 to -196 ~ thawing, and recovery of plant growth (regeneration). Of all cryoprotectants tested, glycerol at a concentration of about 50% (v/v) was the only one which fulfilled all demands satisfactorily. It was found to be comparatively non-toxic for at least the species of the subfamily Lemnoideae. To prevent crystallization of the c~oprotectant solution, which may result in the injury of the fronds, the minimal freezing rate must be 3 ~ Similarly, the samples have to be rapidly thawed in a 30 ~ water bath. For other less-resistant Lemnoideae species, it is recommended to increase the glycerol concentration to 60% (v/v) or to use an ultra-rapid cooling and thawing procedure. Buds and young daughter fronds usually survive cryopreservation and regenerate to form new individuals without any special cultural conditions. Sucrose is important for the regeneration of the buds and should be available to the plants after thawing. Serious problems are encountered using this method for seed and turion

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cryopreservation. However, cryopreservation as a storage method is generally suitable for the fronds of the subfamily Lemnoideae. The following eight species can be stored in liquid nitrogen without problems: Spirodela

punctata, Lemna gibba, L. disperma, L. minor, L. japonica, L. obscura, L. ecuadoriensis, and L. turionifera. Storage in liquid nitrogen is also possible in other Lemnoideae species, except for Spirodefa potyrrhiza. This method is not applicable for Wolffia and Wolffiella species. In L minor, there was no loss of viability in liquid nitrogen for at least 21 months. Time, energy and expenses may be reduced through the long-term storage of duckweeds by way of cryopreservation which the author presents in this paper. Many students in the field of duckweed biology will find this paper both informative and applicable.

Lubomir Adamec V.R. Squires & A.T. Ayoub (eds.): HALOPHYTES AS A RESOURCE FOR LIVESTOCK AND FOR REHABILITATION OF DEGRADED LANDS; Kluwer Academic Publishers, Tasks for Vegetation Science 32, 1994, xiv + 316 pp. Price NLG 375.-, USD 215.-, GBP 142.50, ISBN 0-7923-2664-4 The reviewed book contains papers presented at an intemational workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, November 1992, organized jointly by UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) and the University of Adelaide, Australia. Many similar proceedings suffer from the heterogeneity of particular papers and the absence of a synthesis. Not this one. The book is subdivided into seven integral parts well framed by the contributions presented in the introductory section (Context). It is only a pity that the next sections are not introduced or concluded at least by a short paragraph dealing with the respective topics in general. The sections are as follows: Utilization of halophytes; Regional owerviews; Case studies from irrigated land; Case studies from rangeland; Case studies with animal feeding; Case studies of individual species. The introductory section is of the highest interest to a wide range of ecologists, environmental scientists and even to agriculturalists, the last because of the emphasis on utilizing halophytes as a food source for livestock. The roles of halophytes are listed by V.R. Squires in the first paper (p. 2). These are: land rehabilitation; use as a crop irrigated by saline water; feed for livestock; medicinal plants; fuel wood; shade and shelter; assimilation of carbon dioxide. The roles are illustrated in the following more specific papers. I am only affraid that the recommended irrigation by saline water in arid habitats can quickly result in further soil degradation by the accummulation of salt. Similarly, some ideas from other sections seem to me rather problematic, especially the recommendation on introducing alien species to overcome seasonal feed gaps in rangeland. This perhaps economically justified idea cannot always be acceptable from the ecological point of view. For a potential reader of the book it may be interesting to reiterate some figures reported in the introductory papers: the total number of halophytic species is estimated to be 5000-6000 in the whole world, i.e., approx. 2% of the flowering plants; salt-affected soils cover about 10% of the earth's land surface. The book is eminently interesting for colleagues working in regions where large areas of halophyte vegetation occur. Nevertheless, because of its general ecological context and an excellent balance between theoretical and applied science it is interesting for other ecologists.

Karel Prach D.G. Fautin, D.J. Futuyma & EC. James (eds.): ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY AND SYSTEMATICS, Volume 26; Annual Reviews Inc., Palo Alto, California, 1995, 759 pp. Price USD 47.- (USA), USD 52.- (elsewhere), ISBN 0-8243-1426-3 More than one third of this volume of the well-known review series is dedicated to an interesting view on sustainable development in different fields of interest. However, the book also offers contributions concerning palaentology, ecology, molecular and evolutionary biology and genetics. The block of papers on sustainable development is opened by R. Goodland's "The concept of environmental sustainability", which provides the most recent view on sustainability in relation to limits of growth, scale and substitutability and compares it with sustainability in social and economic spheres. S.W. Buol discusses

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sustainability in soil use, with respect to decreasing content of essential elements used for food production, and two articles (p. 45, 69) pay attention to the exploitation of resources in agriculture and other economic fields. The main dispute regarding sustainability is dedicated to the questions of diversity and conservation biology (Ch.J. Humphries, P.H. Williams & R.I. Vane-Wright, C.D. Becker & E. Ostrom). Both G.S. Hartshom's and J. Vandermeer's articles deal with the ecological basis of sustainable development. Different types of management of North American waterfowl are presented by J.D. Nichols, EA. Johnson & B.K. Williams, while both articles by R.H. Nelson and J.G. Clark pay attention to the philosophical basis of the sustainability debate. There are several contributions on evolution. D.W. Fong et al. explain the loss and vestigialization of nonfunctional characters through the mechanism of direct selection. The authors present some examples of trade-offs in cave-dwelling organisms, reduction and loss of digits in tetrapods or wings in birds. The concept of genetic mosaicism hypothesis is mentioned by D.E. Gill, L. Chao, S.L. Perkins & J.B. Wolf. An interesting view on macroevolution is offered by T.A. Grantham. Hierarchical approaches studying macroevolution by species selection, and some theoretical and empirical works on hierarchical theory are presented. The author also discusses "The Vrba's effect hypothesis". Evolution at the molecular level is discussed by M. Kreitman & H. Akashi. Some topics of molecular anthropology are reviewed in N. Takahata's article, he tries to compare observed DNA variation with a hypothesis about Homo sapiens origin and gives a survey of the evolution of the human population. The question of speciation of plethodontid salamanders is discussed by R. Highton. Another aspect of evolutionary theory concerning direct (adaptive) versus nondirect (random) mutation is presented by P.D. Sniegowski & R.E. Lenski. The authors give a view on both Lamarckian and Darwinian theories and give a survey of mutation models. Four authors, M.C. Whitlock, P.C. Phillips, EB.-G. Moore & S.J. Tonsor, try to explain the importance of genetic interactions in the evolutionary process and their influence on the creation multiple fitness optima. The additional papers are devoted to slightly different topics. J.J. Morrone & J.V. Crisci define and compare different approaches to the study of historical biogeography. Five methods (dispersalism, phylogenetic biogeography, panbiogeography, cladistic biogeography and parsimony analysis of endemicity) and their basic principles are given in this article. P.J. Morin & S.P. Lawler deal with population dynamics in relation to food web architecture. They present the main theses of a few studies, which have manipulated some characteristics of the food chain (length of chain and its complexity), and they give a survey of hypotheses which could be tested. Phylogenetic relationships are dealt with by A. de Queiroz et al., who try to find the best statistical method of studying phylogeny and compare two opposite methods: separate versus combined analysis of evidence. Seed dispersal is a closely related theme to phylogeny. C.M. Herrera analyzed the seed dispersal system in the Mediterranean from an ecological, evolutionary and historical point of view. P.K. Diggle is looking for causes of variation in patterns of fruits, seeds and their development in inflorescences. The ecology and evolution of highly eusocial insects is presented by K.G. Ross & L. Keller. In the article "Women in systematics", D. Lipscomb moves through the time period from the Middle Age to the middle of the 20th century and provides short biographies of several remarkable women scientists. J.O. Farlow, P. Dodson & A. Chinsamy deal with the question of the reconstruction of dinosaurs and compare different kinds of evidence and approaches to the study of dinosaur biology, including the fossil records of dinosaurs, morphology and comparative anatomy, modeling and scaling. Some problems associated with the quality of fossil records (spatial pattern of hardparts and loss of soft tissues) are mentioned by S.M. Kidwell & K.W. Flessa. Two articles on global problems (their description and suggestions of solutions) are presented. D. McGuire, J.M. Melilo & L.A. Joyce demonstrate the influence of elevated carbon dioxide and soil nitrogen availability on net primary production of several woodland species. The results of measuring photosynthesis, respiration and N concentration in plant and tissue levels are well-arranged in large tables. Changes in biodiversity and the structure of antarctic ecosystems related to global warming, ultraviolet radiation, increased atmospheric CO2 and acid rains are mentioned by A.D. Kennedy. This volume under review offers a wealth of topics, which enables readers to choose an interesting contribution according to their field of interest. As most of the papers are associated with modem genetics and evolutionary methods of investigation, this volume could be recommended principally to plant and animal taxonomists. Martina Fab~;i~ovd

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Bookreviews

R.B. Primack: ESSENTIALS OF CONSERVATION BIOLOGY; Sinauer Associates Inc., Sunderland, Massachussets, 1993, 564 pp. Price GBP 23.95, ISBN 0-87893-722-6 One of the numerous of books dealing with actual and ambitious conjuction of our biological knowledge about acute world-wide conservation problems. The book is divided into six large parts covering the theoretical background, definitions, conservation strategies and recommendations. The first part is a major section that defines the discipline and determines its relations to various aspects of biological diversity. Explanations are presented with a wide range of examples of sources of biological diversity, its ecological principles and functions. The second part "Threats to biological diversity" covers problems connected with habitat degradation and habitat loss resulting in threats of diseases, species disappearance, rarity and extinction and consequent decline of biological diversity. The general description is documented with exemplary graphic explanations using actual data relating to global environmental changes. The third part is shorter, it concerns the direct and possible indirect economic value, as well as some ethical aspects of biological diversity. The fourth and fifth parts of the books are, in my opinion, the substantive section. They deal with conservation at the population level and practical applications. Fundamentals of metapopulation theory as well as potential problems of small populations with genetic variability and viability, are satisfactorily described. Practical applications presented include a range of ideas, supported by particular examples, which allow us to construct strategies and concepts concerning the design and management of protected areas of different types. Important aspects, such as priorities for protection, reserve size, minimizing of edge- and fragmentation-effects and acceptable levels of stress caused by human activities are outlined. A separate chapter in part five is devoted to the conservation of populations ex situ, i.e. prevention of species extinction by maintaining individuals in artificial conditions under human supervision. Descriptions of particular examples include certain animal species (California Condor, Green Iguana, Great Panda, Land Tortoises, ...), which are preserved in zoos, game farms, aquaria and by captive breeding programmes. Examples of plants (pines, oaks, poplars, ...) are presented by various approaches in botanical gardens, arboreta, and seed banks. This section concludes with considerations about the principal objectives of reintroduction programmes, including how to successfully establish new populations of animals and plants into the wild. The last part "Conservation and human societies" refers generally to actual experiences in nature conservation (How are species and habitats legally protected?) both at local and national (law) levels. Information is also given about species protection at an international level (CITES, IUCN, WWF), with outlines of future plans. The chapter is consists of short accounts on actual problems connected with global conservation strategies. The text is documented with dozens of pictures, including graphs, schemes, photos and maps. The volume of information in book is amplified by 35 text/picture boxes, increasing the insight of the readers, while maintaining clarity of the basic document. All chapters are summarized which facilitates quick access to a required topic, and there is an extensive bibliography covering 32 pages as well as a detailed index of terms and species. Of course, one book cannot completely cover the range of subjects which can be potentially considered as a component of modem conservation biology. However, the content of the book and its form are fully in accordance with the authors aims to provide a modem, up-to date textbook on the basics of conservation biology. Thus, it can be recommended not only for use by university undergraduates and graduate students, but also for high school teachers and nature conservation managers.

Miroslav ~;alek