Bookreviews

529

BOOKREVIEWS

B. Frenzel (ed.), C. Pfister & B. Glaeser (co-eds.): CLIMATIC TRENDS AND ANOMALIES IN EUROPE 1675-1715. HIGH RESOLUTION SPATIO-TEMPORAL RECONSTRUCTIONS FROM DIRECT METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS AND PROXY DATA. Methods and results; Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, Jena, New York, 1994, 479 pp. Price SFR 148.-, ISBN 3-437-30774-6 This volume contains the proceedings of the European Science Foundation (ESF) conference held at the University of Bern on 2-4 September 1992. Participants included historical geographers, historians, palaeobotanists and meteorologists from fifteen European countries as well as China and Japan. It is rather a monothematic book, dealing with climatic features during the Late Maunder Minimum in the period from 1675 to 1715. It consists of documentary records, mostly dendroclimatic analyses applying various methodological approaches. The book consists of thirty contributions divided into 4 parts. The first two parts are devoted to analytical studies from: - Baltic and North Atlantic Regions, Central and Western Europe, Mediterranean Area and East Asia. The third part is a synthetic one. The fourth part presents the methodology for data handling, coding climate proxy information, and saving data in the EUROCLIMHIST Data Base. Owing to the encompassing nature of the book, we would like to describe only some of its most important features. As to documentary records, we would like to highlight sevrral very interesting data sources. There are data from logbooks of the ships going through Oresund Channel (more than 50,000 observations, P. Frich & K. Frydendahl), data on the rye and barley harvests in southwest Finland (H. Vesajoki & M. Tomberg), and phenological data on the beginning of the rye harvest as a proxy indicator of summer climate in the Baltic Area (Estonia, Latvija, Finland, A. Tarand & P. Kuiv). A. Ogilvie compared documentary records from Iceland with ice core oxygen isotope data (5 180) from Greenland. R. Glaeser, S. Militzer & D. Busche evaluated various data representing the period of the late Maunder Minimum from different parts of Germany. Their data included chronicles, contemporary manuscripts, edited works and diaries, and they evaluate various business reports, They compared these data with tree-ring data, and discussed its usefulness in relation to the quantity and quality of wine. German tree-ring proxy data represent a very valuable source of information because they consist of several long regional chronologies. Eight contributions are based on tree-ring proxy data. The most important of them is the data from the north Fennoscandia, containing signals of summer temperature. These tree-ring data are very suitable for precise evaluation of temperature-growth relations by response function analysis. K. Briffa, M. Eronen et al. evaluated Scotch pine tree-ring data from the northern tree line. A linear regression of the mean monthly temperature from April to August in the year t, included four variables: ring-width chronology values in years t and t-l, and maximum latewood density chronology values in years t and t-1 (K. Briffa). Serre-Bachet evaluated 17 west European, south European, and north African chronologies for oak, larch, fir, spruce, pine, cedar. Galli et al. evaluate winter-temperature signals in Pinus pinea L. chronology from Ravenna, J. Spain & J.R. Pilcher used a west European oak chronology as a data source for climate reconstruction. This chronology was unique. Owing to the absence of a single, strong climate factor, the authors used a modified technique for climate reconstruction known as the "signature year approach" (KELLYet al. 1989). Defined signature years are isolated from a modem chronology network and calibrated with recorded climate data. The calibrations are then applied to chronologies from the pre-instrumental time period. The authors used 25 chronologies covering the late Maunder Minimum: 8 from the British Isles and 17 from northwest Europe. The contribution of A. Orcel & A. Favre is worthy of special consideration. When studying oak ring structure, using digitized microscope pictures of tree rings, the authors evaluated a number of morphometric parameters. In their pilot study they evaluated almost 8,000 tree rings. The statistical model they designed enables prediction of several climatic parameters with a correlation of 75% to 80% with the actual climate data. The authors distinguished two types of analysis: qualitative and quantitative. For the second type, a -

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multidimensional morphometric vector was required for climatic reconstruction. This study is invaluable because the present chronologies for oak and cover the period of several thousand years BP. The third and fourth parts of the book are worth reading. The contribution by C. Pfister et al., entitled "High resolution spatio-temporal reconstructions of past climate from direct meteorological observations and proxy data", is devoted to methodical approaches of data evaluation and synthesis. H. Schuele described new software for data storage and evaluation. Synoptic interpretation of monthly weather maps for the late Maunder Min.imum from 1675 to 1704 (H. Wanner et al.) covers the research results of nine co-authors. It represents one of the most comprehensive achievements in climate reconstruction to date.

Josef Kyncl & Jaroslav Dobr~

B. Frenzel (ed.): EUROPEAN RIVER ACTIVITY AND CLIMATIC CHANGE DURING THE LATE GLACIAL AND EARLY HOLOCENE; Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, Jena, New York, 1995, 223 pp. Price DEM 78.-, ATS 577.-, SFR 75.-, ISBN 3-437-30806-8 The present procceedings of the "European Paleoclimate and Man" series provide a solid framework for further studies. The monograph contains 15 case studies from various parts of Europe including England, France, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic and other countries. The aim of the book is to establish and to correlate important hydrological changes between cold and dry glacial and warm and humid interglacial Holocene. The general situation is compolicated by several abrupt climatic changes which took place appr. between 16- I0 000 B.C. Most of these climatic oscillations, like the Younger Dryas episode, reached continental or even global scale but still the fossil record of fluviatile sediments is often disrupted by later processes or it cannot be correlated because of differences in catchment areas or different altitudes above the changing sea level. However, some striking changes in river activity are recognised in all temperate European regions. The transition from the late Pleniglacial braided rivers to low energy, sinuous ones in the Late-Glacial is almost without exception. Should we try to correlate important events of floodplain formation for the area of Central Europe, at least for the emerging blocks, we would arrive at the followings list: 1. The Late-Glacial (13-16 000 years B.P.) rivers are characterised by multi-channel, braided "wild rivers" with complex geomorphology. 2. The incision or downcutting took place before AllerOd (12 000 B.C.) warm and humid climatic phase. It was probably at this time that river bottoms were deepened and cut in the solid bedrock some 9-12 m below the present course of the river (Praha region, Berounka, Suchomastsk~ brook in the Bohemian Karst and other localitites). 3. The beginning of the Holocene is marked by a profound change of vegetation from cold steppe or tundra to taiga and deciduous forest. Peat formation, paludification and in calcareous areas tufa precipitation are common features of the Pre-Boreal. The flood-dominated periglacial systems changes into a groundwater dominated systems. The rapid (gradual in the Vistula region, Poland) cessation of gravel accumulation and the beginning of aggradation takes place some 10 000 years B.C. 4. The Holocene can be characterised by several aggradation and erosion phases. The most important erosion phases take place after Boreal and during Late Epi-Atlantic or Sub-Boreal. The system of 2-3 Holocene river terraces is formed. 5. Most of the Central-European floodplains as we know them nowadays, as large flat bodies of flood loams, are recent phenomena which developed during last 2-3 000 years mostly after the Late Bronze Age, due to the deforestation and possibly to natural climatic oscillations. Recontructed mean discharge, peak discharge and floods are the typical proxy data from the fluvial environment, allowing the direct derivation of paleoclimatic data. However, from the point od paleoecology and vegetational development, one has to count with the coevolution of geological and geomorphological structures and biota. The monographs reviewed here, together with the previously mentioned sources will substantially help in deciphering the past and recent history of floodplains.

V~clav Cnek

Bookreviews

531

W.-S. Kong & D. Watts: THE PLANT GEOGRAPHY OF KOREA WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE ALPINE ZONES; Geobotany 19, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston, London, 1993, 229 pp., 41 Figs., 31 Photos, 46 Tabs., 5 Apps. Price DFL 265.-, GBP 105.50, USD 165.-, ISBN 0-7923-2068-9 The book under review attempts to discuss a significant part of vegetation of the Korean Peninsula. However, owing to the situation in this part of the world, it is practically impossible to present this phenomenon as a whole. Even an attempt to give at least an outline is therefore very meritorious. It ig to be understood that the reader cannot obtain exhaustive botanical information about the northern part of the peninsula, but photographs taken by one of the staff members of the Czech expedition fill in this gap at least to some extent. The book is divided into seven basic parts; even the general chapters do not serve only as supplementation and enlarging of the number of pages, but they also often offer the first information. Chapter 1 (The environment) describes the localition, geology, structure, geomorphology, climate and previous vegetation zonation of Korean forests. In the figures the most important geological bedrocks and the mountain ranges of Korea are illustrated, and a table elaborates the mean air temperatures and mean precipitation at three markedly differentiated localities, very instructively. (The uninformed reader may be confused by this table, because there is a mistake in the printing, and the climatic values have been shifted by one month.) In the chapter Biogeographic division, attention is concentrated on the division of the territory into eight basic regions with the location of the important mountain ranges, their altitudes and areas. For each region the basic species composition is given, at present formed by "differential" species. The life forms of species and the altitudinal ranges of some species in individual biogeographic regions are instructive. In the comparison the percentage of endemic plants is also given. The third chapter (Vegetation history) deals with the historical development from the pre-Pleistocene period to the present time. It contains valuable data, the compilation of which alone is a praiseworthy feat. Noteworthy are e.g. the temporal distributional changes of plants in the course of 1425-1928 (4 time periods are selected). Chapter 4 is devoted to the arctic-alpine and alpine floristic elements. In the introduction the authors analyse the terms "alpine" and "arctic-alpine" and their use outside Europe. The tables of species composition and physiognomy of Korean plants are clearly arranged, giving the families with the numbers of alpine and endemic species, and a comparison of alpine species versus all species in each family (expressed as percentage), possibly also the total number of all species of the family; the numbers of alpine and endemic alpine species are added. In the next chapter (Evergreen arbored arctic-alpine and alpine plants and their environment), the relationship between the distribution of evergreen arboreal arctic-alpine and alpine species is discussed. 41 species belonging to 18 genera and 10 families were selected (see Table). The taxa were divided into basic categories: (1) Taxa present throughout the peninsula (Taxus cuspidata, Abies holophylla, A. nephrolepis, Picea jezoensis, Pinus koraiensis, Sabina sargentii, Rhododendron dauricum, R. fauriae f. rufescens), (2) taxa present from the north to the midlands (Taxus cuspidata var. latifolia, Pinus pumila, Thuja koraiensis, Rhododendron aureum and Vaccinium vitis-idea var. minus), (3) taxa present in the north and in Cheju Island, but not in between (Empetrum nigrum var.japonicum), (4) Abies koreana is present in the mainland south and on Cheju Island alone, (5) taxa restricted to the north of Korea (Picea intercedens, P koraiensis, P. pungsanensis, P tonaiensis, and Ledum palustre var. maximum, with 11 other taxa), (6) taxa restricted to the midlands of Korea (Taxus caespitosa and Picea schrenkiana) and (7) taxa restricted to Cheju Island (Diapensia lapponica). In a synoptic table all taxa are given together with their life form, height, leaf size, leaf shape .... flowering period, etc. A special essay is presented under the title Alpine environments, where the influences of the temperature and of its pattern on the distribution of species are discussed (very valuable!). Chapter 6 presents an exemplary examination of one mountain massif (Mt. Sorak, 1708 m a.s.l.) situated in the vicinity of the East Sea in the middle part of the peninsula. Here e.g. a map of the distribution of sub-alpine communities, specific problems and the species composition of the Pinus pumila community, the influence of the wind on the constitution of communities etc. are given. The last chapter contains the conclusions. The appendices are valuable: List of Korean evergreen plants with classification into families, with 204 species, Arboreal and Herbaceous alpine plants of Korea, and, Arboreal and Herbaceous arctic-alpine plants of Korea. The work ends with a voluminous list of literature - almost 16 pages (in brevier) plus indexes. Though the book reviewed is the first attempt to deal with one vegetation type of the Korean Peninsula, it must be judged successful. Its clear arrangement and system of data classification is highly estimable. It will

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surely be possible to complement it and make it more precise, i.a. by the results obtained by the Czech and Slovak botanists who were able to familiarize themselves with the northern part of Korea, very diverse and rich in species. It is to be regretted that mutual communication and cooperation between the scientists of both parts of this beautiful peninsula is still so poor. The publishing house of Kluwer has succeeded - at least in part - in filling in this white spot in the map of vegetation of the Earth.

Jffi Kolbek

P.L. Nimis & T.J. Croveilo (eds.): QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES TO PHYTOGEOGRAPHY. Tasks for Vegetation Science 24; Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston, London, 1991. Price Dfl 275.-, USD 169.-, GBP 95,-, ZSBN 0-7923-0795-X This book presents the proceedings of a symposium organized during the 1987 Botanical Congress in Berlin. Papers based on lectures presented there reflect the rapid development of the quantitative approach in phytogeography during the eighties. This development was closely connected with recent advances in numerical taxonomy and quantitative plant ecology and has brought about a radical change in the methods and logic of biogeography. The original "qualitative biogeography", based mostly on the intuitive approach, has moved towards "quantitative biogeography", defined as the use of quantitative methods or computers in biogeography (CROVELLO t981). After Crovello's introductory article on the role of artificial intelligence and expert systems in phytogeography there are several contributions illustrating different approaches and applications of quantitative biogeography. The contribution of Malyshev, a representative of the Russian'school of comparative floristics, deals with the assessment of floristic richness, representativity, and the autochtonous and allochtonous tendencies in floristic genesis. The interaction of phytosociology and phytogeography is illustrated by three different papers: Lausi and Nimls used multivariate methods of classification and ordination in their study of the correlation between some major ecological factors and the frequencies within communities of species with similar world distribution in the Yukon. Paruelo et al. provided an example of the use of satellite imagery in quantitative phytogeography in Patagonia. Mucina, in a synchorological paper, dealt with the problems of vicariance and clinal variation on the association and high-ranked syntaxa level, using examples from the synanthropic vegetation from various parts of Europe. Bouchard et al. used TWlNSPAN analysis in a classification of habitats based on the floristic, phytogeographic and life-form data of vascular plants in the Gros Morne National park in Newfoundland. An interesting example of the use of data deposited in floristic databanks for phytogeographic analysis is provided by Poldini et al. on material from north-east Italy. Two papers are devoted to the phytogeography of lower plants. The first, by Vitt, is a detailed study of the mosses along the elevational and latitudinal gradients of four islands in the South Pacific. The second, by Galloway, is an interesting review of the phytogeography of southern hemisphere lichens, but as far as I can see, there is no direct application of the quantitative approach in this paper. It should be noted, however, that the current volume does not cover the whole span of quantitative biogeography in the sense of CROVELLO (1981). There is at least one other approach, namely cladistic biogeography (or vicariance biogeography) that should be mentioned in this context. Apart from several papers and books by Nelson and Platnick on this topic it is worth reading the book by HUMPHRIES& PARENTI(1989), of which the first edition was published a year before the Berlin Congress.

REFERENCES CROVELLOT.J. (1981): Quantitative biogeography: An overview. Taxon 30: 563-575. HUMPHRIESC.J. & PARENTIL. (1989): Cladistic biogeography. 2nd ed. Clarendon Press, Oxford.

Karol Marhold

Bookreviews

533

V. Loeschcke, J. Tomiuk & S. K. Jain (eds.): CONSERVATION GENETICS; BirkT~user Verlag, Basel, Boston, Berlin, 1994, 440pp. Price SFR 138.-, DEM 158.-, ISBN 3-7643-2939-4 It is a generally known fact that, in nature conservation practice, conventional wisdom and empirical experience prevail as the background for important decisions, and protection of habitats in reserves is a basic approach. In the last decade, population and evolutionary genetics have contributed to conservation biology in numerous ways, and provided surveys of genetic diversity, a basic theory to understand the mechanisms that bring about evolutionary changes, and allow us to analyse the evolutionary fate of small populations and to develop management guidelines for the protection of endangered taxa in situ and ex situ. Population and evolutionary genetics can significantly contribute to an integrated concept of biodiversity conservation. An important account of basic concepts in the above field is provided in the volume under review. The introduction by G. Vida stresses the utmost importance of preserving genetic variation in our changing world. Part II is concerned with the relationships between genetic variation and fitness and its implication for conservation. A contribution by W. Gabriel & R. Btirger, Extinction risk by mutational meltdown: synergistic effects between population regulation and genetic drift, should be mentioned as a very stimulating study. Part III deals with inbreeding, population structure, and social interactions. The importance of this section can be demonstrated by merely citing some of the contributions: C. Glidden & J. Goulet, The genetic structure of metapopulations and conservation biology; T. E Hauser et al., Effects of inbreeding in small plant populations. In Part IV molecular approaches to conservation are presented. With reference to the explosive progress in this particular field, none of the contributions in this section seems to be able to "survive" more than a few years. However, L. Witting et al. give an interesting theoretical framework to efforts to minimize the toss of biodiversity. The concluding three sections are devoted to selected case studies, some of them of great interest for plant conservationists, and to practical aspects of diversity conservation (sampling strategies, botanical gardens). The final part contains a selection of scenarios as outlines of some important topics illustrating significant ecological and population genetic options and developments in conservation biology.

Jan Kirschner

J. Maynard Smith & E. Szathmdry: THE MAJOR TRANSITIONS IN EVOLUTION; W.H. Freeman, Oxford, New York, Heidelberg, 1995, xiv + 346pp. Price GBP 16.99, ISBN0-7167-4525 Living organisms are highly complex, and are composed of parts that function to ensure the survival and reproduction of the whole. In their new book, Maynard Smith and Szathm~y address the question of how and why this complexity has increased in the course of evolution. The basic thesis is that the increase depended on a small number of major transitions in the way in which genetic information is transmitted between generations. The major transitions have certain features in common. The most important of these is that entities capable of independent replication can replicate only as part of a larger whole after the transition. The major transitions discussed in the book include changes from replicating molecules to populations of molecules in compartments; from independent replicators to chromosomes; from RNA as gene and enzyme to DNA and protein system; from prokaryotes to eukaryotes; from asexual clones to sexual populations; from protists to complex multicellular organisms; from solitary individuals to colonies; from primate societies to human society with language ability. The idea of levels of organization, and hence levels of selection, is central to this book. Perhaps the most important transition of all is that between organisms in which both genetic material and enzymes were RNA (the RNA world) and modem organisms in which the genetic material is DNA and enzymes are proteins. In this transition, a division of labour has evolved that requires that there be coding and translation. A second transition of extreme importance, which also involves a change in the language whereby information is transmitted and in the physical medium that carries the language, is the origin of human speech. The authors accept this as being the decisive step in the origin of specifically human society. The book is the first comprehensive review of the major transitions in the evolution of life. It is written in a clear style and readers can learn a lot about various questions of current evolution.ary biology, in spite of the fact that many answers still remain speculative. It seems to me that there are several reasons to consider the

534

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book a milestone of evolutionary thinking in this century. Its logical framework shows clearly that evolutionary biology is actually an integral part of science, with complete ability to generate hypotheses which can be tested and falsified. This assumption is particularly related to the role of natural selection in evolution, and to conceptual relationships between the processes of micro- and macroevolution. The comprehensive approach taken in the book is further extremely important for understanding both biological and cultural evolution, and it promotes a dialogue between evolutionary biology and various branches of the social sciences. Finally a note about the authors: the first author, J. Maynard Smith, has become a classic of evolutionary biology. He was a pupil of J.B.S. Haldane and a continuator of the work of famous Anglo-Saxon evolutionists "of this century. He tends to approach biological problems from the point of view of natural history. The second author, E. Szathmdry, is a relatively young scientist, originally from eastern Europe. He is engaged mainly in biochemistry and the physical sciences. The book that resulted from their collaboration is a good example of the importance of the division of labour, cooperation, and mutualism in evolution.

Jan Zima

B. Herrmann & S. Hummel (eds.): ANCIENT DNA; Springer Verlag, New York, etc., 1994, 263 pp. Price DEM 68.-, ATS 530.40, SFR 68.-, ISBN 0-540-94308-0 The book reviewed describes the recovery and analysis of genetic material from paleontological, archaeological, museum, medical, and forensic specimens. The detection of DNA in ancient remains has opened up new research possibilities during the last five years. The monograph Ancient DNA is the first review covering this new field of biological science. Ancient DNA (aDNA) is characterised as any DNA that has undergone autotytic or diagenetic processes or any kind of fixation. It could be DNA from organism that lived millions of years ago or DNA from last summer's herbarium specimen. The book is divided into 17 chapters. Most of them - I7 - concern sample preparation from various sources. DNA extraction from arctic human burials, amber inclusions or from feathers of extinct birds is described. DNA preparation from herbarium specimens or from plant compression fossils is the most interesting topic for botanists. The successful isolation of the DNA from the leaf of a 17-miUion-year Magnolia is mentioned. The laboratory protocol for ancient DNA extraction resembles that for DNA isolation from living plants. The main problem is to confirm the authenticity of aDNA. To avoid contamination of samples is very difficult. Sometimes primeval contamination presents an inherent part of the fossil specimen. The best criterion of authenticity is the sequence of fossil DNA that must differ from all potential contaminants. DNA extraction from ancient specimens is not so complicated but the final confirmation of authenticity requires laboratory equipment suitable for DNA sequencing. Nevertheless more and more taxonomists and other biologists will use these new possibilities to solve old problems. The analysis of ancient DNA - fossil or subrecent - would contribute to the construction of more realistic phylogenetic trees in near future.

Helena ~torchovd

D.N. Pegler, T. Laesse & B.M. Spooner: BRITISH PUFFBALLS, EARTHSTARS AND STINKHORNS. An account of the British gasteroid fungi; Royal Botanic Gardens Ke~ 1995, 255 p., 157fig. (including 74 maps). Price not given, ISBN 0-947643-81-8 Persistent interest in gasteroid fungi like puffballs, earthstars and others provokes mycologists to produce various studies, local floras or monographs on this subject. The most recent one is reviewed here. This book on British gasteromycetes covers only epigeous species because hypogeous gasteroid fungi were treated in a special study by D.N. Pegler, B.M. Spooner and T.W.S. Young in 1993 (British Truffles). In the reviewed book, all species covered are described and illustrated with distribution maps, which are very valuable. The illustrations include line-drawings (mostly microstructures) and coloured photographs (about one third of which, however, are from non-British collections). Especially beautiful are Scletoderma bovista, S.

Bookreviews

535

areolatum, Crucibulum laeve, Handkea utriformis, Bovista dermoxantha, B. nigrescens, Lycoperdon nigrescens, L. perlatum, Clathrus ruber and Aseroe rubra, whereas Astraeus hygrometricus, Tulostoma brumale, Geastrum berkeleyi, G. striatum, G. rufescens, G. corollinum, G. lageniforme, Handkea excipuliformis, Bovista aestivalis, B. paludosa and Lycoperdon atropurpureum, are not quite precise, especially in'their colours. Some rare or 9 rare•yph•t•graphedgaster•idfungiarea•s•inv••vedinthisb••k•suchasTul•st•maniveum• Queletiamirabilis, all species of the genus Mycocalia, Battarraea phalloides, Bovistella radicata, Bovista limosa, Mutinus ravenelii, Aseroa rubra and lleodictyon cibarium. On the distribution map, it can be seen that several gasteromycetes are mainly confined to Southern England

(Scleroderma polyrhizum, Pisolithus arhizus, Astraeus hygrometricus, Battarraea phalloides, Geastrum fornicatum, Lycoperdon atropurpureum, L. decipiens, Clathrus ruber, C. archeri) whereas Lycoperdon caudatum has only been found in Scotland. According to map No 40, Myriostoma coliforme, although stated not to have been collected in Britain since 1880, is restricted to nine localities in Southeastern England and one elsewhere (however, it has been reported in recent years from the Channel Islands), in contradistinction to Cyathus stercoreus, which is only known from dunes on the west coast of Wales, together with Bovista limosa, which has also been found on similar dunes in Northwest England. A distinctly coastal distribution is characteristic for Phallus hadriani, Tulostoma melanocyclum and Geastrum elegans. The line-drawings of capillitium and spores are especially valuable for students of gasteroid fungi as they greatly help in identifying the species. This book shows that the science of gasteromycetology has made significant progress over the last 30 years, especially in knowledge of the microscopic structure of gasteroid fungi, which considerably aids classification as well as species delimitation. For the user of this book, it would have been useful to have listed the older synonyms of Geastrum badium and G. umbilicatum under G. elegans, as not all mycologists know the correct name. This book on British gasteroid fungi represents a valuable contribution to the gasteromycete literature. It would be very useful if other European countries also produced similar local mycofloras; some gasteroid fungi are very significant from the viewpoint of their geographical distribution. The authors of the British Puffballs, Earthstars and Stinkhorns dedicated this publication to J.T. Palmer (Sutton Weaver) who made a remarkable contribution to the knowledge of certain gasteroid fungi (not only in Britain), but now works solely with the Sclerotiniaceae, only retaining a paternal interest in his genus Mycocalia.

Franti.~ek Kotlaba & Zden6k Pouzar

M. Moser & W. JOlich (in collaboration with C. Furrer-Ziogas): FARBATLAS DER BASIDIOMYCETEN. COLOUR ATLAS OF BASIDIOMYCETES. 12. Lieferung; Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, 1994. Price DEM 116.-, ATS 905.-, SFR 111.50.-, ISBN 3-437-30778-9 The twelfth part of the Colour Atlas of Basidiomycetes contains, besides coloured plates of fungi, the index to this part, as well as the register of the whole work, i.e. parts 1-12. In the next part, we can expect only some generic diagnoses (these are not included in the part reviewed here). As usual, this twelfth part also involves fungi from various groups but mostly agarics. Most of the colour photographs are well made and many of them - especially those of A. Hansknecht - are excellent. Among the best portrayed species are Polyporus mori, Boletus aestivalis, B. pinophilus, Armillaria mellea, Catathelasma

imperiale, Coprinus luteocephalus, C. rnicaceus, Hygrocybe insipida, lnocybe mammifera, Lachnella alboviolascens, Lepiota ochraceofulva, Marasmius ventalloi, Cortinarius stemmatus, Lactarius mairei, Russula pelargonia, etc. On the other hand, e.g. Chroogomphus rutilus, Camarophyllus foetens, Cortinarius cumatilis, C. bibulus, Echinoderma asperum, Entoloma clandestinum, E. infula, E. chalybaeum, E. exile, Hebeloma crustuliniforme, Laccaria montana, Lepista inversa, Mycena pura, Russula fragrantissima, and several others, are rather poorly illustrated. From the mycological point of view, some critical comments may be expressed on the correct identification of a very few individual species or about the correctness of some applied names. The photograph of Polyporus varius certainly does not represent this species. The slightly denticulate and fimbriate pileus margin refers it to quite another group of the genus Polyporus. The illustration of Lactarius mairei is, in fact, a nice portrait, but of a different species, Lactarius pearsonii Z. SCHAEFER (see Ces. Mykol. 22: 19, 1968), which is identical with L. mairei vat. zonatus PEARSON; the true L. mairei is a species with an entirely azonate pileus surface.

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The correct name for Boletus aestivalis is certainly B. reticulatus, as this is the oldest name for this common oak bolet. The generic name Camarophyllus could not be used as it is identical with Hygrophorus, which has priority. In Leucocoprinus wichanskyi (PILAT) BON et BOIFF., correct spelling of the epithet is wichanskyi,not wychanskyi - see.the original description by A. PILAT (Sborn. Nfir. Mus. Praha, 9B, no. 2, Bot. no. 1: 4-10, 1953). Special thanks should be expressed by the mycological community for the pictures of a large number of rare or very seldom portrayed fungi - this twelfth part is especially rich in such fungal species. They include

Polyporus meridionalis, Hygrophoropsis morganff, Agaricus gennadii, CamarophyUopsis hymenocephala, Campanella caesia, Catathelasma ventricosum, Conocybe magnicapitata, Coprinus strossmayeri, Cortinarius semivestitus, Entoloma queletii, Fayodia anthracobia, Inocybe splendens, Lepiotaparvanulata, Macowanites krjukovensis, Russula globispora and others. The publishers, Gustav Fischer, should be congratulated on this excellent project of a Colour Atlas of Basidiomycetes, which is very useful not only for mycologists but also for teachers of biology, foresters, vegetation scientists and, last but not least, for people working in nature conservancy. That this editorial project should continue would surely be welcomed by all admirers of the fungal world.

Franti~ek Kotlaba & Zden6k Pouzar

D.C. Erwin, S. Bartnicki-Garcia & P.H. Tsao (eds.): PHYTOPHTHORA. its biology, taxonomy, and pathology; The American Phytopathological Society, Second printing 1987, 392 pp., 177 illustrations. Price USD 48.- (inside U.S.A.), USD 60.- (elsewhere), ISBN 0-89054-084-5 This second printing replaces the first edition issued in 1983 (out of print). The book itself has its origin in the First International Symposium on Phytophthora, held in 1981 at the University of California, Riverside, U.S.A. It is the first comprehensive account of Phytophthora,including current research as well as deep reviews of many of the major areas of knowledge of this genus. Forty two Phytophthoraresearchers from eight countries, many of them well known and respected, contributed to the volume. Most of the authors are from universities and high schools, several from research institutions and a few from private companies. In the introductory chapter, various aspects of Phytophthoraresearch are outlined by the outstanding authority on the subject, Professor G.A. Zentmeyer. Members of this relatively large genus are well known as causing foliar, fruit and root diseases. They are widespread in tropical as well as temperate climates, affecting many crops worldwide. The rest of the text is divided into four major themes, aimed at the main trends of research, as it is traditionally carried out, i.e. biology, taxonomy, ecology and pathology. The section Biology of Phytophthora goes through the cytology, nutritional aspects of vegetative growth of various species, physiological processes in the sexual and asexual phase of reproduction. It also refers to the genetics of Phytophthora, mobility and taxes of zoospores, effect of biological factors on fungus ontogenesis and to some other aspects of biology of this genus. The second theme, Taxonomy of Phytophthora with three chapters only (the fourth one is a summary of the Open Discussion Session on the taxonomy of Phytophthora), is a concise, but deep insight into the problems of classification of species and lower taxonomic units in this genus. The authors deal with classical systematics based on morphology as well as with alternative approaches like serology, protein patterns and genetic relationships. A more natural system for Phytophthora based on nonmorphological criteria is called for, but the need for a simple key for identification by field workers is also stressed. The second half of the book concerns disciplines which are in closer contact with the practical impact of Phytophthoraon world agriculture and economics, i.e. ecology and pathology. The ecological section discusses the role of chemical factors in disease development, microbial antagonism to Phytophthora, isolation and quantification of Phytophthora~fromsoils, population dynamics and other topics. The chapter on pathology of Phytophthora forms the last major part of the book. It takes the reader from the causes of major epidemics through the physiology of disease, detailed account of the histology and cytology of infection in Phytophthorainfestans and the use of chemicals in plant protection against Phytophthora.

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The closing chapter brings a bit of philosophy into the Phytophthora question, pointing out the parallels between the evolution of research on Phytophthora conducted for dozens of years, and that of the pathogen itself, being so closely linked with man-influenced agricultural plant ecosystems. This book is a very interesting reading for specialist and non-specialist alike. As a non-specialist, I cannot say whether the book is as comprehensive as it should be with respect to the importance of the genus Phytophthora, but it is highly thought-provoking, and the subject is treated with great care; a tremendous amount of knowledge has been brought together. The second edition within five years is good proof of the usefulness of this issue.

L. Marvanovd

R. W, Spjut: A SYSTEMATIC TREATMENT OF FRUIT TYPES; Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden Vol. 70, Bronx, New York, U. S. A., 1994, 182 pp. Price USD 24.95, ISBN 0-89327-383-X In the introductory chapters the author discusses in detail various classifications of fruits and defines some vaguely conceived terms, e.g. fruitlet, pericarpium, pericarp, anthocarp. The following are described as fmitlets: (1) each fruit of an apocarpous gynoecium- apocarp (e.g. Ranunculus), (2) unicarpellate fruit of a schizocarpous gynoecium - monocarp (e.g. Acer), (3) half-carpellate fruit of a schizocarpous gynoecium - mericarp (e.g. Lamium). Pericarpium denotes merely the wall of a mature ovary including seeds, while pericarp denotes the wall of a mature ovary without seeds. Anthocarp is defined as a fruit in the origin of which the walls of a mature ovary and other floral parts participated. Perhaps a more convenient term would be anthocarpium (in comparison with pericarpium). Pericarp is subdivided into epicarp, mesocarp and endocarp whereas in anthocarps the outer part of fruit connected with epicarp is called exocarp and the inner pulpous part is termed sarcocarp. According to the degree of development of gynoecium and fructification, five categories of fruit types are recognized (schizocarpic, simple, rhexocarpic, multiple and compound fruits) both in pericarpiums and anthocarps. The use of the same stem and various endings is a Convenient way to describe the morphological relationships of a group of fruits and their various degree of development (e. g. samara - Ulmus, samarium Acer, samaretum - Liriodendron). Similarly, various endings are used in describing related groups of inflorescences (e.g. cymus - cymoid, thyrsus - thyrsoid). The first of the basic chapters is a key to the kinds of 95 types of fruits with data concerning their occurrence in families and genera. New names or modifications of old ones are proposed for 37 kinds of fruits. Strobilus, galbulus and other assemblages of seeds or seeds of Gymnosperms (called Spermatocarpia, in contradistinction to Angiosperms - Eucarpia) are also referred to fruits, which is rather unusual in modem treatments. This followed by a systematic review of the accepted kinds of fruits with Latin names of fruits, their definitions and citations of sources where this term (and synonym) is used. Relationships to other types of fruits and citations of carpological literature and illustrations are discussed in a note. The third part is an alphabetical list of genera (and families) giving the kind of fruit and citation of the author of the original definition, followed by an alphabetical list of families and the kinds of fruits occurring in them. This makes the book lucid and easy to follow. There are 53 full-page or half-page high-quality plates (drawings). The main merit of the present book is the assortment of carpological knowledge, including synonymy, and the proposed classification based consistently on the type of gynoecium and degree of its development and mode of opening. In anthocarps the participation of floral parts and inflorescences other than the wall of the mature ovary is defined. The book is intended for botanists and specialists in related areas and for students of carpological questions.

Zde~ka Slav~ovd

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J.B. Williams & J.R. Morrison: ADAS COLOUR ATLAS OF WEED SEEDLINGS; Wolfe Publishing Ltd. 1987, 95 pp. Price not given, ISBN 0-7234-0929-3 Members of the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS) of the British Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have compiled a very instructive photographic guide in colour to the 40 most common dicotyledonous weeds afflicting gardens and arable farmland in Britain. The goat of this illustrated handbook is to familiarize farmers and gardeners with germinating weeds so that they can successfully recognize them and suppress their growth in the earliest stages of development. The weeds were all photographed at the cotyledon, seedling and full-grown stages of development. The accompanying drawings highlight major features, dates of germination and flowering time. This is accompanied by a brief illustrative description of seedling morphology in several points and a note on the area of their habibat. At the beginning of the book, a photographic "quick guide" makes it possible to compare photographs of seedlings of all the weeds described and thus facilitates easier orientation in the initial steps of weed determination. It is a pity that it is not obvious from the title that the book deals only with dicotyledonous weeds. The reader only learns this fact after detailed examination of the publication. The germinating plants of the species Galeopsis tetrahit could probably be listed as Galeopsis spp. (as was done in the case of the genera Sonchus and Rumex, for example), because their germinating plants are practically indistinguishable from the germinating plants of some other species of the genus Galeopsis. The germinating plants under the name of Chenopodium album may also include a number of"microspecies" and types belonging to this taxonomically very complicated complex, which are indistinguishable in the germinating stage. It would therefore be useful to briefly comment on this fact. The book will be particularly appreciated by farmers and gardeners as well as by high-school and university students and it can also serve as a useful handbook for workers in biological disciplines engaged in weed studies.

Jib"Dostalek

D. Ramseier: ENTWICKLUNG UND BEURTEILUNG VON AUSAATMISCHUNGEN FOR WANDERBRACHEN; Veri~ffentlichungen des Geobotanischen Institutes der ETH, Stiftung Riibel, Ziirich, 118. Heft, 1994, 134 pp. Price SFR 55.-, ISSN 0254-9433 At the present time, when the mass application of herbicides and industrial fertilizers is common in agriculture, the diversity of organisms accompanying field crops has dramatically declined. This has an unfavorable impact on the ecological balance of the agro-ecosystem and on soil fertility. The positive effects of fallowing on soil fertility are undisputable and empirically well demonstrated from ancient times. This study is concerned particularly with setting up and testing seed mixtures appropriate for the cultivation of so called "wandering fallows" (Wanderbrachen), which are in fact fallows introduced into the current management of field cultures. A "Wanderbrache" (wandering fallow) is a strip of arable field, 6 to 8m wide, which remains fallow. Each year, the fallow strip is moved by half of its width. This system serves to protect rare plant species as well as animals. Wandering fallows also promote beneficial arthropods and improve soil quality. The aim of this study was to develop special mixtures of seeds to achieve a high diversity of flora and fauna in such strips. When the mixtures composed of segetal and ruderal plant species were prepared, the following aspects were taken into particular consideration: preservation and protection of endangered species, competitive ability, variability in the depth of the root system, variability in the height of the stem, variability in the plant structure, variability in the time and duration of flowering, the possibility of disease and pest transmission, and weed control. The object of this work was mainly to answer the following questions: (1) What plants should be sown in "wandering fallows"? (2) In what ratio should the diaspores of the chosen species be represented in a mixture? (3) What is the optimal sowing density? (4) What is the most favorable time for establishing "wandering fallows"? The author attempted an effort to answer these questions on the basis of tests in five localities near

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539

Ziirich during which he studied the establishment and development of various types of mixtures sown at various periods. The study presents an unconventional topic interesting not only from the viewpoint of botanical and agricultural research (including phytopathology), but also from the viewpoint of nature conservation. It also suggests themes for studies in other disciplines of natural history, particularly in mycology (problems related to mycorrhizal infection), zoology and entomology. The publication will be appreciated particularly by those who are engaged in studies of agro-ecosystems and segetal as well as ruderal vegetation. It presents a number of themes for contemplation and discussion.

JiF| Dost~lek

Lucinda A. Mc Dade, Kamaljit S. Bawa, Henry A. Hespenheide & Gary S. Hatshorn (eds.): LA SELVA. - ECOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY OF A NEOTROPICAL RAIN FOREST; The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, London, 1994, 486pp., 91 Figs., 77 Tabs., 28 photos. Price USD 33.25, ISBN 0-226-03952-8 La Selva is a nature reserve and a field station located in the Atlantic lowlands of northern Costa Rica; it covers 1536 ha: about 55% of this total area is a classical primary tropical rain forest, 11% young secondary forest, 7% selectively logged primary forest, 18% early successional pasture and 8% abandoned plantations. It was very important for the future development of Braulio Carillo National Park (about 44.100 ha) to extend to the north to La Selva, and UNESCO recognized this park as the core of the Cordillera Volcanica Central Biosphere Reserve. La Selva has been studied by researchers and students for more than thirty years and for this reason is one of the best understood tropical field sites in the word. The biological diversity of La Selva has been compared to three other neotropic sites: Barro Colorado Island (Panama), Cocha Cashti (Peru) and the Manaus area (Brazil) and also to other tropical rain forests in paleotropic regions, for example Malaysia, West Sarawak and Ghana. The book is divided into 5 parts and appendices. The first part summarizes research on the physical setting and environment: climate, geomorphology, aquatic systems, soils, nutrient acquisition and energy cycles. The second part includes vegetation types and floristic patterns, plant demography, patterns of density and dispersion of forest trees, treefall, gaps in forest structure and dynamics, the physiological ecology of plants as well as their reproductive system. The primary forest of La Selva is a species rich multilayered community. The principal vegetation type of La Selva is primary forests on rolling terrain and on old terraces, where Pentaclethra macroloba (Mimosaceae) dominates, with about 40% of the timber volume. A minor, but distinctive vegetation type in La Selva is primary forest in swamps, with canopy trees, not only Pentaclethra macroloba but also Carapa nicaraguensis, Luehea seemannii, Otoba novogranatensis, Pachira aquatica and Pterocarpus officinalis. Open swamps in the northern half of La Selva are so characterized by perennial broad-leaved Araceae Calathea lutea and Spathiphyllum friedrichstalli, and narrow streamside swamps by Acalypha d&ersifolia and Malvaviscus arboreus. Large trees like Ficus insipida and Pithecellobium longifolium are typical for riparian vegetation; other species for example Inga ruiziana or Myrcia splendens also occur in alluvial habitats. Secondary forests fifteen years old have densely packed canopies of Cecropia insignis,

C. obtusifolia, Goethalsia meiantha, Laetia procera and RoUinia microsepala. The total flora of vascular plants of La Selva includes 1458 native and approximately 220 adventive species. The most frequent species are Pteridophyta s.1. and of flowering plants Orchidaceae, Araceae and Rubiaceae. Of the trees, the most frequent species are Fabales (13%), of lianas Bignoniaceae, of epiphytes Orchidaceae and Araceae. Approximately 10% of species are endemic to Costa Rica, over 50 of which were described from La Selva. Very interesting, but still incomplete, are the population studies from demographic projects, which can serve as a major resource for research, for example for physiological correlations of plant life history patterns or the relationship of sampling architecture to growth rates and survival in the understory. Chapter 8 in this part is dedicated to data on the fine-scale structure and physiognomy of the forest:stem density, basal areas and

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biomass, foliage height and canopy structure, spatial dispersion, etc. The pollination system at La Selva and the checklist of the reproductive biology of flowering plants are very important, The animal life of La Selva reserve and its interaction with plant life in this biotope is the subject of parts 3 and 4. There are chapters on butterflies, Amphibia, reptiles, birds and mammals. Notable are the relations between plants and animals in the neotropic rain forest (part IV). The relation between plants and herbivorous animals was studied, especially the question of food specialization, the regulation of plant population by herbivorous animals which feed on leaves and seeds, plant defense mechanism and symbiosis between plants and insects, specially anteaters, as a defence mechanism. Another chapter in this pait studies the use of fruits as food for animals, which is a very important ecological factor in this area. Many animals from all groups consume fruits, and thus help to spread their seeds. Part 5. places La Selva in its human context: land colonization and dramatic agricultural changes in Costa Rica from 1960-1990, forest industry, management and reforestation, and finally recommendations for increasing research productivity in agriculture and forestry at the station. Chapter 26, which synthesizes results in this book, is considering prospects for a comparative tropical ecology in various regions of the world. The appendices include a checklist of all vascular plants and vertebrates according to families, a bibliography (57 pages), the addresses of contributors and an index. The comprehensive data in this successful book can serve all biologists working in tropical areas and help them to understand the relationships between the major components of the ecosystem.

V. Zelen~ & J. Min~i~

Li Wenhua: INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEMS IN CHINA; VerSffentlichungen des Geobotanischen Institutes ETH, Stiftung Riibel, Ziirich, 113. Heft, 1993, 80 pp. Price SFR 45.-, USD 35.-, ISSN 0254~9433 The 113th number of "Vertffenflichungen" publishes an unusual, but certainly very interesting paper. The author- Prof. Li Wenhua, the prominent coordinating worker in the field of natural resources and environmental studies in China, gives comprehensive information about China's crucial problems in agriculture, bound up with environmental conservation and the social-economical system. China has been for centuries a country with escalating population pressure, limited natural resources, rural poverty, environmental degradation and little possibility for implementation of high input agricultural systems. Therefore, even in ancient times China sought intensive, but "ecological" farming methods; in present times this has led to the concept of an "integrated farming system". The history, structure and the experience gained from implementing this system are the subject of this publication. The first part presents a general review of the history, reasons, philosophical background and economic-ecological principles of the integrate farming system. These ideas are very similar to our European sustainable development concept. While in Europe this concept remains mostly on the theoretical level only, China was forced to try and realize it. Successful examples of integrated farming practices in China are the content of the main, remarkable part of this work. These chapters deal with the practice of homestead gardens, with various possibilities of rotation and intercropping systems in various climatic regions, with the combination of crops with aquaculture, and with a system - for Europeans quite strange - of agrosilviculture system, combining trees with field crops. The last part of the work discusses the strategies and prospects of integrated farming systems in China. Socio-economical criteria are evidently primary in China, but in Europe conservation of the native character of vegetation and landscape will also be a significant criterion. Even though Chinese solutions of the problem appear inapplicable for European "high-input" agriculture, many ideas expressed here will surely be very valuable. Li Wenhua's work could be a great inspiration.

Denisa Bla~kov4

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541

J.G. Boonman: EAST AFRICA'S GRASSES AND FODDERS: THEIR ECOLOGY AND HUSBANDRY. Tasks for Vegetation Science 29; Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston, London, 1993, 343 pp. Price DFL 375.-, USD 236.-, GBP 149.50, ISBN 0-7923-1867-6 The East-African gene centmm plays a major role worldwide in research and husbandry of cultivated tropical grasses. For instance Kenya produces annually some 400 to 500 tons of certified grass seeds, of which about fifty percent are exported. The author of the reviewed book - Dr. Boonman - is a prominent scientist, who served for many years on the staff of the grassland research team at Kitale and contributed to the breeding of new cultivars of grasses. His theoretical knowledge and practical experience has been accumulated in his book, which is useful to all dealing with forage crops in equatorial Africa and in other tropical areas. The book covers the territory of East Equatorial Africa, mainly between 15~ north and south latitude, i.e. Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Malawi, northern Zimbabwe and parts of southem Sudan and Ethiopia. The voluminous publication has two parts: general (10 chapters) and special (9 chapters) dealing with various grasses and legume fodders. The introductory chapter of the general part and some following ones represent an overall assessment of the significance of grasses in the environment of tropical East Africa, where the grasslands have always played a major role in the recovery of soil fertility lost due to cropping and erosion (very often on the sites of destroyed natural forests). However, even idle soil retains a significant renovation ability under the grass cover. The author draws attention to the fact that the original, diversified composition of the grassland savannahs has proved to be best from the production point of view and is rarely inferior to substitute cultivated grass. On the other hand the cultivated grasses have been found - thanks to their deeper root system - to be capable of renewing soil fertility faster and more efficiently than indigenous weed grasses (e.g. Digitaria abyssinica), improving the water regime within plants faster and thus benefitting soil structure. The author also reviews the adverse effects of the "green revolution" in the 1960's when newly improved cultivars of rice, maize, wheat and other main crops as well as wild grasses and legumes were introduced to climatically and ecologically very different tropical and subtropical areas of the world to encourage a fast increase in local crop production. The expected rise in yields rarely took place, however. African farmers generally relied on traditional indigenous forage crops and this situation resulted paradoxically in the suppression of agricultural research. New approaches are characterized by the return to traditional practices of crop rotation, i.e. to cereal growing alternating with sown grasses and livestock-farming. Mixed farming based on alternating grazed pastures with crops is still a solid platform for husbandry. Chapter 2 describes the history of grass research from 1900 to 1970 with emphasis on Uganda and Kenya, whereas the third chapter depicts in detail the environmental conditions of East Africa, necessary to understand the significance of natural and cultivated grass stands. The author divides East Africa (in line with PRATr & GWYNNE 1977) ecologically into 6 eco-climatological zones on the basis of the moisture index and also maintains their classification by vegetation types conformably to woody species representation. There is no relative comparison with the modem classification suggested by WALTER& BRECKLE (0kologie der Erde, Spezielle 0kologie der Tropischen und Subtropischen Zonen, Stuttgart 1984, 2nd ed. 1991). For the above described zones he recommends suitable local species of grasses, legumes, etc. Chapter 4 is devoted to the husbandry of natural grass communities with emphasis on the stability of original savannah grasses under grazing (e.g. Themeda australis, Hyperthelia dissoluta, Hyparrhenia rufa, Chloris gayana, etc). To stabilize denuded soil, Pan&urn clandestinum (Kikuyugrass) is recommended. Chapter 5 deals with crop-grass rotation as well as the content of macrobiogenous elements in the dry matter. Chapter six stresses the most important cultivated grasses of the East African gene centre which are relatively few; on the world scale only some 12 species are in practical use in spite of the fact that Kenya is very rich in grass species (more than 600). Chapter 7 is concerned with the establishment and husbandry of sown grasses; chapter 8 reports on grass seed production in Kenya, while chapter 9 describing the process of grass breeding in Kitale, emphasizes the significance of the heading date (IHE = Initial Head Emergence), which is the major characteristic of any grass, governing all other qualities. It is generally accepted that grasses flowering early develop more herbage yield and higher yields of better matured grains than the later flowering species. Chapter 10 is aimed at the importance of legumes in sown and grazed pastures; these may be used in a mixture with grasses and in monocultures, but legumes are more sensitive to damage than grasses and they react significantly better to cutting then to grazing.

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The special part provides an overview of forage crops cultivated in East Africa and some details on their value and the suitability for various habitats. Special attention is paid to the indigenous Elephant or Napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum), which has its origin in the humid areas around Lake Victoria. Since this species generally remains green in the subhumid zones in the dry period, it is very suitable for cutting or grazing in the most critical season of the year. Three follows an information on alternative forage crops cultivated in the East Africa (e.g. Pennisetum maximum, Tripsacum andersonii, Sorghum sp.). The concluding chapter emphasizes the importance of silage and hay representing the cheapest fodder for the dry season. The book is accompanied by a glossary of Latin and common names of forage crops, a iist of references and an index. This book by J.G. Boonman offers a wealth of valuable information, but unfortunately it lacks a clear system and is marked by the fragmentation of information scattered over many chapters in various ways. I think the book would be more valuable with the addition of photographs of grasslands and pen drawings of the major forage crops. A good example is the differently conceived book by M.D. KERNICK; Indigenous arid and semi-arid forage plants of North Africa, the Near and Middle East, FAO 1978.

Vdclav Zelen•

Berichte des Geobotanischen Institutes der ETH. Stiftung Riibel, Ziirich, 59. Heft, 1993, 181 pp. Price SFR 20.-, USD 15.-, ISSN 0373-7896 The 59th volume of "Berichte" brings as usual an annual report of ample institute activities, with detailed English summaries of all Ph.D. and diploma theses. Of the scientific contributions, the reader will probably be interested in the "Farewell lecture" by E. Landolt of February 1993. It is a very original treatise entitled according to the old romantic song "Sag' mir wo die Blumen sind" (Tell me where the flowers are). The author, a prominent Swiss scientist, summarized the results of his life-long scientific work in a comprehensive, witty and very interesting lecture. A greater part of this lecture deals with the results of research in the taxonomy and ecology of the group Lemnaceae. The author's goal in nature conservation, especially in the drawing up of the Red List is described in the second part of the lecture. Last but not least, the author gives the results of his investigation of the flora in towns and cities and its history. Those who cannot read the article in German must regret that they cannot fully appreciate this brillant lecture. Another interesting paper by M. Menghi, B. Peco and D.E Pineda focuses on the relation of the structural characteristics of herbaceous vegetation to the underlying soil in the mountains of Central Argentina. The anthropic impact on the vegetation mosaic is discussed as well. The article by Th. Oberh~insli and W. Huber deals with the chemotaxonomy of alpine Erigeron species, probably the result of natural hybridization and gene introgression between different Erigeron species during evolution. The mycosociological research of M. Haldemann was devoted to macromycetes communities in hardwood alluvial forests near Brugg. The article by A. Grundmann deals with the vegetation of meadows on railway embankments. The volume gives the reader not only interesting information but also a lot of ideas on how to solve various scientific problems.

Denisa Blaikovd

H.H. Davidian: THE RHODODENDRON SPECIES: Volume IV-Azaleas; Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1995, 184 pp., 163 color photographs, 7 black-and-white-photographs and numerous line drawings and maps. Price USD 54.95, ISBN 0-88191-311-7 This book is the last volume of the major work, and differs significantly from the others. It is the most complete and detailed taxonomic treatment of the genus Rhododendron. This volume (IV) covers Series Azalea. Lepidote rhododendrons were described in Volume I. Volumes II and III were devoted to elepidote species. In this book t04 rhododendron species of the Series Azalea are described. Single speqies are grouped according

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543

to the system of 5 subseries (Canadense, Luteum, Nipponicum, Obtusum and Schlippenbachii) and provided with detailed descriptions including basic synonyms. Descriptions are completed with very successful precise line drawings. The keys accompanying the descriptions are very well arranged and useful. The well arranged table of described species characters of Series Azalea, situated at the end of the book, is very instructive. The survey of the morphology of shapes of leaves and flowers is also very useful. A pleasant enrichment of the book is the set of 163 colour photos of single species details, planted in parks or growing in native localities. The only drawback of the book is the absence of a literature survey that would give readers an easier approach to publications about this group of rhododendrons. This very attractive and interesting publication will be welcomed by every botanist, plant enthusiast and gardener with a serious interest in rhododendrons.

Ji~i Dost~ilek

R.M. Harley & T. Reynolds (eds.): ADVANCES IN LABIATE SCIENCE; Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, 1992, 12 + 568 pp. Price not given, ISBN 0-947643-52-4 Botanical meetings dealing with individual families have become a good tradition. They can serve as very good examples of the urgent need for taxonomy to smooth the borderlines between various biosystematical approaches; only then taxonomical conclusions can be of high value. This book presents the results of a conference held in Kew, in 1991. The volume is composed of review articles as well as original papers. It is divided into 7 sections dealing with taxonomic and phylogenetic relations, chemistry, biology and the utilization of Labiatae. The papers in the first part are concerned mostly with the cladistic evaluation of the Labiatae, either in whole or in part, or in relation to other families within the Asteridae. The data from DNA sequencing of chloroplast gene rbcL, DNA restriction site analysis, as well as morphological (binary and multistate) and anatomical characters and characters derived from occurence and structural types of iridoid glycosides, are taken into account. Data matrices were analysed mostly using the HENNIG86 program. The results were compared with four major classifications of the Labiatae - that of BENTHAM (1876), BRIQUET(1895-1897), ERDTMAN (1945) and WUNDERLICH(1967). Recent cladistic analysis shows that the family Labiatae (as at present recognized) appears to be polyphyletic, but most genera (about 90%) fall within a single large clade characterised primarily by a fully gynobasic style ("Gynobasic-style Labiatae"). This clade is comprised approximately of Lamioideae sensu WUNDERLICH (if some genera were removed) and Nepetoidae sensu ERDTMAN. Other very interesting results are affinities between groups traditionally classified in two different families - Labiatae and Verbenaceae. This can be the case of Australian Prostantheraceae (originally in Labiatae) and Chloanthoideae (subfamily of Verbenaceae, or segregated as Chloanthaceae by some authors). All this confirms the urgent need to delimit Labiatae and Verbenaceae. An attempt to re-evaluate Labiatae and its relations to other families is the classification of Cantino, Harley and Wagstaff published in the Appendix to this volume. Its main feature is the delimitation of the monophyletic families Labiatae and Verbenaceae. In all other classifications, Labiatae are polyphyletic and Verbenaceae are paraphyletic. Cantino et al. recognize 8 subfamilies within the family Labiatae (sensu JUNELL 1934, greatly expanded circumscription with many genera from Verbenaceae): Ajugoideae, Chloanthoideae, Lamioideae, Nepetoideae, Pogostemonoideae, Scutellarioideae, Teucrioideae and Viticoideae. Most of these families appear to be monophyletic, but the paraphyletic subfamilies Viticoideae and Ajugoideae are probably exceptions. The contribution on the genus Leonurus by Krestovskaja is the only systematic and phytogeographical study of individual genus. However, the Gilibert's species names (e.g.L. quinquelobatus GILIB.) are obviously invalid (cf. HOLUB in Preslia 65:97-115, 1993). Currently, a poorly understood tropical African area covers the study of the genus Stachys. The authors evaluate morphological (trichome type, nutlets surface) and pollen characters. For the classification on the section level, it seems very helpful to begin with the trichome type. Attention is also paid to pollen morphology and its phylogenetic implications and to megagametophyte and early seed development (there are many new, as yet unpublished data here). Various aspects of sexual reproduction are the subject of review articles dealing with pollination biology, breeding systems and dispersal mechanisms. Perhaps the role of adaptive coevolution between plants and pollinators should not be stressed quite so heavily, since there is little convincing evidence for this phenomenon.

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Bookreviews

However, of great interest is the list of available data on protandry, protogyny, sex separation, and self compatibility in Labiatae species. Considering the breeding system a very common occurrence of gynodioecy in this family will surprise many botanists. Surely it is well-known in some genera (e.g. Glechoma, Mentha), but the evidence for this phenomenon is given for 25 other taxa as well. Worth mentioning is the phenomenon of temporal gynodioecy documented in Rosmarinus officinalis. The section devoted to karyology contains many new and unpublished results. The considerable gap in our knowledge of chromosome numbers in tropical American Labiatae is filled by Harley and Heywood's paper. Unfortunately, the chromosome sampling is still too small to provide data for considering about phylogenetic relations and evolution. More data are available only for the genus Salvia and in the subtribe Hyptidinae, where the relations to evolution and taxonomy are discussed. Many contributions in this volume, about a third, review the chemistry of the family. Taxonomists will be primarily interested in the distribution of iridoid glycosides, flavonoids and essential oils; the caffeoyl esters can also be of possible taxonomic significance. Till now, flavonoid analysis has probably been the most widespread. It can be used as evidence to support taxonomic data at the infrafamilial and infrageneric levels as well as in the chemical documentation of interspecific hybrids. The use of essential oils for understanding the infraspecific variation pattern or defining the species in the genus Mentha is well-known. New findings in this field are documented here in the paper by Kokkini. The studies of the genus Salvia using abietane and clerodane diterpenoids show phytochemical differences between subgenera Salvia, Sctarea and Leonia on the one hand, and the American subgenus Calosphace on the other. It should be emphasized that within the subgenus Calosphace about 460 species are recognized, divided into 91 sections, and that this extremely polymorphic group is now the subject of extensive karyological and morphological studies aimed at evolutionary mechanisms taking place in the group (cf. Harley & Heywood, in this volume). Comparing the plant material used in these two approaches, material for chemotaxonomical studies originated only from Central America; on the contrary, the material for the last mentioned studies covers both Central and a large part of South America. Two other papers deal with volatile compounds in the selected species from the genera Teucrium and Melissa. Attention is also paid to plant-insect interactions - several aspects of host selection behaviour are discussed here in relation to selected compounds, predominantly monoterpenoids, and neo-clerodane diterpenoids in the genera Mentha, Teucrium, and Ajuga. The results of testing many chemical compounds for antifeeding activity against selected insect species are presented here. Besides this, evidence is presented that iridoid glycosides and flavonoids are important in Labiatae-insect interactions. Of great interest is the survey of the distribution of terpenoids in Labiatae species. We can hope that this extremely interesting field, which also offers opportunities for geneticists (there is e.g. the need to determine the stability of a specific genetic correlation in defense against multiple herbivores) and physiologists (the physiological cost of producing defensive chemicals), will quickly develop in the near future. The volume is concluded by papers covering a very interesting field in this family - the interactions between Labiatae species and man. Paleobotany, archeobotany, ethnobotany, and economic botany are represented here. Reading nearly all the papers, we must feel the urgent lack of analytical data. There is a very large gap in our knowledge of tropical groups which play an important role in this family, and to a greater extent of all species without economic value. Such conferences as this one about Labiatae or, i.e. the most recent about Compositae, in my opinion, provide the best opportunity for summarizing various aspects of natural history as well as various approaches to their understanding. Finally, they surely stimulate future research activity. All taxonomists and plant ecologists should at least leaf through these proceedings.

Jindrich Cheek jun.