Download or read book Ecological Relationships of Plants and Animals written by Henry F. Howe and published by Oxford University Press on Demand. This book was released on 1990 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past two decades, numerous field and experimental studies on the ecology and evolution of animal and plant interactions have been reported by botanists, zoologists, and ecologists. This textbook offers a comprehensive summary of this extensive and widely scattered literature, and in so doing presents the subject as a coherent, accessible discipline. The authors describe familiar areas, such as herbivory and pollination, and discuss new information on subjects such as seed dispersal, the genetics of coevolution, structural and chemical plant defenses, and the implications of human use of animal and plant communities. As they explore these issues, the authors raise provocative questions of fundamental importance: How can an earth teeming with plant-eating animals be so green? Do plants really need animals that pollinate their flowers and disperse their seeds? What happens to tropical plant communities when fruit-eating toucans and monkeys are killed by encroaching humans? By drawing together information on many diverse aspects of the subject--and presenting a challenging and insightful look into the complexities of plant and animal inter-relationships--this unique book represents a vital contribution to the ecological literature.