Plants and Society, 8th Edition

This introductory, one quarter/one-semester text takes a multidisciplinary approach to studying the relationship between plants and people. The authors strive to stimulate interest in plant science and encourage students to further their studies in botany. Also, by exposing students to society's historical connection to plants, Levetin and McMahon hope to instill a greater appreciation for the botanical world. Plants and Society covers basic principles of botany with strong emphasis on the economic aspects and social implications of plants and fungi.

I Plants and Society: The Botanical Connections to Our Lives

1 Plants in Our Lives

II Introduction to Plant Life: Botanical Principles

2 The Plant Cell

3 The Plant Body

4 Plant Physiology

5 Plant Life Cycle: Flowers

6 Plant Life Cycle: Fruits and Seeds

7 Genetics

8 Plant Systematics and Evolution

9 Diversity of Plant Life

III Plants as a Source of Food

10 Human Nutrition

11 Origins of Agriculture

12 The Grasses

13 Legumes

14 Starchy Staples

15 Feeding a Hungry World

IV Commercial Products Derived from Plants

16 Stimulating Beverages

17 Herbs and Spices

18 Materials: Cloth, Wood, and Paper

V Plants and Human Health

19 Medicinal Plants

20 Psychoactive Plants

21 Poisonous and Allergy Plants

VI Algae and Fungi: The Impact of Algae and Fungi on Human Affairs

22 The Algae

23 Fungi in the Natural Environment

24 Beverages and Foods from Fungi

25 Fungi that Affect Human Health

VII Plants and the Environment

26 Plant Ecology

Appendix A Metric System

Appendix B Classification of Plants