Joseph M. Craine is assistant professor of biology at Kansas State University. He has conducted research throughout North America, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. Over millions of years, terrestrial plants have competed for limited resources, defended themselves against herbivores, and resisted a myriad of environmental stresses. These struggles have helped generate more than a quarter million terrestrial plant species, each possessing...

"Take a lively look at the biology of plants on Earth and their vast importance to our planet, with this wide-ranging exploration from an award-winning team."--Publisher's description. "On land and in the seas, green plants make the oxygen and food that many living things--including us--need to survive. Covering the evolution of the first plants billions of years ago, the secret, microscopic workings of trees and leaves today, and the role of plants...

The news that a flowering weed-mousear cress (Arabidopsis thaliana)-can sense the particular chewing noise of its most common caterpillar predator and adjust its chemical defenses in response led to headlines announcing the discovery of the first "hearing" plant. As plants lack central nervous systems (and, indeed, ears), the mechanisms behind this "hearing" are unquestionably very different from those of our own acoustic sense, but the misleading...

"Hired by the Bureau of Land Management, Millie Whitehall travels to the harsh environment of northwest New Mexico's high desert. Driving treacherous roads and avoiding rattlesnakes become the least of her worries. What Millie expects to be a peaceful summer turns into a chaotic hunt for a ruthless killer. Millie experiences the friction of working for the BLM through the characters she meets--a secretive cowboy, friendly oil and gas hand, out-spoken...

An engaging look at the ways that plants interact with people and animals.

"When you think of a plant, you don't think of how it moves. But the feathery seeds of the dandelion fly to other gardens, strawberry tendrils creep, and maple seeds spin. There are many different ways plants move, not only as they grow, but in their quest to reproduce: falling, clinging, floating, burrowing--even exploding! Fourteen plant journeys are chronicled, but more than sixty species are highlighed in Émilie Vast's fantastic and unique art...

"With the heart-shaped herb thriving, a group of Wakanda's finest engineers working on expanding its dome technology, and the borders more fortified than ever, Princess Shuri can finally focus on what matters most: her training. But soon, a bigger problem rears its head. The princess hears whispers of exceptionally talented young girls across the world going missing; a young environmental scientist in Kenya, a French physics prodigy -- the list of...

Plants live secret, unseen lives. They are capable of forming mutually beneficial relationships with animals. But they can also be as aggressive, competitive, and dramatic as any living thing on our planet. Using specialist cameras, this spectacular series allows us to travel beyond the power of the human eye, to look closer at their interconnected world. Each episode introduces a set of plants, reveals the battles they face, and the ingenious ways...