The emerald planet How plants changed Earth's history

The central message of this slim, highly readable book is that plants have transformed the Earth over the past 470 million years. Beerling (Univ. of Sheffield, UK) puts plants at center stage in global changes in the environment, with experimental evidence from plant physiology along with discoveries from fossil plants. He describes how the evidence from fossil plants and computer modeling of carbon dioxide levels of the "Earth system" explains the evolution of leaf architecture, how forests once grew on Antarctica, and how giant insects flourished in the carboniferous period. He shows how the planetary history sheds light on recent climate change. The book's nine chapters are stand-alone essays on the history of science, evolution, paleobotany, plant physiology, or global climate change. Each chapter is supported with extensive research notes and references. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate students. S. M. Paracer Worcester State College