Sheds new light on trees by asking simple questions about them: How did trees evolve? How do they stand up? Why are there so many types? How and why do we exploit them?
- Preface
- The advantages of being a tree
- The tree story
- How trees lift water
- How trees stand up
- Limits to the height of trees
- Trees with different survival strategies
- Trees in different climates
- Specialist trees
- Southern Hemisphere trees
- Trees and people
- Glossary
- Index
Roland Ennos is a lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Manchester. He has carried out research in the science of biomechanics, combining his interests in natural history and structural engineering. His research has taken him to forests around the world which has provided the inspiration for his recent textbook, Plant Life, and for this, his first popular science book.