Review: Plant phylogeny and the origin of major biomes [Authors: RT Pennington, QCB Cronk, JA Richardson]

Plant Phylogeny and the Origin of Major Biomes R. T. Pennington, Q. C. B. Cronk and J. A. Richardson (eds). Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society B Biological Science, London, 2004, Volume 359, pages 1453–1656. Price £100. ISSN: 0962 8436. This volume of the Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society B Biological Science is a collection of papers presented at a Royal Society ‘Discussion Meeting’, held in London in 2004, that addressed the topic of the origin of major biomes and the radiation of component plant species. Read individually, these papers will be of value to specialists interested in the phylogeny of particular groups of plants and the vegetation history of different continents and biomes. However, when read collectively this volume signals that a major paradigm shift is underway concerning our understanding and approaches to global ecology and historical biogeography.