Piper: A Model Genus for Studies of Phytochemistry, Ecology, and Evolution

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Lee Dyer, Aparna Palmer
Springer Science & Business Media, 2004 M08 30 - 214 páginas

Piper is an economically and ecologically important genus of plant that includes a fascinating array of species for studying natural history, natural products chemistry, community ecology, and evolutionary biology. The diversification of this taxon is unique and of great importance in understanding the evolution of plants.

The diversity and ecological relevance of this genus makes it an obvious candidate for ecological and evolutionary studies, but surprisingly, most research on Piper spp. to-date has focused on the more economically important plants P. nigrum (black pepper), P. methysticum (kava), and P. betle (betel leaf). While this book does address the applied techniques of studying Piper, its focus is more on Piper in its natural setting. Piper: A Model Genus for Studies of Phytochemistry, Ecology, and Evolution synthesizes existing data and provides an outline for future investigations of the chemistry, ecology, and evolution of this taxon, while examining its key themes of Piper as a model genus for ecological and evolutionary studies, the important ecological roles of Piper species in lowland wet forests, and the evolution of distinctive Piper attributes.

This volume has a place in the libraries of those studying or working in the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, natural products chemistry, invasive species biology, pharmaceutics, and ethnobotany.

 

Contenido

Introduction
xv
Mutualism Antiherbivore Defense and Trophic Cascades Piper AntPlants as a Mesocosm for Experimentation
3
Pollination Ecology and Resource Partitioning in Neotropical Pipers
31
Dispersal Ecology of Neotropical Piper Shrubs and Treelets
56
Biogeography of Neotropical Piper
76
Faunal Studies in Model Piper spp Systems with a Focus on SpiderInduced Indirect Interactions and Novel InsectPiper Mutualisms
95
Isolation Synthesis and Evolutionary Ecology of Piper Amides
115
Kava Piper methysticum Growth in Tissue Culture and In Vitro Production of Kavapyrones
138
Phylogenetic Patterns Evolutionary Trends and the Origin of AntPlant Associations in Piper section Macrostachys Burgers Hypotheses Revisited
154
Current Perspectives on the Classification and Phylogenetics of the Genus Piper L
177
Future Research in Piper Biology
197
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