PLANT VARIATION AND EVOLUTION *

We are in the midst of a biological revolution. Molecular tools are now providing new means of critically testing hypotheses and models of microevolution in populations of wild, cultivated, weedy and feral plants. They are also offering the opportunity for significant progress in the investigation of long-term evolution of flowering plants, as part of molecular phylogenetic studies of the Tree of Life. This long-awaited fourth edition, fully revised by David Briggs, reflects new insights provided by molecular investigations and advances in computer science. Briggs considers the implications of these for our understanding of the evolution of flowering plants, as well as the potential for future advances. Numerous new sections on important topics such as the evolutionary impact of human activities, taxonomic challenges, gene flow and distribution, hybridisation, speciation and extinction, conservation and the molecular genetic basis of breeding systems will ensure that this remains a classic text for both undergraduate and graduate students in the field.-------------------Cuarta edición de un texto considerado ya un clásico sobre la evolución en las plantas, totalmente revisado para ofrecer los enormes avances que se han producido en las dos últimas décadas. Examina lo que se sabe ahora sobre la evolución, presentando con mucho detalle lo mucho que se ha avanzado por la biología molecular. Discute los escenarios futuros bajo las diferentes premisas que pueden ser controvertidas, como la taxonomía, la filogenia, la conservación o el cambio climático.