Biodiversity, Taxonomy and Ecology : Prof. K.M.M. Dakshini Festschrift/edited by R.K. Tandon and Prithipalsingh. 1999, x, 389 p., $46. ISBN 81-7233-212-2.
Contents: Preface. 1. Krishna Mohan Madan Dakshini: the life and researches of an ecologist/N.N. Bhandari and Prithipalsingh. 2. Publications of Professor K.M.M. Dakshini?Prithipalsingh and Reetu Sharma. 3. Biodiversity coonservation sustainable forest management/V.M. Meher-Homji. 4. Biodiversity of Savanna and grassland ecosystems: a conceptual overview/C. Annapurna and J.S. Singh. 5. Biodiversity conservation of bastar (M.P.) in traditional and religious context/T.R. Sahu. 6. The importance of inventories in biodiversity studies/Vernon H. Heywood. 7. Biodiversity and taxonomy/Prithipalsingh. 8. Flowering plant diversity of India: monocotyledons/S. Karthikeyan. 9. Seedling morphology of some Indian euphorbiaceae with reference to taxonomy and conservation of biodiversity/N.D. Paria and P. Kamilya. 10. The importance of some far eastern species of dipsacaceae in the history of the family/B.L. Burtt. 11. Dioecy, dimorphism, and matching of sexes--dilemmas in taxonomy: a quantitative assessment of foliar micromorphology in piper/P.K. Mukherjee and Sikha Roy. 12. Endosperm development in angiosperms: a phylogenetic analysis/Geeta Bharatham. 13. Indian flora in the vegetation of the Himalayas/Jean Francois Dobermez. 14. Indian plant taxonomy into the 21st century/K.M. Matthew. 15. Wild relatives of crop plants: diversity, distribution, and conservation in the Indian gene centre/R.K. Arora and E. Roshini Nayar. 16. Fostering new symbiotic social contract for a hunger-free India/M.S. Swaminathan. 17. Ecology: its history and social perspective/R.K. Tandon. 18. Ecology teaching in India/P.S. Ramakrishnan. 19. United national framework convention on climatic change: a commentary on issues and concerns/Subodh K. Sharma. 20. Climate change and perspective for agriculture/Suresh K. Sinha. 21. Global ecological changes: causes and consequences/N.K. Ambasht and R.S. Ambasht. 22. Delhi--an example of complex urban system/G.S. Roonwal. 23. Responses of terrestrial ecosystems to nutrient enrichment/K.P. Singh and S.K. Tripathi. 24. Perennation of weeds in Indian desert/David N. Sen, Pawan K. Kasera, and Sher Mohammed. 25. Natural bio-physico-chemical pollution in Nepal: an overview/G.P.S. Ghimire.
"The book contains 25 Chapters. The first two Chapters are devoted to the life and contributions of Professor Dakshini and the remaining 23 cover diverse topics on biodiversity, taxonomy, and ecology contributed by well known specialists in these fields.
"Taxonomic diversity, importance and relationships between taxonomy and biodiversity, and the need for biodiversity conservation have been evaluated. Detailed studies on Dipsacaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Piperaceae emphasise the significance of morphology and anatomy in understanding the taxonomy of these varied groups. The relevance of endosperm development in understanding angiosperm phylogeny is discussed.
"The Indian component in the vegetation of the Himalayas, the importance of wild relatives of crop plants in the Indian gene centre, and evaluation of programmes and policies for a hunger free India provide very useful information.
"The history of ecology and its social perspective and teaching of ecology in India, besides several aspects of climatic change emphasise the need to understand the environment for sustainable development. Studies on perennation of weeds in Indian desert, biodiversity and nutrient enrichment of different ecosystems, and the relationships between urbanization and pollution have also been dealt with." (jacket)