
eBook details
- Title: Nature's Fabric
- Author : David Lee
- Release Date : January 28, 2017
- Genre: Nature,Books,Science & Nature,Life Sciences,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 16667 KB
Description
Leaves are all around usâin backyards, cascading from window boxes, even emerging from small cracks in city sidewalks given the slightest glint of sunlight. Perhaps because they are everywhere, itâs easy to overlook the humble leaf, but a close look at them provides one of the most enjoyable ways to connect with the natural world.
A lush, incredibly informative tribute to the leaf, Natureâs Fabric offers an introduction to the science of leaves, weaving biology and chemistry with the history of the deep connection we feel with all things growing and green. Leaves come in a staggering variety of textures and shapes: they can be smooth or rough, their edges smooth, lobed, or with tiny teeth. They have adapted to their environments in remarkable, often stunningly beautiful waysâfrom the leaves of carnivorous plants, which have tiny âtrigger hairsâ that signal the trap to close, to the impressive defense strategies some leaves have evolved to reduce their consumption. (Recent studies suggest, for example, that some plants can detect chewing vibrations and mobilize potent chemical defenses.) In many cases, weâve learned from the extraordinary adaptations of leaves, such as the invention of new self-cleaning surfaces inspired by the slippery coating found on leaves. But we owe much more to leaves, and Lee also calls our attention back to the fact that that our very livesâand the lives of all on the planetâdepend on them. Not only is foliage is the ultimate source of food for every living thing on land, its capacity to cycle carbon dioxide and oxygen can be considered among evolutionâs most important achievementsâand one that is critical in mitigating global climate change.
Taking readers through major topics like these while not losing sight of the small wonders of nature we see every dayâif youâd like to identify a favorite leaf, Leeâs glossary of leaf characteristics means you wonât be left out on a limbâNatureâs Fabric is eminently readable and full of intriguing research, sure to enhance your appreciation for these extraordinary green machines.