Can Genetics Explain Plant Development? Molecular Genetics of Plant Development By Stephen H. Howell New York: Cambridge University Press (1998). 365 pp. $85.00; The Shoot Apical Meristem By Robert F. Lyndon New York: Cambridge University Press (1998). 277 pp $90.00

cortical circuits during postnatal development. In the standing of development in terms of the genes and mole-midst of the numerous chapters on the higher vertebrate cules involved was hampered by the relative inaccessi-forebrain, there is an excellent chapter that reviews de-bility of plants to genetics. The use of model plant velopment of the fly visual system (chapter 13). systems, mainly Arabidopsis with its small genome and Great advances have been made in developmental relatively short generation time, has largely overcome neurobiology by combining experimental embryology, this obstacle and has irrevocably changed plant sci-genetics, and molecular biology and by exploring paral-ence. By offering many important tools, it has attracted lels between different organisms. This book does a good a critical number of researchers, and consequently our job of stressing similarities in molecules and signaling understanding of plant development has progressed at pathways between the invertebrate and vertebrate ner-a speed known previously only from research on Dro-vous systems. However, more could be done to draw sophila and C. elegans. attention to important organismal differences that may In Molecular Genetics of Plant Development, Stephen be equally fundamental. For example, the achaete-scute H. Howell takes on the challenge of providing a compre-genes define the proneural precursor cluster in flies but hensive overview of the rapidly evolving field of plant appear to be involved in a determination of phenotypic developmental genetics. The strength of his excellent choice in mammals; similarly Notch and Wnt pathways book is that Howell integrates a large collection of recent have homologous signaling partners in vertebrates and research papers, nicely illustrated by original figures, invertebrates but do not appear to often serve analo-into the framework of previous knowledge. The book gous functions. Rather than conservation of mechanism, is clearly written and will be highly beneficial to both there may be conservation of signaling pathways that students and teachers who want to keep up with recent are adapted in a number of ways such that the same findings in plant developmental genetics. By including molecular cascades may be used for distinct purposes genetic results from the last decade, this book comple-from organism to organism. It is by acknowledging and ments the one by Steeves and Sussex on Patterns in harvesting these differences that future advances are Plant Development of 1989 (Cambridge University Press), likely to arise. The book is a bit heavy on vertebrate which has become the premier reference for many …