About Book

We are at the stage in world history where we are facing widespread and devastating loss of plant biodiversity. The plant biodiversity at a particular location influences not only the local micro-climate, but in a broader horizon influences the types of animals, their habitat and water/soil resources for the human population. Services provided by ecosystems include carbon sequestration, climate regulation, nutrient cycling and pollination. Plants provide us with many direct benefits such as food, medicine, clothes, shelter and the raw materials from which countless other products are made. Habitat destruction, over exploitation of resources and land, competition from cultivated plant species or varieties, environmental pollution and possible climate changes are all the human activities that have threatened and destroyed plant biodiversity. Swift action is needed to conserve genetic diversity of both cultivated and wild species. Their conservation should be a key component of efforts for biodiversity conservation. This book is an effort towards exploration of strategies for studying and protecting plants. It examines multiple approaches for plant biodiversity, soil properties, natural plants, landscape architecture, GIS and ex situ. It also covers genetic diversity in plant species and botanical pesticides in modern plants. This book is a valuable compilation of various topics, ranging from the most basic to the most complex ones. While understanding the long-term perspectives of the topics, the book makes an effort in highlighting their impact as a modern tool for the growth of the discipline. For those who have an interest in plant pathology, this book will prove to be a valuable source of knowledge.

Preface............................................................................................................v

Chapter 1 Introductory Chapter: Assessment and Conservation of Genetic Diversity in Plant Species........................................................................1

1. Genetic diversity and its assessment................................................1

2. Biochemical markers.............................................................................2

3. Molecular markers................................................................................2

Chapter 2 Conservation of Natural Plants and Their Use in Landscape

Architecture..................................................................................................7

1. Introduction............................................................................................7

2. Biological diversity in Turkey ...........................................................9

3. Ecosystem diversity .............................................................................9

4. Species diversity ................................................................................11

5. Genetic diversity ................................................................................15

6. Conservation of biological diversity ..............................................16

7. In Situ Conservation .........................................................................17

8. Ex Situ conservation ..........................................................................22

9. Use of natural plants in landscape architecture in the scope of

preserving biological diversity ........................................................24

10. The utilization process of natural plants ....................................25

11. Conclusion ...........................................................................................27

Chapter 3 The Role of Soil Properties in Plant Endemism – A Revision of Conservation Strategies...........................................................................30

1. Introduction..........................................................................................30

2. Endemism.............................................................................................32

3. Soil..........................................................................................................33

4. Sampling approach.............................................................................35

5. Edaphic endemism..............................................................................38

6. Conservation strategies......................................................................41

7. Conclusions..........................................................................................43

Chapter 4 GIS and ex situ Plant Conservation ...................................................51

1. Introduction ........................................................................................51

2. GIS used for the description of the natural habitats of target

species ..................................................................................................54

3. GIS-facilitated development of protocols for ex situ conservation

of target species...................................................................................59

4. GIS-derived ecological profiles and guidelines for the ex situ

cultivation of target plants ..............................................................63

5. Potential and implications for the management of living plant

collections ............................................................................................69

Acknowledgement .............................................................................72

Chapter 5 Use of Botanical Pesticides in Modern Plant Protection................79

1. Introduction..........................................................................................79

2. Efficacy of pyrolysis liquids as plant protection products.........81

3. Toxicology of birch tar oil.................................................................88

4. Chemical composition of pyrolysis liquids...................................90

5. Registration of biological plant protection products...................90

6. Conclusion............................................................................................91

7. Acknowledgment................................................................................93

Chapter 6 Multiple Approach for Plant Biodiversity Conservation in Restoring

Forests .........................................................................................................97

1. Introduction..........................................................................................97

2. Regions of Provenance in Europe ................................................101

3. DNA barcoding approach: A new challenge for species

identification and conservation......................................................114

4. From conservation to restoration: The Miyawaki method .........122

5. Conclusion..........................................................................................129

6. Acknowledgements .........................................................................132

Chapter 7 Conservation of Chinese Plant Diversity: An Overview .............147

1. Introduction ......................................................................................147

2. Patterns of species richness and endemism: Evolutionary

issues .................................................................................................149

3. Endangered species: Current status ...........................................155

4. Threats to Chinese plant biodiversity .........................................158

5. Current conservation measures......................................................165

6. Problems, prospects, and recommendations ..............................171

7. Acknowledgement ...........................................................................184

Citation......................................................................................................201

Index...........................................................................................................203

About Author

Iker Mendoza completed his Ph.D. in Horticulture from Central Research Institute, Navarre. His primary areas of scholarly and research interests lie in the fields of plant conservation and landscape horticulture. Mendoza has served as a Visiting Professor at various universities across Europe. He has authored and edited more than 40 articles, journal papers and book chapters in the field of plant science. He has also attended numerous scientific conferences and symposiums and has presented 10 papers on horticulture.