Written by the leading experts in the field, this book examines the
evolutionary advantages of gender dimorphism - the occurence of two
sexual forms - and sexual dimorphism - dimorphism in secondary sex
characters - in flowering plants. Gender dimorphism is found in
approximately 10% of flowering plant species and has been an active
topic of research. By contrast, sexual dimorphism in plants is much
less widely appreciated. The book consists of three sections: The
first introduces readers to the tremendous variety of breeding
systems and their evolution in plants and sets the stage for a
consideration of the evolution of dimorphism in reproductive and
non-reproductive characters. The second section deals with the
evolution of secondary sexual characters, including the theory
related to the evolution of sexual dimorphism and its empirical
patterns. The last section deals with the genetics of gender
expression and of secondary sexual characters.
