A battery of biological scientists, most of them British, present a textbook that incorporates the findings from genome research over the past decade. They begin with the evolution of modern terrestrial plants from marine algae, then jump immediately to genomes as the critical factor in determining the characteristics of plants. Other topics are cells, metabolism, development, environmental signals and stress, interactions with other organisms, and domestication and agriculture. Color is used throughout in photographs, drawings, diagrams, charts, and other illustrations. Annotation ⓒ2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)