|
ANATOMY OF A ROSE -- EXPLORING THE SECRET LIFE OF FLOWERS |
|
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to thank my husband, Peter, and my children, David and Maria, for their constant and important support. Peter was my editor at home. Maria was a cheerful companion at the Sixteenth International Botanical Congress in St. Louis, Missouri. My friend Gail Stanford accompanied me to Huntington Gardens. Amanda Cook, my editor at Perseus Books, was a tremendous help in shaping this book and in encouraging me to trust my instincts and personal voice. In writing this manuscript, I sent out pleading letters and e-mails to perfect strangers, men and women whose research I was using and whose advice I needed. The following scientists responded generously with their time and efforts. I cannot thank them enough. Despite the invaluable help of these people, any mistakes in the final manuscript are entirely my own. Jack Carter gave me some good advice at the very start. Nick Waser helped me from the beginning to the end, patiently reading through and commenting on many chapters. In some cases, he read through them twice. Nick has been an active researcher in floral biology for thirty years. I credit his work extensively in the selected bibliography and notes. His willingness to help reflects his genuine commitment to education and conservation. I also suspect that Nick is one of those tireless people who can juggle six balls in the air while standing on one foot and lecturing about delphiniums. Lars Chittka is an extraordinary role model for anyone entering the field of science. His research on bee vision and insect behavior is simply exciting. My first draft of "The Blind Voyeur" included many more direct references to his work, some of which I edited out, in deference to my lay audience. Any reader who pursues the subject will enjoy seeing Lars's name in both popular and academic science magazines. Rob Raguso was an important source of encouragement and help. Rob is the subject of "What We Don't Know" and my adviser for "Smelling Like a Rose." Alison Brody provided me with a number of papers on her research, particularly on nectar robbing. She also commented on the beginning chapters. Martha Weiss read over the text concerning her work on butterflies and changes in flower color. Her research is cited heavily in "The Physics of Beauty." Steve MacDonald advised and fretted with me concerning how to discuss the complexity of evolution in a few short paragraphs. Via the miracle of e-mail, Roger Seymour, a professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia, looked over his material for "In the Heat of the Night." Judith Bronstein kindly read over and commented on "Dirty Tricks," a chapter that highlights her work on mutualism, yuccas, and yucca moths. Brent Mishler, a spokesperson for the project Deep Green, read over "The Tower of Babel and the Tree of Life" and "Flowers and Dinosaurs." Kirk Johnson also helped keep me on track in "Flowers and Dinosaurs." Finally, I must thank the staff of the Interlibrary Loan Department at Miller Library, Western New Mexico University, Silver City, New Mexico. Without their services, this book would have been impossible to write.
|