Douglas H. Erwin and V.A. Funk, series editors. This monograph series presents innovative studies in the field of comparative evolutionary biology, especially by authors introducing new ideas or expanding accepted views.The first comprehensive application of cladistics to the massive body of data on both living and fossil plants, this book clarifies phylogenetic patterns within and among basal groups of land plants. In its analysis of the patterns and processes underlying the origin of land plants, the book sheds light on central questions surrounding the initial assembly of terrestrial ecosystems.