This book is highly recommended for plant and weed ecologists interested in plant population dynamics. The text commences logically with the dispersal of individual propagules, followed by dispersal from entire plants and finally the impacts of dispersal on population dynamics of species and evolution. Mathematical models of dispersal from the perspective of the population are explained clearly, but the non-mathematically inclined will find much of value. Chapters 1 and 5 are ‘must reads’. Topics where predictive models are well developed are discussed and those where more research is needed are highlighted. Of particular value is the distinction between dispersal viewed by density (seeds landing per m²) and frequency distribution of distances travelled by seeds. Clear guidance is provided on avoiding statistical pitfalls and on practical methodology, e.g. the consequences of the absence of replication in many dispersal studies.

The book is not, however, a complete account of dispersal so that plant anatomy and adaptations are not covered comprehensively. Impacts of dispersal on seed viability and of seed dormancy on temporal dispersal are scarcely mentioned, so that the ‘success’ of dispersal remains an open question. Another significant omission is the potential long distance dispersal of seeds which remain suspended in the air for several hours, e.g. glyphosate-resistant Conyza canadensis. The eighth chapter is an unconvincing climax, describing selection pressures, many of which imply dispersal should be selected against! By contrast, the spatial dynamics model based on two competing species (chapter 7) superbly illustrates the population dynamics of dispersal.