Synopses & Reviews
The last decade has seen rapid and major advances in our understanding of the physiological ecology of plants. This volume reviews some of these advances and new challenges. The chapters cover five broad themes: resource acquisition and utilization; interactions between organisms; responses to global environmental changes; ecosystems; and integration and scaling. This book brings together an unrivalled collection of leading practitioners in the discipline from North America, Europe and Australia and adopts a broad approach, ranging from the molecular to the ecosystem level. It has proven a valuable tool for researchers and advanced students in the discipline.
Synopsis
Rapid and major advances in our understanding of the physiological ecology of plants have been observed in recent years. This volume reviews some of these advances and new challenges under five broad themes: resource acquisition and utilization; interactions between organisms; responses to global environmental changes; ecosystems; and integration and scaling. Written by an international group of practitioners, the work adopts a broad approach ranging from the molecular to the ecosystem levels.
Synopsis
Reviews the key advances in our understanding of the physiological ecology of plants.
About the Author
Malcolm Press is Professor in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield.Dr Scholes is in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield.Professor Martin Barker is at the University of Aberdeen.
Table of Contents
Part I. Resource Acquisition and Utilization: 1. Compromising efficiency: the molecular ecology of light-resource utilization in plants C. B. Osmond, J. M. Anderson, M. C. Ball and J. J. G. Egerton; 2. Acquisition, partitioning and loss of carbon J. F. Farrar; 3. Resource acquisition by plants: the role of crown architecture R. W. Pearcy and F. Valladares; 4. Plant responses to small perturbations in soil water status W. J. Davies and D. J. G. Gowing; 5. Evolution and ecology of plant mineral nutrition G. R. Stewart and S. Schmidt; 6. Roots as dynamic systems: the development ecology of roots and root systems A. H. Fitter; Part II. Interactions Between Organisms: 7. The ecophysiology of mycorrhizal symbioses with special reference to impacts upon plant fitness D. J. Read; 8. Measuring symbiotic nitrogen fixation: case studies of natural and agricultural ecosystems in a Western Australian setting J. S. Pate and M. J. Unkovich; 9. Parasitic plants: physiological and ecological interactions with their hosts M. C. Press, J. D. Scholes and J. R. Watling; 10. Herbivory M. J. Crawley; Part III. Responses to Global Environmental Change: 11. SO2 pollution: a bygone problem or a continuing hazard? T. A. Mansfield; 12. Terrestrial ecosystem responses to solar UV-B radiation mediated by vegetation, microbes and abiotic photochemistry M. M. Caldwell, P. S. Searles, S. D. Flint and P. W. Barnes; 13. Understanding the impacts of rising CO2: the contribution of environmental physiology S. P. Long; 14. Genetic vs. environmental control of ecophysiological processes: some challenges for predicting community responses to global change F. A. Bazzaz and K. A. Stinson; Part IV. Ecosystems: 15. Alpine plants: stressed or adapted? Ch. Körner; 16. Arctic plants: adaptations and environmental change J. A. Lee; 17. Ecophysiology of mangroves: challenges in linking physiological processes with patterns in forest structure M. C. Ball and M. A. Sobrado; 18. Water use in arid land ecosystems J. R. Ehleringer, S. Schwinning and R. Gebauer; 19. Environmental controls of gas exchange in tropical rain forests J. Grace; Part V. Integration and Scaling: 20. Comparative plant ecology and the role of phylogenetic information D. D. Ackerly; 21. Stable isotopes reveal exchanges between soil, plants and the atmosphere H. Griffiths, A. Borland, J. Gillon, K. Harwood, K. Maxwell and J. Wilson; 22. Issues when scaling from plants to globe F. I. Woodward.