Plant physiological ecology / Hans Lambers, Thijs L. Pons, F. Stuart Chapin,III.

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction—History, Assumptions, and Approaches -- Photosynthesis -- Respiration -- Long-Distance Transport of Assimilates -- Plant Water Relations -- The Plant’s Energy Balance -- Effects of Radiation and Temperature -- Scaling-Up Gas Exchange and Energy Balance from the Leaf to the Canopy Level -- Mineral Nutrition -- Mineral Nutrition -- Life Cycles: Environmental Influences and Adaptations -- Symbiotic Associations -- Ecological Biochemistry: Allelopathy and Defense Against Herbivores -- Effects of Microbial Pathogens -- Parasitic Associations -- Interactions Among Plants -- Carnivory -- Decomposition -- Ecosystem and Global Processes: Ecophysiological Controls.

The growth, reproduction, and geographical distribution of plants are profoundly influenced by their physiological ecology: the interaction with the surrounding physical, chemical, and biological environments. This textbook describes mechanisms that underlie plant physiological ecology at the levels of physiology, biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular biology. At the same time, the integrative power of physiological ecology is well suited to assess the costs, benefits, and consequences of modifying plants for human needs and to evaluate the role of plants in ecosystems.