Ecophysiology Of Coniferous Forests

Conifers--pine, fir, and spruce trees--are dominant species in forests around the world. This book focuses on the physiology of conifers and how these physiological systems operate. Special consideration is devoted to the means by which ecophysiological processes influence organismal function and distribution. Chapters focus on the genetics of conifers, their geographic distribution and the factors that influence this distribution, the impact of insect herbivory on ecophysiological parameters, the effects of air pollution, and the potential impact that global climatic changes will have upon conifers. Because of the growing realization that forests have a crucial role to play in global environmental health, this book will appeal to a developing union of ecologists, physiologists and more theoretically minded foresters.

Conifers-pine, fir, and spruce trees-are dominant species in forests around the world. This book focuses on the physiology of conifers and how physiological systems operate. Special consideration is devoted to the means by which ecophysiological processes influence organismal function and distribution. Chapters focus on the genetics of conifers, their growth and geographic distribution and the factors that influence this distribution, the impact of insect herbivory and winter dormancy on ecophysiological parameters, the effects of air pollution, and the potential impact that global climatic changes will have upon conifers. With the growing realization that forests have a crucial role to play in global environmental health, this book will appeal to a developing union of ecologists, physiologists and theoretical foresters.

Comprehensive documentation of the studies conducted within the Swedish Coniferous Forest Project (SWECON) from 1972 onwards. Consists of 37 papers which deal with aspects of the structure and function of Scots Pine forests.

Coniferous forests are among the most important of ecosystems. These forests are widespread and influence both the financial and biological health of our globe. This book focuses attention on conifers and how these trees acquire, allocate, and utilize the resources that sustain this crucial productivity. An international team of experts has surveyed and synthesized information from an expanding area of inquiry. The first half of the book describes how resources are acquired both by means of photosynthesis and through root systems. The latter half of the volume focuses upon how resources are stored and used. As conifers continue as a resource and ever increasingly important contributor to the regional and global environmental sustainability, this book will help establish how much sustainability can be expected and maintained.

This book delivers current state-of-the-science knowledge of tree ecophysiology, with particular emphasis on adaptation to a novel future physical and chemical environment. Unlike the focus of most books on the topic, this considers air chemistry changes (O3, NOx, and N deposition) in addition to elevated CO2 effects and its secondary effects of elevated temperature. The authors have addressed two systems essential for plant life: water handling capacity from the perspective of water transport; the coupling of xylem and phloem water potential and flow; water and nutrition uptake via likely changes in mycorrhizal relationships; control of water loss via stomata and its retention via cellular regulation; and within plant carbon dynamics from the perspective of environmental limitations to growth, allocation to defences, and changes in partitioning to respiration. The authors offer expert knowledge and insight to develop likely outcomes within the context of many unknowns. We offer this comprehensive analysis of tree responses and their capacity to respond to environmental changes to provide a better insight in understanding likelihood for survival, as well as planning for the future with long-lived, stationary organisms adapted to the past: trees.

Ecophysiological mechanisms underlie plant responses to environmental conditions and the influence these responses have on ecological patterns and processes. In this Special Issue, with a particular interest in the interactions between climate change, environmental disturbance, and functional ecology, experimental observations are described at a range of spatial scales. A modeling framework is used in an effort to relate mechanistic responses to ecosystem functions and services, and link forest ecophysiology and environmental indicators. This Special Issue collects important advances in studying and monitoring plant–environment interactions, covering biogeographic gradients from Mediterranean woodlands to boreal forests and from Alpine mountains to tropical environments.

Process-based models open the way to useful predictions of the future growth rate of forests and provide a means of assessing the probable effects of variations in climate and management on forest productivity. As such they have the potential to overcome the limitations of conventional forest growth and yield models, which are based on mensuration data and assume that climate and atmospheric CO2 concentrations will be the same in the future as they are now. This book discusses the basic physiological processes that determine the growth of plants, the way they are affected by environmental factors and how we can improve processes that are well-understood such as growth from leaf to stand level and productivity. A theme that runs through the book is integration to show a clear relationship between photosynthesis, respiration, plant nutrient requirements, transpiration, water relations and other factors affecting plant growth that are often looked at separately. This integrated approach will provide the most comprehensive source for process-based modelling, which is valuable to ecologists, plant physiologists, forest planners and environmental scientists. Includes explanations of inherently mathematical models, aided by the use of graphs and diagrams illustrating causal interactions and by examples implemented as Excel spreadsheets Uses a process-based model as a framework for explaining the mechanisms underlying plant growth Integrated approach provides a clear and relatively simple treatment

Based on a workshop on [title] held at Cornell University's Arnot Teaching and Research Forest near Ithaca, NY, August 1986. Twenty-five contributed chapters (by authors chosen for their contemporary, working knowledge of certain tree ecophysiological techniques) provide overviews, with discussions of advantages and disadvantages, of various techniques for the measurement of water relations, nutrient relations, hormonal relations, carbon flux, and growth and development in forest trees. Primarily for graduate students and forest scientists moving into unfamiliar fields of study or looking for new approaches to their own specific disciplines. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Although, as W.D. Billings notes in his chapter in this book. the development of physiological ecology can be traced back to the very beginnings of the study of ecology it is clear that the modern development of this field in North America is due in the large part to the efforts of Billings alone. The foundation that Billings laid in the late 1950s came from his own studies on deserts and subsequently arctic and alpine plants, and also from his enormous success in instilling enthusiasm for the field in the numerous students attracted to the plant ecology program at Duke University. Billings' own studies provided the model for subsequent work in this field. Physiological techniques. normally confined to the laboratory. were brought into the field to examine processes under natural environmental conditions. These field studies were accompanied by experiments under controlled conditions where the relative impact of various factors could be assessed and further where genetic as opposed to environmental influences could be separated. This blending of field and laboratory approaches promoted the design of experiments which were of direct relevance to understanding the distribution and abundance of plants in nature. Physiological mechanisms were studied and assessed in the context of the functioning of plants under natural conditions rather than as an end in itself.

The ecology of world vegetation is described in numer all of the drafting and photographic work. They have ous books and journals, but these are usually very spe spent many hours on this project and their care and skill cialized in their scope and treatment. This book provides is reflected in the consistently high quality of the illus a synthesis of this literature. A brief introductory chap trations throughout the book. Many friends and col ter outlines general ecological concepts and subsequent leagues have provided photographs. It has not been chapters examine the form and function of the major possible to include all of them, but the 'global' perspect biomes of the world. A similar organization has been ive of the book has been greatly enhanced in this way. used for each biome type. These chapters begin with a I wish to thank them all for the time and trouble they description of environmental conditions and a brief have taken to supply this material. I must also thank account of floristic diversity in a regional context. The Mary Dykes and the staff of the interlibrary loans de remaining pages describe characteristic adaptations and partment of the Library, University of Saskatchewan, ecosystem processes. for their unfailing ability to get even the most obscure Although there is a rapidly growing literature on eco references.