Plant ecology /

Introduction p. 1
Chapter 1 Stress Physiology p. 5
1.1 Environment as Stress Factor: Stress Physiology of Plants p. 7
1.1.1 Abiotic and Biotic Environments Cause Stress p. 7
1.1.2 Specific and Unspecific Reactions to Stress p. 9
1.1.3 Stress Concepts p. 11
1.1.4 Perception of Stress and Creation of Signals p. 13
1.1.5 How to Measure Stress on Plants? p. 16
1.1.6 Production of Stress-Tolerant Plants by Genetic Engineering? p. 16
1.1.7 Gene Silencing p. 19
1.2 Light p. 23
1.2.1 Visible Light p. 24
1.2.2 UV Radiation p. 37
1.3 Temperature p. 45
1.3.1 Temperature Ranges and Temperatures Limiting Life p. 45
1.3.2 Temperature-Dependent Biochemical Processes, Q[subscript 10] and Activation Energy p. 48
1.3.3 Temperature and Stability/Function of Biomembranes p. 49
1.3.4 Heat (Hyperthermy) p. 50
1.3.5 Cold p. 61
1.3.6 Frost p. 72
1.3.7 Concluding Comments p. 94
1.4 Oxygen Deficiency (Anaerobiosis and Hypoxia) p. 99
1.4.1 Energy Metabolism of Plants Lacking Oxygen p. 101
1.4.2 Anatomical-Morphological Changes During Hypoxia p. 105
1.4.3 Post-anoxic Stress p. 114
1.5 Water Deficiency (Drought) p. 117
1.5.1 Water Balance of Drought-Stressed Cells p. 119
1.5.2 Cellular Reactions to Drought Stress p. 123
1.5.3 CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) p. 135
1.5.4 Anatomical-Morphological Adaptation to Drought p. 140
1.6 Salt Stress (Osmotic Stress) p. 145
1.6.1 Physiological Effects of Salt Stress (NaCl) p. 146
1.6.2 Adaptive Responses of Plant Cells to Salt Stress p. 149
1.6.3 Avoidance of Salt Stress p. 171
1.7 Heavy Metals p. 175
1.7.1 Availability of Heavy Metals p. 176
1.7.2 Heavy Metal Deficiency - Example Iron p. 176
1.7.3 Stress by Heavy Metal Ion Toxicity p. 182
1.7.4 Reaction of Plants to Excess Supply of Heavy Metals p. 184
1.7.5 Heavy Metal Resistance (Tolerance) p. 191
1.7.6 Heavy Metal Extraction and Soil Decontamination by Plants (Phytomining, Phytoremediation) p. 191
1.8 Aluminium p. 195
1.8.1 Forms of Aluminium Available to Plants p. 196
1.8.2 Aluminium Toxicity p. 196
1.8.3 Al[superscript 3+] Resistance p. 200
1.8.4 Al[superscript 3+] Tolerance p. 203
1.9 Xenobiotica p. 207
1.9.1 Herbicides p. 210
1.9.2 Gaseous Air Pollutants p. 215
1.10 Biotic Stress: Herbivory, Infection, Allelopathy p. 235
1.10.1 Signal Chain in Wounding p. 235
1.10.2 Pathogen Attack and Defence p. 246
1.10.3 Allelopathy p. 250
Chapter 2 Autecology: Whole Plant Ecology p. 253
2.1 Thermal Balance of Plants p. 255
2.1.1 The Atmosphere as Habitat p. 257
2.1.2 Climate of Air Near the Ground p. 263
2.1.3 Energy Balance of Leaves p. 269
2.1.4 Adaptation to Temperature Extremes p. 270
2.2 Water Relations of Plants p. 277
2.2.1 Water as an Environmental Factor p. 277
2.2.2 Water Transport in the Plant p. 283
2.2.3 Regulation of Stomata p. 296
2.2.4 Transpiration of Leaves and Canopies p. 303
2.3 Nutrient Relations of Plants p. 313
2.3.1 Availability of Soil Nutrients and Ion Uptake p. 313
2.3.2 Nitrogen Nutrition p. 324
2.3.3 Sulfur Nutrition p. 335
2.3.4 Phosphate Nutrition p. 337
2.3.5 Nutrition with Alkaline Cations p. 338
2.4 Carbon Balance p. 347
2.4.1 Net Photosynthesis: Physiological and Physical Basis p. 347
2.4.2 Specific Leaf Area, Nitrogen Content and Photosynthetic Capacity p. 357
2.4.3 Response of Photosynthesis to Environmental Factors p. 361
2.4.4 Growth and Storage p. 373
2.4.5 C and N Balance in Different Types of Plants p. 379
Chapter 3 Ecology of Ecosystems p. 397
3.1 The Ecosystem Concept p. 399
3.1.1 What is an Ecosystem? p. 400
3.1.2 Boundaries of Ecosystems p. 400
3.1.3 Compartmentalisation p. 401
3.1.4 System Characteristics p. 401
3.2 Processes in Stands and Ecosystems p. 403
3.2.1 Self-Thinning p. 403
3.2.2 Reversible and Irreversible Site Changes Related to Resource Exploitation p. 406
3.2.3 Complexity and Non-linear Behaviour p. 409
3.2.4 Number of Species and Habitat Partitioning p. 411
3.2.5 Disturbances p. 417
3.3 The Biogeochemical Cycles p. 425
3.3.1 Water Turnover p. 426
3.3.2 Carbon Turnover p. 427
3.3.3 Nitrogen Cycle p. 438
3.3.4 Cation Turnover p. 444
3.4 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Processes p. 449
3.5 Case Studies at the Scale of Ecosystems p. 455
3.5.1 Soil Acidification and Forest Damage p. 456
3.5.2 Effect of Deciduous and Coniferous Forests on Processes in Ecosystems p. 460
3.5.3 Plants of Limestone and Siliceous Rocks p. 462
Chapter 4 Syndynamics, Synchorology, Synecology p. 465
4.1 Historic-Genetic Development of Phytocenoses and Their Dynamics p. 467
4.1.1 History of Vegetation to the End of the Tertiary p. 469
4.1.2 Change of Climate and Vegetation in the Pleistocene p. 472
4.1.3 Late and Postglacial Climate and Vegetation History p. 475
4.1.4 Changes in Vegetation Because of Human Influence p. 479
4.1.5 Basis of General Vegetation Dynamics p. 507
4.1.6 Stability of Plant Communities p. 534
4.2 Synchorology: Basis of Spatial Distribution of Plants p. 541
4.2.1 Distribution of Plants p. 542
4.2.2 Basis of Spatial Distribution (Phytogeography) p. 548
4.2.3 Relationship Between Area and Species p. 555
4.2.4 Biodiversity p. 562
4.3 Interactions Between Vegetation and Abiotic and Biotic Environments - Synecology p. 579
4.3.1 Influences of Vegetation on the Site p. 580
4.3.2 Interactions Between Plants and Animals p. 585
4.3.3 Interactions Between Plants p. 602
Chapter 5 Global Aspects of Plant Ecology p. 623
5.1 Global Change and Global Institutions p. 625
5.2 Global Material Cycles p. 633
5.2.1 Water Cycle p. 633
5.2.2 Carbon Cycle p. 635
5.2.3 Nitrogen Cycle p. 636
5.2.4 Sulfur Cycle p. 638
5.3 Human Influence on Carbon Balance and Significance for Global Climate p. 641
5.4 Significance of Changes in Land Use for Carbon Cycles p. 649
5.4.1 Land Use and CO[subscript 2] Emissions p. 649
5.4.2 The Kyoto Protocol: Attempts To Manage the Global Carbon Cycle p. 651
5.4.3 Importance of Climate Change for Europe p. 659
5.5 Influence of Human Activities on Biodiversity p. 663
5.5.1 Decrease in Biodiversity p. 663
5.6 Socio-economic Interactions p. 669
5.6.1 Syndromes p. 670
5.6.2 Evaluation of Risks to Biodiversity in Ecosystems p. 673
Subject Index p. 679