Handbook of Functional Plant Ecology

Methods in comparative functional ecology. Part 1 The role of structure and growth form in plant performance: opportunistic growth and desiccation tolerance - the ecological success of poikilohydrous autotrophs; ecological significance of inherent variation in relative growth rate; architecture, ecology and evolution of plant crowns; the structure and function of root systems. Part 2 Physiological ecology: water relations and hydraulic architecture; exploitation of changing environments; influence of light on leaf longevity and photosynthetic physiology - ecological observations and molecular possibilities; acquisition, use and loss of nutrients. Part 3 Habitats and plant distribution: functional attributes in Mediterranean-type ecosystems: plant survival in arid environments; tropical forests - diversity and function of dominant life-forms; plant diversity in tropical forests; arctic ecology; plant life in Antarctica. Part 4 Populations and communities: ecology of reproduction -mating systems and pollination; seed and seedling ecology; facilitation in plant communities; plant interactions -competition; plant-herbivore interactions - beyond a binary vision; biological diversity and functioning of ecosystems. Part 5 New approaches: resistance to air pollutions - from cell to community; flux control at the ecosystem level; canopy photosynthesis modelling; ecological applications of remote sensing at multiple scales; generalizations in functional plant ecology - the species sampling problem, plant ecology strategy schemes and phylogeny; epilogue.