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Plant Growth and Climate Change

ISBN: 978-1-405-13192-6

November 2006

Wiley-Blackwell

232 pages

Description
Evidence grows daily of the changing climate and its impact on plants and animals. Plant function is inextricably linked to climate and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. On the shortest and smallest scales, the climate affects the plant’s immediate environment and so directly influences physiological processes. At larger scales, the climate influences species distribution and community composition, as well as the viability of different crops in managed ecosystems. Plant growth also influences the local, regional and global climate, through the exchanges of energy and gases between the plants and the air around them.


Plant Growth and Climate Change examines the major aspects of how anthropogenic climate change affects plants, focusing on several key determinants of plant growth: atmospheric CO2, temperature, water availability and the interactions between these factors. The book demonstrates the variety of techniques used across plant science: detailed physiology in controlled environments; observational studies based on long-term data sets; field manipulation experiments and modelling. It is directed at advanced-level university students, researchers and professionals across the range of plant science disciplines, including plant physiology, plant ecology and crop science. It will also be of interest to earth system scientists.

About the Author
Dr James Morison, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, UK


Dr Michael Morecroft, NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, UK

Features

  • Considers physiology in relation to ecology
  • Encompasses agricultural and wider vegetation science
  • Discusses experimental manipulation of plants at the community level in a wide range of environments
  • Examines the roles and limitations of the models used to predict plant growth and productivity from climate information