Description: In a world of increasing atmospheric CO2, there is intensified interest in the ecophysiology of photosynthesis and more attention is being given to other aspects of carbon exchange and storage in natural ecosystems. For example, how much will the photosynthesis of terrestrial and aquatic vegetation change as global CO2 increases? Are there major ecosystems, such as the boreal forests, which may become important sinks of CO2 and slow down the effects of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on climate? Will the composition of the vegetation change as a result of CO2 increase? Fortunately, some 30 years of intensive research in the ecophysiology of photosynthesis is serving well as regional and global models of photosynthesis and carbon exchange are being developed and refined. This volume reviews the progress which has been made in understanding photosynthesis in the past few decades at several levels of integration from the molecular level to canopy, ecosystem and global scales.
Description: Significant developments in recent years have led to a deeper understanding of the role and function of carotenoids in photosynthesis. For the first time the biological, biochemical, and chemical aspects of the role of these pigments in photosynthesis are brought together in one comprehensive reference volume. Chapters focus on the photochemistry of carotenoids in light harvesting and photoprotection, the nature and distribution of carotenoids in photosynthetic organisms, their biosynthesis, the herbicidal inhibition of carotenogenesis and the `xanthophyll cycle'. Throughout details are given of the various methodologies used. A detailed appendix provides physical data for the major compounds. Carotenoids in Photosynthesis is an invaluable reference source for all plant scientists.
Description: The most recent advances in chloroplast research are highlighted in contributions from 50 laboratories throughout the world. Subjects include advances in determining the molecular structure of key photosynthetic proteins, the regulation of chloroplast gene expression, the role of the chloroplast envelope membrane in the biogenesis of the organelle and the import machinery of nuclear encoded chloroplast proteins, the regulatory steps in chlorophyll and carotenoid biosyntheses, the processing/targeting/assembly of thylakoid protein components of photosynthetic units, and a discussion of the potential of chloroplast genetic manipulation as a tool in biotechnological applications. Audience: Students and researchers studying photosynthesis and chloroplast molecular biology and development.
Description: This book, which has derived from UNEP-sponsored training courses in the subject, contains vital up-to-date information, presented by a leading team of international experts, on all the major parameters of plant growth and the effect upon them of global climate change. It will be an invaluable manual and reference source for students and researchers in plant science, ecology and environmental science.
