Wiley-Blackwell Leaf Development and Canopy Growth: Vol 4 (Biological Sciences Series)

The book takes a fresh, innovative look at the role of leaf development and canopy growth in the survival of the individual and the diversity of the community. It draws together significant advances in a diverse range of disciplines, answers some questions and, more importantly, stimulates the reader into new conceptual and experimental ways of approaching research. Emergent properties at the plant scale are the result of self–organisation of "local rules" applied within the cell and the couplings that exist between cells in the plant. In a similar way, emergent properties at the canopy scale depend on properties of the individual plants that are present. The whole is much more than the sum of the constituent parts. The focus in this volume is on the light–intercepting surfaces of the plant and the utilisation of the absorbed energy to fix carbon – the foundation of carbon–based life on earth. The authors consider a diverse range of species throughout, drawing on experience gained with both monocultures and mixed–plant communities. The volume is intended for researchers and professionals in plant physiology, cell biology, molecular biology, ecology and evolutionary biology. It will also be of interest to crop physiologists.