746 Pages 2 Color & 145 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Following in the footsteps of the successful first edition, Functional Plant Ecology, Second Edition remains the most authoritative resource in this multidisciplinary field. Extensively revised and updated, this book investigates plant structure and behavior across the ecological spectrum. It features the ecology and evolution of plant crowns and addresses approaches to generalization in functional plant ecology, including the species-sampling problem, plant ecology strategy schemes, and phylogeny.

    The book follows a bottom-up approach, from the more specific, detailed studies focusing on plant organs to the broadest ecosystem approaches. It offers the latest findings and research breakthroughs in plant ecology, as well as consideration of classic topics in environmental science and ecology. A wide-ranging compendium, the book investigates plant structure and behavior across the ecological spectrum, from the leaf to the ecosystem levels.

    Methods in Comparative Functional Ecology
    C.M. Duarte
    Opportunistic Growth and Desiccation Tolerance: The Ecological Success of Poikilohydrous Autotrophs
    L. Kappen and F. Valladares
    Ecological Significance of Inherent Variation in Relative Growth Rate
    H. Poorter and E. Garnier
    The Architecture of Plant Crowns: From Design Rules to Light Capture and Performance
    F. Valladares and U. Niinemets
    Structure and Function of Root Systems
    R.B. Jackson, W.T. Pockman, W.A. Hoffmann, T.M. Bleby, and C. Armas
    Water Relations and Hydraulic Architecture
    M.T. Tyree
    Responses of Plants to Heterogeneous Light Environments
    R.W. Pearcy
    Acquisition, Use, and Loss of Nutrients
    F. Berendse, H. de Kroon, and W.G. Braakhekke
    Functional Attributes in Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems
    R. Joffre, S. Rambal, and C. Damesin
    Tropical Forests: Diversity and Function of Dominant Life-Forms
    E. Medina
    Plant Diversity in Tropical Forests
    S.J. Wright
    Arctic Ecology,
    S.E. Hobbie
    Plant Life in Antarctica
    T.G.A. Green, B. Schroeter, and L.G. Sancho
    Facilitation in Plant Communities
    R.M. Callaway and F.I. Pugnaire
    Plant Interactions: Competition
    H.L. Reynolds and T.K. Rajaniemi
    Plant-Herbivore Interaction: Beyond a Binary Vision
    E. Baraza, R. Zamora, J.A. Hódar, and J.M. Gómez
    Ecology of Plant Reproduction: Mating Systems and Pollination
    A. Traveset and A. Jakobsson
    Seed and Seedling Ecology
    K. Kitajima
    Biodiversity and Interactions in the Rhizosphere: Effects on Ecosystem Functioning, S. Rodríguez-Echeverría
    S.R. Costa, and H. Freitas
    Resistance to Air Pollutants: From Cell to Community
    J. Barnes, A. Davison, L. Balaguer, and E. Manrique-Reol
    Canopy Photosynthesis Modeling
    W. Beyschlag and R.J. Ryel
    Ecological Applications of Remote Sensing at Multiple Scales
    J.A. Gamon, H.-L. Qiu, and A. Sanchez-Azofeifa
    Generalization in Functional Plant Ecology: The Species-Sampling Problem, Plant Ecology Strategy Schemes, and Phylogeny
    M. Westoby

    Biography

    Fernando Valladares, Francisco Pugnaire

    "Pugnaire and Valladares have managed to pull together a wide range of subjects with the depth and breadth of a series of essays, but the accessibility of a textbook."
    Annals of Biology, Oxford Journals, vol. 102 no. 5

    "…a well-structured handbook covering most trends in the field with interesting details. It is highly recommended not only to ecologists but to all biologists"
    Photosynthetica

    "…an admirable job of outlining a research landscape which will likely grow in importance in the post-genomics era as plant biologists return to the long-standing question of understanding plant function diversity, or, in other words, understanding why there are so many ways of being an evolutionary successful plant."
    —Phytochemistry

    "…a highly scientific work…responds to a wide range of needs"
    Advances in Horticultural Science

    "…is of great interest to researchers involved in sustainable forestry…definitely on the highly recommended list."
    Journal of Sustainable Forestry

    "This volume contains comprehensive, authoritative original reviews of numerous, wide-ranging topics in this approach to plant ecology. The reviews by well-chosen, often internationally recognized experts are quite readable, on target, and very well documented … . Almost without exception, every chapter provides an excellent, accessible perspective and introduction to the field and its current status. Highly recommended."
    —W. Loescher, Michigan State in CHOICE, Vol. 45, No. 9, 2008