Short description:

This textbook provides a foundation for understanding how the changes underway impact structure and function in the world?s major biomes, while also describing how evolution has resulted in a multitude of features that shaped plants and their capacities to persist across widely contrasting environments.

Long description:

Today global changes and human activities affect plants within each of the world?s ecosystems. Plant Ecology in a Changing World provides a foundation for understanding how the changes underway impact structure and function in the world?s major biomes, while also describing how evolution has resulted in the biochemical, physiological, structural, and life history features that shaped plants and their capacities to persist across widely contrasting environments. This textbook is designed for undergraduate students and as well to serve as a resource for climate change and ecosystem scientists seeking a foundation on the principles of plant ecology and the basis of plant adaptations. While many textbooks focus primarily on natural ecosystems, Plant Ecology in a Changing World also recognizes the ecological importance of invasive, managed, and urban ecosystems and of the ways in which ecosystems are already being impacted by both human activities and a warming planet.

Key features:

• Replete with 450+ figures that help to elucidate concepts and charts to clearly present key data


• Boxes within chapters allow those who wish to delve into more advanced aspects of topics and of those key methodological approaches used to quantify processes


• Highlights of key plant ecologists and of their contributions


• Each chapter concludes with a bulleted summary, enabling students to recap the key points of the chapter


• Each chapter comes with both a list of references, as well as with suggested readings, allowing the student to expand their knowledge on a particular topic

Table of Contents:

Part I: The World as We See it Today.  1. Evolution, Plant Ecology, and Climate.  2. Biomes and Climate Relationships.  3. Arid Land Biomes.  4. Grasslands.  5. Rainforests.  6. Temperate Forest Biomes.  7. Subalpine and Boreal Forest Biomes.  8. Tundra Biomes.  Part II: Ecophysiology and Principles of Plant Adaptation.  9. Microclimate - The Physical Environment Experienced by Plants.  10. Water Relations are Fundamental to Sustaining Plant Life.  11. Plants Exchange Energy with Their Environment.  12. Plants Respond to Water Deficits.  13. Plants Acquire Carbon and Energy Through Photosynthesis.  14. C4 and CAM are Novel Forms of Photosynthesis.  15. The Environment Influences Photosynthesis.  16. Plants Acquire Nutrients Via Roots and Microbes.  Part III: Resource Utilization, Plant Function, and Traits.  17. Plant Life History is a Matter of Timing.  18. Growth, Carbon Allocation, and Resource Storage.  19. Canopy Structure.  20. Trait-based Ecology and Trait Economic Spectra.  21. Plant Defenses Against Biotic Stress.  22. Canopy to Global Scale Net Primary Productivity.  Part IV: Plants in a Changing World.  23. Global Change is Not Just Climate Change: Our Current Environmental Challenges.  24. Invasive Species Impact Ecosystems.  25. Warming Impacts Plants: Phenology, Thermotolerance, and Fires.  26. Today?s World of Land-use Change, Managed Ecosystems, and Restoring Plant Communities.  27. Urban Ecosystems are Where We Live.  Glossary.  Index.