Nutrient Acquisition by Plants: An Ecological Perspective

by Hormoz BassiriRad (Editor)

Overview

Adaptation and evolution of terrestrial plants depend, to a large extent, on their ability to acquire nutrients. This is a modern and integrative treatment of the mechanisms controlling plant nutrient uptake and how plants respond to changes in the environment. The following key topics are covered: soil nutrient bioavailability; root responses to variations in nutrient supply; nitrogen fixation; regulation of nutrient uptake by internal plant demand; root characteristics; kinetics of nutrient uptake; root architecture; life span; mycorrhizae; responses to climate change. This integrated view helps us to understand the mechanisms that govern present-day plant communities and is indispensable in models designed to predict the response of plants to a changing climate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783540241867
Publisher:	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publication date:	01/01/1900
Series:	Ecological Studies , #181
Edition description:	2005
Pages:	348
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

Soil Factors Affecting Nutrient Bioavailability.- Decomposition and Mineralization of Nutrients from Litter and Humus.- Integrated Root Responses to Variations in Nutrient Supply.- Internal Regulation of Nutrient Uptake by Relative Growth Rate and Nutrient-Use Efficiency.- Biological Nitrogen Fixation Associated with Angiosperms in Terrestrial Ecosystems.- Homeostatic Processes for the Optimization of Nutrient Absorption: Physiology and Molecular Biology.- Root Architecture and Nutrient Acquisition.- The Efficiency of Nutrient Acquisition over the Life of a Root.- Action and Interaction in the Mycorrhizal Hyphosphere — a Re-evaluation of the Role of Mycorrhizas in Nutrient Acquisition and Plant Ecology.- Effects of Soil Temperature on Nutrient Uptake.- Nutrient Acquisition of Terrestrial Plants in a Changing Climate.- From Molecular Biology to Biogeochemistry: Toward an Integrated View of Plant Nutrient Uptake.

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

"This volume of ‘Ecological Studies’ helps physiologically oriented scientists to obtain a view of their research at higher scales and/or organizational levels. For the ecologically oriented researchers … it helps to get insight in mechanisms at a smaller scale and some insight into the extensive progress in molecular-biological research. This book is really worth reading more than once because there are a lot of specific and general aspects that are not found in other books in such a broad perspective." (Dieter Horlacher, Journal of Plant Physiology, Vol. 164, 2007)

"In this book fifteen authors in twelve chapters review various factors influencing nutrient uptake by plants. … The book is a highly valuable extension of basic textbooks about nutrient acquisition by plants. I would recommend it most strongly to all ecologists who want to read a clear introductory review on each of the announced topics and as a starting source of relevant references." (Stanislav Brezina, Folia Geobotanica, Vol. 41 (4), 2006)

From the Publisher