- Email: [email protected]
Environmental physiology of plants
TIXE
vol. 3, no. 9, September
1988
tel ns as an important mechanism of coexistence7,8. These patterns are adequately modelled by the negative binomial distribution whose exk, can be used as a conpcnent, venient index of aggregation. There is no biological behaviour in these descriptive models, but once we know that certain values of k are important in maintaining coexistence, the biological mechanisms can be investigated. The general description must come first, the detailed mechanism later. The Niche in Competition Evolution is a personal view
and
of exploitative competition, by someone who has contributed some excellent laboratory studies to the literature.
- Plant Physiological
Perhaps because it is idiosyncratic, it will be more prone to criticism from ecologists like myself with equally However, I idiosyncratic views. found it enjoyable and I recommend ecologists.
and it
stimulating, to other
References 1 MacArthur, R.H. (1968) in Population BiologyandEvolution (Lewontin, RX., ed.), Syracuse University Press 2 MacArthur, R.H. (1970) Theor. Pop. Biol. l,l-11 3 MacArthur, R.H. (1972) Geographical Ecology, Harper and Row 4 Lewontin, R.C. (1974) The Genetic Basis ofEvolutionary Change, Columbia University Press 5 Hairston, N.G., Smith, F.E. and
Slobodkin, L.B. (1960) Am. Nat. 94, 321-325 6 Armstrong, R.A. and McGehee, R. (1976) J. Theor. Biol. 56,499-502 7 Shorrocks, B., Rosewell, J., Edwards, K. and Atkinson, W.D. (1984) Nature 189, 732-735 8 Shorrocks, B. and Rosewell, J. 11987) in Organization of Communities: Past and Present(Gee, J.H.R. and Giller, P S., eds), Blackwell 9 Gilpin, M.E. (1975)Am. Nat. 109,51-60 10 Buss, L.W. and Jackson, J.B.C. (1979) Am. Na;. 113,223-234 11 Arthur, W. (1988) Nature333, 597
Bryan Shorrocks Departmentof PureandAppliedBiology,The University,LeedsLS29JT,UK.
Ecology
Environmental Physiology of Plants by A.H. Fitter and R.K.M. Hay (2nd edn.), Academic Press, 7987. f35.00/ $69.00 hbk, f14.50/$29.95 pbk (xiii + 42 pages) ISBN 0 12 257763 9 hbk/ 0 ‘2 257764 7 pbk. Much of present day plant ecology is concerned with observing the presence of individual plants. A permanent marker defines a particular plant or area for regular observation. Within this area a plant will continually respond to the environment by growth and development. These responses may be seen with the naked eye, without the aid of any so Dhisticated equipment. The environmental physiologist is alto concerned with the responses of plants to the environment, perhaps ev?n within the same confines of a permanent marker. In this case, however, the processes of interest su#:h as photosynthesis, transpiration and nutrient uptake are invisibl-. The observer is obliged to use equipment that renders the invisible visible. To measure the rate of photosynthesis, for example, a leaf must be enclosed in an air-tight cu,/ette. An instrument must then measure the differences in the CO2 cotlcentrations between the air entering and leaving the leaf cuvette. Thus difference may then be used to calculate the rate of photosynthesis, wl-ich is then visibly displayed. Other invisible processes of resource capture may, to varying extents, be made visible by appropriate instrumentation. tb a consequence of this depende ice on instrumentation, environmebntal physiology has often been
viewed with some cynicism by researchers in other areas of ecology. Some are concerned about the uncertainty associated with a measurement which, as in the example of a photosynthetic measurement, radically changes the environment of the leaf during the period of measurement. The relevance of the measurement to the physiology of the free leaf is therefore questionable. Others feel that environmental physiologists are too concerned with the development and use of instrumentation for its own sake. These concerns notwithstanding, it is clear that the development of appropriate instrumentation is a central process to the development of environmental physiology. Environmental Physiology of Plants emphasizes visible the products of measurements and ignores the problems of uncertainty principles and the details of instrumentation. The reader must therefore assume that the authors have filtered out questionable measurements associated with problematic instrumentation. Consequently, the book flows easily from considerations of resource capture to the effects of environmental stresses on plant physiology and ecology. The format of this second edition is similar to that of the first (published in 19811, but with the addition of much new information and an additional chapter on ‘an ecological perspective’. This final chapter aims to combine the wide-ranging and detailed information in the other chapters into a framework that includes general ecological concepts such as the niche, succession and strategy theory.
Undergraduate and graduate readers should enjoy this book. It is upto-date and - through its comparative approach at the species level - it incorporates responses of species from widely differing ecosystems. The underlying philosophy is unashamedly adaptationist, with a strong dependence on optimization models. It is a shame that instruments don’t unequivocally measure these ‘properties’, because this approach will irritate some readers. Further irritations are the lack of adherence to S.I. units, the typographical errors in some of the tables and figures and the absence of units from some of the equations. A problem with physiology is its uneasy and unstable position between biochemistry and population ecology. It is therefore difficult to decide on the limits and breadth of discussion. The authors also seem to have come against this problem and have failed to apply a uniform approach. For example, their discussion of root anoxia includes, appropriately, a diagram and text on the biochemical pathways of glucose oxidation. However, the extensive treatment of photosynthesis, with considerations of the physiology of species with different pathways and a very brief mention of carbon discrimination, fails to describe the very relevant but contrasting pathways. In spite of these minor criticisms I think this book will be a very useful and integrated sourcebook for all students of ecology. F.I. Woodward Departmentof Botany,Universityof Cambridge, DowningSt, Cambridge,C823EA,UK.
247
vol. 3, no. 9, September
1988
tel ns as an important mechanism of coexistence7,8. These patterns are adequately modelled by the negative binomial distribution whose exk, can be used as a conpcnent, venient index of aggregation. There is no biological behaviour in these descriptive models, but once we know that certain values of k are important in maintaining coexistence, the biological mechanisms can be investigated. The general description must come first, the detailed mechanism later. The Niche in Competition Evolution is a personal view
and
of exploitative competition, by someone who has contributed some excellent laboratory studies to the literature.
- Plant Physiological
Perhaps because it is idiosyncratic, it will be more prone to criticism from ecologists like myself with equally However, I idiosyncratic views. found it enjoyable and I recommend ecologists.
and it
stimulating, to other
References 1 MacArthur, R.H. (1968) in Population BiologyandEvolution (Lewontin, RX., ed.), Syracuse University Press 2 MacArthur, R.H. (1970) Theor. Pop. Biol. l,l-11 3 MacArthur, R.H. (1972) Geographical Ecology, Harper and Row 4 Lewontin, R.C. (1974) The Genetic Basis ofEvolutionary Change, Columbia University Press 5 Hairston, N.G., Smith, F.E. and
Slobodkin, L.B. (1960) Am. Nat. 94, 321-325 6 Armstrong, R.A. and McGehee, R. (1976) J. Theor. Biol. 56,499-502 7 Shorrocks, B., Rosewell, J., Edwards, K. and Atkinson, W.D. (1984) Nature 189, 732-735 8 Shorrocks, B. and Rosewell, J. 11987) in Organization of Communities: Past and Present(Gee, J.H.R. and Giller, P S., eds), Blackwell 9 Gilpin, M.E. (1975)Am. Nat. 109,51-60 10 Buss, L.W. and Jackson, J.B.C. (1979) Am. Na;. 113,223-234 11 Arthur, W. (1988) Nature333, 597
Bryan Shorrocks Departmentof PureandAppliedBiology,The University,LeedsLS29JT,UK.
Ecology
Environmental Physiology of Plants by A.H. Fitter and R.K.M. Hay (2nd edn.), Academic Press, 7987. f35.00/ $69.00 hbk, f14.50/$29.95 pbk (xiii + 42 pages) ISBN 0 12 257763 9 hbk/ 0 ‘2 257764 7 pbk. Much of present day plant ecology is concerned with observing the presence of individual plants. A permanent marker defines a particular plant or area for regular observation. Within this area a plant will continually respond to the environment by growth and development. These responses may be seen with the naked eye, without the aid of any so Dhisticated equipment. The environmental physiologist is alto concerned with the responses of plants to the environment, perhaps ev?n within the same confines of a permanent marker. In this case, however, the processes of interest su#:h as photosynthesis, transpiration and nutrient uptake are invisibl-. The observer is obliged to use equipment that renders the invisible visible. To measure the rate of photosynthesis, for example, a leaf must be enclosed in an air-tight cu,/ette. An instrument must then measure the differences in the CO2 cotlcentrations between the air entering and leaving the leaf cuvette. Thus difference may then be used to calculate the rate of photosynthesis, wl-ich is then visibly displayed. Other invisible processes of resource capture may, to varying extents, be made visible by appropriate instrumentation. tb a consequence of this depende ice on instrumentation, environmebntal physiology has often been
viewed with some cynicism by researchers in other areas of ecology. Some are concerned about the uncertainty associated with a measurement which, as in the example of a photosynthetic measurement, radically changes the environment of the leaf during the period of measurement. The relevance of the measurement to the physiology of the free leaf is therefore questionable. Others feel that environmental physiologists are too concerned with the development and use of instrumentation for its own sake. These concerns notwithstanding, it is clear that the development of appropriate instrumentation is a central process to the development of environmental physiology. Environmental Physiology of Plants emphasizes visible the products of measurements and ignores the problems of uncertainty principles and the details of instrumentation. The reader must therefore assume that the authors have filtered out questionable measurements associated with problematic instrumentation. Consequently, the book flows easily from considerations of resource capture to the effects of environmental stresses on plant physiology and ecology. The format of this second edition is similar to that of the first (published in 19811, but with the addition of much new information and an additional chapter on ‘an ecological perspective’. This final chapter aims to combine the wide-ranging and detailed information in the other chapters into a framework that includes general ecological concepts such as the niche, succession and strategy theory.
Undergraduate and graduate readers should enjoy this book. It is upto-date and - through its comparative approach at the species level - it incorporates responses of species from widely differing ecosystems. The underlying philosophy is unashamedly adaptationist, with a strong dependence on optimization models. It is a shame that instruments don’t unequivocally measure these ‘properties’, because this approach will irritate some readers. Further irritations are the lack of adherence to S.I. units, the typographical errors in some of the tables and figures and the absence of units from some of the equations. A problem with physiology is its uneasy and unstable position between biochemistry and population ecology. It is therefore difficult to decide on the limits and breadth of discussion. The authors also seem to have come against this problem and have failed to apply a uniform approach. For example, their discussion of root anoxia includes, appropriately, a diagram and text on the biochemical pathways of glucose oxidation. However, the extensive treatment of photosynthesis, with considerations of the physiology of species with different pathways and a very brief mention of carbon discrimination, fails to describe the very relevant but contrasting pathways. In spite of these minor criticisms I think this book will be a very useful and integrated sourcebook for all students of ecology. F.I. Woodward Departmentof Botany,Universityof Cambridge, DowningSt, Cambridge,C823EA,UK.
247