Plant Physiological Ecology TodayRecent advances are helping to determine the biochemistry and physiology behind plant performance under natural conditions

D uring the past few decades plant physiological ecology has expanded tremendously. This growth has come partly from substantial technological advances that now make it possible to quantify precisely, under natural conditions, the microenvironment of plants and plant tissues as well as their metabolic responses. In addition, accompanying theoretical developments have provided a conceptual framework for relating environmental factors to plant mass and energy exchanges. Such information has been incorporated into simulation and optimization models of both morphological characteristics (e.g., leaf color, size, angle) and physiological properties (e.g., photosynthesis, transpiration, stomatal conductance). Plant physiological ecology is thus becoming increasingly predictive and is providing management tools in a number of areas, including forestry and pollution control. It is also providing a new understanding of community function and evolutionary development. To summarize past progress and set priorities for future research in this field, the National Science Foundation sponsored a symposium at Asilomar, California, in December 1985.