In a world of increasing atmospheric CO2, there is intensified interest
in the ecophysiology of photosynthesis and increasing attention is being
given to carbon exchange and storage in natural ecosystems. We need to
know how much photosynthesis of terrestrial and aquatic vegetation will
change as global CO2 increases. Are there major ecosystems, such as the
boreal forests, which may become important sinks of CO2 and slow down
the effects of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on climate? Will the
composition of the vegetation change as a result of CO2 increase?
This volume reviews the progress which has been made in understanding
photosynthesis in the past few decades at several levels of integration
from the molecular level to canopy, ecosystem and global scales.