The research in this book covers papers on a great number of research
projects on the responses of plants and crops of natural terrestrial
ecosystems, of agro-ecosystems, and of aquatic ecosystems, to enhanced
solar UV-B as a result of stratospheric ozone depletion. Some
introductory chapters deal with general aspects of how plants respond to
UV-B radiation.
Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) is a primary energy resource
for terrestrial plants, necessary for plant growth. Inevitably
terrestrial plants absorb UV-B when exposed to solar radiation. The
spectral balance between PAR and UV-B is discussed in several chapters.
The responses of plants and ecosystems from the Antarctic and Arctic to
enhanced solar UV-B radiation as a consequence of the hole in the ozone
layer are considered in some detail. In addition the papers in the book
discuss the problem of how responses of plants to UV-B radiation
interact with other environmental factors.
The book is of great importance for those who are involved in global
change topics: biologists, ecologists, earth scientists, agronomists,
environmental scientists, and those who develop environmental policy.