This text explores the means, processes and mechanisms by which plants change the orientation and juxtapositions of various organs in order to optimize their harvest of energy, and examines the major stumuli which provokes such responses. These interactions are re-described for higher plants through to ferns, fungi and algae, and the text constantly emphasizes the functional significance of particular growth movements to plants in their natural surroundings.

Tropisms, the defined vectorial stimuli, such as gravity, light, touch, humidity gradients, ions, oxygen, and temperature, which provide guidance for plant organ growth, is a rapidly growing and changing field. The last few years have witnessed a true renaissance in the analysis of tropisms. As such the conception of tropisms has changed from being seen as a group of simple laboratory curiosities to their recognition as important tools/phenotypes with which to decipher basic cell biological processes that are essential to plant growth and development. Plant Tropisms will provide a comprehensive, yet integrated volume of the current state of knowledge on the molecular and cell biological processes that govern plant tropisms.

General aspects of plant movement; Introduction; Stimulus perception; Reception and trasduction of electrical and mechanical stimuli; Endogenous rhythms in the movement of plants; Intracellular movements; Role of microtubules in intracellular movements; Actomyosin as a basic mechanism of movement in animals and plants; Cytoplasmic streaming in physarum; Cytoplasmic streaming and cyclosis of chloroplasts; Chloroplast and nuclear migration; Locomotion in microbial plants; Mechanisms of locomotion; Bacterial flagella; Plant cilia; Gliding movements; Control of locomoltion; Photomovement; Chemotaxis in bacteria; Chemotaxis in unicellular eukaryotes; Movement of slime molds; Movements using turgor mechanisms; Movements of stomata; Leaf movements and tendril curling; Growth movements; Growth movements directed by light; Induction of polarity; Phototropism; Growth movements directed by gravity; Gravitropism in single cells; Graviperception in multicellular organs; Growth-control mechanisms in gravitropism; Growth movements not directed primarily by external stimuli; Circumnutation; Epinasty; Author index; Subject index.

Photoperiodism is the response to the length of the day that enables living organisms to adapt to seasonal changes in their environment as well as latitudinal variation. As such, it is one of the most significant andcomplex aspects of the interaction between plants and their environment and is a major factor controlling their growth and development. As the new and powerful technologies of molecular genetics are brought to bear on photoperiodism, it becomes particularly important to place new work in the context of the considerable amount of physiological information which already exists on the subject. This innovative book will be of interest to a wide range of plant scientists, from those interested in fundamental plant physiology and molecular biology to agronomists and crop physiologists. Provides a self-sufficient account of all the important subjects and key literature references for photoperiodism Includes research of the last twenty years since the publication of the First Edition Includes details of molecular genetic techniques brought to bear on photoperiodism