Responses of Plants to UV-B Radiation

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.

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General. 1. Is provitamin D a UV-B photoreceptor in plants?; L.O. Björn, T. Wang. 2. (Poly)phenolic compounds in pollen and spores of plants as indicators of solar UV-B: a new proxy for the reconstruction of past solar UV-B; J. Rozema, et al. 3. The direct effects of UV-B radiation (290-315 nm) on plant litter decomposing at four European field sites; S.A. Moody, et al. Terrestrial Plants and Terrestrial Ecosystems. 4. Enhanced UV-B affects biomass production in a dune grassland ecosystem; A.M.C. Oudejans, et al. 5. The influence of enhanced UV-B radiation on the spring geophyte Pulmonaria officinalis; M. Novak, et al. 6. Growth and flower properties and demography of Anthemis arvensis under enhanced UV-B radiation; Y. Petropoulou, et al. Arctic and Antarctic Plants and Ecosystems. 7. Short-term impacts of enhanced UV-B radiation on photo-assimilate allocation and metabolism: a possible interpretation for time dependent inhibition of growth; D. Gwynn-Jones. 8. Field research on the impact of UV-B on Antarctic terrestrial vegetation; A.H.L. Huiskes, et al. 9. The effects of altered levels of UV-B radiation on an Antarctic grass and lichen; D. Lud, et al. 10. Consequences of depletion of stratospheric ozone for terrestrial antarctic ecosystems: the response of Deschampsia antarctica to enhanced UV-B radiation in a controlled environment; J. Rozema, et al. Reduction of ambient UV-B radiation does not affect growth but may change the flowering pattern of Rosmarinus officinalis L.; G. Grammatikopoulos, et al. Interactionsof UV-B Radiation with other factors of terrestrial environments. 12. The importance of UV-B induced changes in canopy architecture for UV-B and PAR penetration and absorption; G. Deckmyn, et al. 13. The response of Vivia faba to enhanced UV-B under low and high PAR levels; B.M. Meijkamp, et al. 14. Growth under UV-B radiation increases tolerance to high-light stress in pea and bean plants; E.M. Bolink, et al. 15. Nutrient availability influences UV-B sensitivity of Plantago lanceolata; M. Tosserams, et al. 16. Increased solar UV-B radiation reduces infection by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in dune grassland plants; J. van de Staaij, et al. 17. Combined effects of enhanced UV-B radiation and additional nutrients on growth of two Mediterranean plant species; E. Levizou, Y. Manetas. 18. Effects of UV-B radiation and additional irrigation on the Mediterranean evergreen sclerophyll Ceratonia silique L. under field conditions; A. Kyparissis, et al. 19. Combined effects of CO2 concentration and enhanced UV-B radiation on Faba bean; M. Tosserams, et al. 20. Enhanced UV-B radiation, artificial wounding and leaf chemical defensive potential in Phlomis fruticosa L.; E. Levizou, Y. Manetas. Aquatic Plants and Aquatic ecosystems. 21. Responses of algae and cyanobacteria to solar UV-B; R.P. Sinha, et al. 22. UV effects on a charophycean algae, Chara aspera, in the context of evolution of land plants; N. de Bakker, et al. 23. Responses of phytoplankton to UV-B radiation studied in an arctic freshwater lake (Brandal Laguna, Spitsbergen