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.

Inhalt
A: Molecular and Physiological Control and Limitations.- 1 Dynamics in Photosystem II Structure and Function.- 2 Regulation of Photosynthetic Light Energy Capture, Conversion, and Dissipation in Leaves of Higher Plants.- 3 Chlorophyll Fluorescence as a Nonintrusive Indicator for Rapid Assessment of In Vivo Photosynthesis.- 4 Higher Plant Respiration and Its Relationships to Photosynthesis.- 5 Apoplastic and Symplastic Proton Concentrations and Their Significance for Metabolism.- 6 The Significance of Assimilatory Starch for Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana Wild-Type and Starchless Mutants.- 7 Photosynthesis, Storage, and Allocation.- 8 Gas Exchange and Growth.- B: Responses of Photosynthesis to Environmental Factors.- 9 Internal Coordination of Plant Responses to Drought and Evaporational Demand.- 10 As to the Mode of Action of the Guard Cells in Dry Air.- 11 Direct Observations of Stomatal Movements.- 12 Carbon Gain in Relation to Water Use: Photosynthesis in Mangroves.- 13 Photosynthesis as a Tool for Indicating Temperature Stress Events.- 14 Air Pollution, Photosynthesis and Forest Decline: Interactions and Consequences.- C: Plant Performance in the Field.- 15 Photosynthesis in Aquatic Plants.- 16 Photosynthesis in Poikilohydric Plants: A Comparison of Lichens and Bryophytes.- 17 The Consequences of Sunflecks for Photosynthesis and Growth of Forest Understory Plants.- 18 Variation in Gas Exchange Characteristics Among Desert Plants.- 19 Deuterium Content in Organic Material of Hosts and Their Parasites.- 20 Photosynthesis of Vascular Plants: Assessing Canopy Photosynthesis by Means of Simulation Models.- 21 Effects of Phenology, Physiology, and Gradients in Community Composition, Structure, and Microclimate on Tundra Ecosystem CO2 Exchange.- D: Global Aspects of Photosynthesis.- 22 Leaf Diffusive Conductances in the Major Vegetation Types of the Globe.- 23 Predictions and Measurements of the Maximum Photosynthetic Rate, Amax, at the Global Scale.- 24 Remote Sensing of Terrestrial Photosynthesis.- 25 Are C4 Pathway Plants Threatened by Global Climatic Change?.- E: Perspectives in Ecophysiological Research of Photosynthesis.- 26 Overview: Perspectives in Ecophysiological Research of Photosynthesis.- Species Index.