This manual offers foresters information to help them understand the performance of spruce seedlings after being planted on a reforestation site. It was written for university students taking a regeneration silviculture class, and foresters and researchers who work with spruce species.

This is a concise and comprehensive review of the biology, ecology, and management of Norway spruce. Written by 25 experts in the field, and richly illustrated, it integrates classic and contemporary literature. More than 2000 works are cited in the text, which highlights basic research and forestry practices in central and Eastern Europe. The huge range of topics covered includes the species’ morphology, its physiology and nutrition, and its ecology.

Although, as W.D. Billings notes in his chapter in this book. the development of physiological ecology can be traced back to the very beginnings of the study of ecology it is clear that the modern development of this field in North America is due in the large part to the efforts of Billings alone. The foundation that Billings laid in the late 1950s came from his own studies on deserts and subsequently arctic and alpine plants, and also from his enormous success in instilling enthusiasm for the field in the numerous students attracted to the plant ecology program at Duke University. Billings' own studies provided the model for subsequent work in this field. Physiological techniques. normally confined to the laboratory. were brought into the field to examine processes under natural environmental conditions. These field studies were accompanied by experiments under controlled conditions where the relative impact of various factors could be assessed and further where genetic as opposed to environmental influences could be separated. This blending of field and laboratory approaches promoted the design of experiments which were of direct relevance to understanding the distribution and abundance of plants in nature. Physiological mechanisms were studied and assessed in the context of the functioning of plants under natural conditions rather than as an end in itself.

Physiological ecology is an exciting, rapidly developing field. This volume ably indicates the immense gaps in our knowledge in part through a compilation of current knowledge about how plants adapt to the environmental conditions of the various North American biomes. Single chapters consider Arctic, alpine, taiga, chaparral, grassland, deciduous forest, tropical and subtropical forest, marine beaches and dunes, and coastal marshes. Two chapters are devoted to Western forests and three to deserts. The short preface is a poor substitute for a thoughtful introduction and a summary is sorely missed. W.D. Billing's chapter on the history of plant ecophysiology is outstanding. The only remotely comparable single-volume work in English is Heinrich Walter's Vegetation of the Earth and Ecological Systems of the Geobiosphere (2nd ed., 1979; 1st ed., CH, Apr '74); the present volume fills in many details excluded in Walter's global treatment. A solid background in ecology and plant physiology is needed to comprehend at least half of each chapter; however, Chabot and Mooney provide an excellent reference work of use to advanced undergraduates, graduates, and faculty. Recommended for libraries in colleges with plant ecology, plant geography, or plant physiology courses.-G.D. Dreyer, Connecticut College--Choice Reviews.

There is a scarcity of detailed information regarding the ecophysiology of root systems and the way root system functioning is affected by both internal and external factors. Furthermore, global climate change is expected to increase the intensity of climate extremes, such as severe drought, heat waves and periods of heavy rainfall; in addition other stresses such as salinization of soils are increasing world-wide. Recently an increasing awareness has developed that understanding plant traits will play a major role in breeding of future crop plants. For example, there is increasing evidence that the traits of root systems are defined by the properties of individual roots. However, further knowledge on the functional importance of root segments and the molecular/physiological mechanisms underlying root system functioning and persistence is needed, and would specifically allow modifying (crop) root system functionality and efficiency in the future. Another major gap in knowledge is localized at the root-soil interface and in regard to the potential adaptive plasticity of root-rhizosphere interactions under abiotic stress and/or competition. It is currently unknown whether adaptations in microbe communities occur, for example due to modified exudation rates, and what are the subsequent influences on nutrient mobilization and uptake. Furthermore, uncovering the mechanisms by which roots perceive neighboring roots may not only contribute to our understanding of plant developmental strategies, but also has important implications on the study of competitive interactions in natural communities, and in optimizing plant performance and resource use in agricultural and silvicultural systems. In this Research Topic, we aimed to provide an on-line, open-access snapshot of the current state of the art of the field of root ecology and physiology, with special focus on the translation of root structure to function, and how root systems are influenced by interplay with internal and external factors such as abiotic stress, microbes and plant-plant interaction. We welcomed original research papers, but reviews of specific topics, articles formulating opinions or describing cutting-edge methods were also gladly accepted.